The Magic Pudding is a 2001 Australian animated movie based on the story of the same name by Norman Lindsay.
Plot[]
In the South Pole in the year 1957, Bill Barnacle and his crew are cruising across the waters when their ship crashes. The crew run out of food and are starving and their evil shipmate Buncle wants to eat Sam (The first mate). However they discover a magic pudding called Albert that can talk, change flavour on request, lasts forever and demands that they continue to eat him. The crew are divided over the pudding but two of them resolve to protect and look after it. Ten years later in 1967 a young koala named Bunyip Bluegum discovers that he is not an orphan and sets out on a quest to find his parents, Meg and Tom Bluegum. The old crew and the koala paths cross on the road when Bunyip stumbles into the middle of an attempt by thieves to steal the everlasting pudding from Bill and his first mate Sam.
Cast[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| John Cleese | Albert the Magic Pudding |
| Geoffrey Rush | Bunyip Bluegum |
| Hugo Weaving | Bill Barnacle |
| Sam Neill | Sam Sawnoff |
| Jack Thompson | Buncle |
| Toni Collette | Meg Bluegum |
| Roy Billing | Tom Bluegum |
| Greg Carroll | Watkin Wombat |
| Dave Gibson | Possum Uncle Wattleberry |
| Mary Coustas | Ginger |
| John Laws | Rumpus Bumpus |
| Sandy Gore | Frog on the Log |
| Michael Veitch | Bandicoot |
| Peter Gwynne | Benjamin Brandysnap |
| Martin Vaughan | Parrot |
| Gerry Connolly | Dobson Dorking |
| Robyn Moore | Henrietta Hedgehog |
Release[]
The film was first released in Australia on 26 January 2001.
The VHS tape and DVD were released in Australia in June 2001.
It was then released in New Zealand four months later after the Australian release on 9 April 2001.
A re-release of the DVD was released in Australia in 2013.
Reception & accolades[]
The Magic Pudding received mixed reviews. Although there's no approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes yet, the Audience Score is currently 54%.
| Award | Category | Subject | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| AACTA Awards (2001 AFI Awards) |
Best Adapted Screenplay | Harry Cripps | Nominated |
| Greg Haddrick | Nominated | ||
| Simon Hopkinson | Nominated | ||
| Best Sound | Julius Chan | Nominated | |
| Liam Egan | Nominated | ||
| Dave Eggins | Nominated | ||
| Les Fiddess | Nominated | ||
| Phil Judd | Nominated | ||
| FCCA Award | Best Screenplay - Adapted | Harry Cripps | Nominated |
| Greg Haddrick | Nominated | ||
| Simon Hopkinson | Nominated |
Soundtrack[]
The soundtrack was recorded by the Marionette Theatre of Australia and released in the next year after the movie on 14 July 2001.
| No. | Title | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "It's A Wonderful Day - Geoffrey Rush" | 1.25 | |
| 2. | "Albert, The Magic Pudding - John Cleese, Sam Neill, Geoffrey Rush & Chorus" | 2.42 | |
| 3. | "If I Had You - Kate Ceberano" | 4.23 | |
| 4. | "I Want You Back - N Sync" | 3.22 | |
| 5. | "The Puddin' Owner's Song - Sam Neill, Geoffrey Rush & Hugo Weaving" | 2.32 | |
| 6. | "My Heart Beats - Toni Collette" | 2.16 | |
| 7. | "Flying Without Wings - Westlife" | 3.36 | |
| 8. | "Sister - Sister2Sister" | 3.25 | |
| 9. | "It's Worse Than Weevils - Sam Neill, Geoffrey Rush & Hugo Weaving" | 0.38 | |
| 10. | "Save the Town - Sam Neill, Geoffrey Rush & Hugo Weaving" | 1.51 | |
| 11. | "Eternal Flame - Human Nature" | 3.20 | |
| 12. | "In the Underground Tonight - Jack Thompson, Mary Coustas, Dave Gibson & Chorus" | 1.47 | |
| 13. | "Friends - Merril Bainbridge" | 4.24 | |
| 14. | "The Magic Pudding - Rolf Harris" | 3.07 | |
| 15. | "Now I Can Dance - Tina Arena" | 5.55 | |
| 16. | "A Slice of Pudding - The Magic Pudding Orchestra" | 5.37 | |
Total length: |
50:20 | ||
Video games[]
- The Magic Pudding Adventure - The same month when the movie was released, an interactive game called "The Magic Pudding Adventure" was released with video highlights from the movie and 5 re-playable activities including Sink or Swim also released on DVD.
