Does anyone remember Animalympics?

[collegestudent247]

So, I was browsing through my Comcast On Demand yesterday and I was looking in the Free Movies section. As I was searching through it, I found that they had the Animalympics movie to it. As a kid, I loved this movie because I thought it was funny to see animals compete in the Olympic events. So, I decided to watch it again, just to see if it still held up.

I can say, that for the most part, it did. A lot of the jokes were still funny, as they were more sight-based gags instead of dialogue. The whole movie is a parody of the games, so it would make sense for that to be the case. I think one of my favorite scenes is during the volleyball match when one of the birds gets hit with the volleyball and goes flying through the door. Always made me laugh. Of course, the most memorable thing about this movie is the budding romance between Rene Fromage and Kit Mambo, the two racers in the marathon.

The other thing that still held up was the music. This movie, while still parodying the Olympics, was at times a music video. It seemed like every other scene at times was a music montage. I think my favorite one was the one montage that had the song "Now that we made it..." playing in the background.

So overall, while it wasn't perfect, it was still enjoyable. I also noticed that Brad Bird was an animator for this movie, which I thought was pretty cool.

 

[Smiling Wolf]

Isn't this movie on DVD yet?

I remember seeing this first on NBC in 1980 then on Pay TV in 1981. I like the magazine cover parodies in it!

 

[Jericho the Fallen Diablo]

I remember when it aired on the Disney Channel when I was a kid. Luckily I got to see for the first time in years last year.

 

[Kunmui]

I recall seeing this one as a kid (when it was on HBO or Showtime back in the 80s), and enjoyed it; not seen it since then though...

 

[Tenshin K]

Unfortunately, no. Only VHS.

 

[luvvey_00001]

I did see this movie years ago, it was one of those Sunday morning ones. I can't remember much about it, except that I thought it was pretty good at the time.

 

[bobbyboy]

Cool movie I still remember some of the music from it..

 

[Grant O]

I vaguely remember seeing it on Disney years and years ago.

 

[jnice100]

I first saw Animalympics on the Disney Channel. Loved it then, love it now. What I love is how it spoofs EVERYTHING about the Olympics--and sports in general. Two of my favorite scenes are the opening montage with the torchbearers and the scene in which Bolt Jenkins sets a new world record in pole-vaulting and then immediately lands feet first into a cereal commercial. The movie is also full of little gems, such as Bruce Kwakimoto dancing at Noah's Ark Disco.

And oh my gosh, the music...! Graham Gouldman did an excellent job with those songs. I was fortunate to find a copy of the soundtrack on vinyl a few years ago, and I still play it today. It's impossible for me to pick a favorite. And as a musician, I liked the classical music choices: Tatyana Tushenko's (sp?) floor exercises to Mussorgsky's "Pictures At an Exhibition," the couple figure skating to Berlioz' "March to the Scaffold" from Symphonie fantastique, and Dorrie Turnell's skating to a Brahms symphony (though I don't remember which one.)

For my money, Animalympics is a classic that is LONG overdue for a DVD release.

By thy side,

Figaro

 

[I.eat.Snails.]

I remember Animorphs...but that was live action.

 

[Carlitos12345]

Among those who worked on Animalympics were art director/animator Roger Allers, animation director Bill Kroyer, and animator Brad Bird. Allers, who animated Kit Mambo, the lion star of Animalympics, appropriately went on to direct The Lion King.[6] Kroyer later wrote and directed the animated feature Ferngully. Brad Bird went on to work as story editor of The Simpsons, and later achieved even greater success writing and directing Iron Giant, The Incredibles.[7] and Ratatouille .