Gumby: The Movie
Gumby: The Movie (also referred to as its on-screen title Gumby 1) is a 1995 American stop-motion surrealist claymation adventure film featuring the character Gumby.[3][4]
| Gumby: The Movie | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Art Clokey |
| Produced by | Art Clokey Gloria Clokey Kevin Reher |
| Written by | Art Clokey Gloria Clokey |
| Starring | Charles Farrington Art Clokey Gloria Clokey |
| Music by | Jerry Gerber Marco D'Ambrosio Songs: Ozzie Ahlers Gloria Clokey |
| Cinematography | Art Clokey |
| Edited by | Marilyn McCoppen Lynn Stevenson |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Arrow Releasing Inc. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $2.8 million[1] |
| Box office | $57,100[2] |
The film was released on October 4, 1995, received mostly negative reviews and was a box-office bomb, earning only $57,100 at the US box office, although much of this can be attributed to its very limited theatrical rollout. The film did, however, achieve a cult status among its fan base.
Plot
When the Blockheads' E-Z Loan company threatens to take away the farms belonging to the small farmers due to being unable to make their loan payments, Gumby and his band, the Clayboys, decide to have a benefit concert to save the farms. But when the evil Blockheads find out that Gumby's dog, Lowbelly, cries pearls when he sees the Clayboys perform, they decide to kidnap Lowbelly and force him to cry pearls (initially unaware that Lowbelly was only crying whenever Gumby changed his shape). Lowbelly doesn't respond to the Blockheads' initial attempt, but the Blockheads subsequently are informed by computer analysis that they need Gumby to extract the pearls, so they kidnap Gumby and the Clayboys in order to create robotic clones of them.
With the help of Pokey, Prickle, Goo, fans Tara and Ginger, and talent agent Lucky Claybert, Gumby takes on his robot clone and is still in time for his videotaping session in agreement with Claybert. At a picnic, Gumby announces that he's opening his own farm-centered loan company that will give reasonable loans for its customers. The Blockheads are forced to weed Gumby's garden as punishment, and the eponymous duo Gumby and Pokey decide that things are looking up for them as they head back to outer space.
Cast
- Dallas McKennon (as Charles Farrington) voices several roles:
- Gumby: A young green boy made of clay
- Professor Kapp: The silliest scientist with an Ed Wynn-like voice
- Fatbuckle: A red man with a big belt (his name is a play on "Fatty" Arbuckle)[5]
- Lucky Claybert: A Groucho Marx–like talent agent who makes "Gumbymania": A Lucky Production
- Nobuckle: A yellow man with a New Jersey accent
- Art Clokey voices several roles:
- Gloria Clokey voices Goo: a blue flying teenage mermaid
- Manny La Carruba voices Thinbuckle, A blue teenager with a thin belt. A teenager much like Gumby and Goo.
- Patti Morse (speaking voice)/Melisa Kary (singing voice) voices Tara: a light blue female and Gumby's love interest
- Alice Young voices Ginger: Tara's best friend
- Janet MacDuff voices Gumba: Gumby's mom
- Bonnie Rudolph voices some roles:
- Lowbelly: The dog who cries pearls every time he sees Gumby change shapes
- Farm Lady
- Ozzie Ahlers voices Radio Announcer
- Kirby Coleman voices "This Way 'N That" Singer
- Anthony McNulty voices "Burnzy"
- David Archer
- Lillian Nicol
- Rick Warren
- Stan Freberg (uncredited)
Production
Production on Gumby: The Movie was completed in 1992.[6] Despite this, Premavision was unable to find a distributor for the film until 1995, when they found a small company called Arrow Releasing. This company distributed the film the same year. John R. Dilworth, who would later be known for creating Cartoon Network's Courage the Cowardly Dog, served as the film's animation consultant.
The musical score was composed by Jerry Gerber, who previously worked on the television series, and Marco D'Ambrosio. Additionally, Ozzie Ahlers wrote and produced the featured songs "Take Me Away", "Ark Park" and "This Way'n That". Ahlers was also responsible for hiring frequent collaborator and Starship guitarist Craig Chaquico to play the electric guitar parts.[7]
Release
Gumby: The Movie was released on October 4, 1995, by Arrow Releasing, but received only a limited release in 21 theaters. The film grossed $57,100 at the box office.[2]
Critical reception
David Kronke of The Los Angeles Times described the screenplay as "tired and listless", and criticized the dialogue as unsophisticated and hastily assembled.[8] Common Sense Media rated the movie a 2 out of 5 stars, stating "The animation in this feature film edition might feel old-fashioned and clumsy; the story bland and simplistic. It's slow going, not terribly funny, and it's repetitive. Still it has a quirky charm that kids respond to, especially the grown-up "kids" who are long-time fans and enjoy the memories that repeat viewings provide."[9]
Home media
The film was released on home video on VHS by KidVision and Astral Home Video on December 26, 1995; it would be the former company's final release before becoming defunct. On November 20, 1997, Warner Home Video released the film on VHS under the Warner Bros. Family Entertainment label in Germany, entitled Gumby und seine Freunde. In April 2007, a director's cut version of the movie was shown at the Tribeca Film Festival. In this version, the film's run time was cut from 90 minutes to 76 minutes. This version of the film was released on DVD by Genius Products, LLC on April 22, 2008. NCircle Entertainment released the film in a Blu-ray + DVD Combo on July 18, 2017. Although the packaging indicates its original 90-minute length, at least three scenes were still missing that had appeared on the original VHS release.
References
- Harary, Keith (October 1994). "The World According to Gumby". Omni.
- "Gumby: The Movie (1995)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved March 12, 2015.
- Quintanilla, Michael (1993-11-27). "For Feat of Clay, He's Left a Lasting Impression". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-11-07.
- "Gumby Gets A Shot At The Movies". Chicago Tribune. 1995-09-14. Retrieved 2010-11-08.
- Clokey, Joan Rock; Clokey, Joe (2017-11-15). Gumby Imagined: The Story of Art Clokey and his Creations. Dynamite Entertainment. ISBN 978-1-5241-0437-5.
- Priebe, Ken (4 February 2011). "'The Advanced Art of Stop-Motion Animation': History of Stop-Motion Feature Films: Part 3". Animation World Network. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
- Chaquico, Craig (Spring 2004). "Gathering of the Tribes Newsletter" (PDF). Official Craig Chaquico Fan Club. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
- "MOVIE REVIEW; 'The Gumby Movie': Toys, No Story", The Los Angeles Times, retrieved 2010-11-08
- https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/gumby-the-movie