NekoHomey Purely Joyful Movie!

Beystiman It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

RipDelight This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

Jemima It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de) "Rupert and the Frog Song" is a 14-minute animated movie from over 30 years ago. The writer and director is Emmy nominee Jeff Dunbar, but the most known names here are obviously Beatle Paul and Linda McCartney. And maybe you have to be a Beatles fan in order to appreciate this one as I am not and I did not. I think the animation is not great for the 1980s, neither is the story and I have heard better music in Disney films from 40 years earlier. The voice acting is okay I guess, but this cannot make up for all the negative factors. I also don't see how this film delivers on a dramatic or emotional note. Not at all. As a whole, I am glad this was such a short film as I found nothing about it memorable. Not recommended.

Neil Welch Paul McCartney finally achieved his cherished aim of making a movie short about Rupert Bear, the much-loved subject of the Daily Express daily story strip and annuals. They joy of Rupert (who was as important to my childhood as he was to McCartney's) is the magical combination of the familiar and the bizarrely unexpected: Rupert lives in Nutwood, a bucolically idyllic representation of between-the-wars rural England, populated (without comment) by a mixture of normal people and anthropomorphic animal/people like Rupert himself. If you spend much time in Nutwood, you will discover (among other things) a Chinese Pekinese dog/person who lives in a pagoda, a reclusive scientist with a dwarf helper who has seven league boots, an underground terminus for an elf railway and all sorts of other elements which manage to be both mundane and quietly demented at the same time. Above everything, it is very, very English.McCartney and animation director collaborator Geoff Dunbar turn this into a small story where Rupert, out for a walk, stumbles upon a mass gathering of frogs who are collected together to celebrate, in song, the attendance of the Frog King and Queen. Rupert foils an attack by an owl and a couple of cats, then goes home.So, plotwise, there isn't a lot going on, but that doesn't matter: the atmosphere is nicely conjured up, and the centrepiece is the Frog Song itself.McCartney has come in for a lot of stick about the Frog Song: in my view this is unfair because the piece suits this movie perfectly. It is melodic, fun, majestic, and lends itself to an extended animation sequence very well: in that respect, it is just about perfect. However, it must be admitted that it is more or less the sole raison d'etre for the film: without it, the short film has little point.

bts1984 This wonderful animated short was part of my childhood. I absolutely adored to watch this over and over as a kid. Today it is a cartoon that I highly respect and admire for its excellence and the strong nostalgia effect it has on me. It's a timeless classic. It's pure, childish, artistic, charming, extremely nostalgic, relaxing for the eyes and soul... a great little masterpiece. A more innocent cartoon than this is difficult to find. It is as innocent and harmless as a cartoon can be. You don't see anything like this now. Ah, those were the days!This short is very colored, but it also has some darkness and a certain spooky feeling thanks to a darkness that is only comparable to Disney's classic 'The Rescuers'. You know, the feeling of being in a scary and forbidding place which is strengthened thanks to the brilliant music that really has that creepy feeling. But still, it isn't too frightening even in the darkest moments (then again, like 'The Rescuers'). The artwork is wonderful, even in the darker parts (once again, comparable to 'The Rescuers').The song "We All Stand Together" is truly delightful and eternal. The sequence itself is very jolly and animated: I mean, a festival of dance and music with nothing but frogs at the rhythm of such a jolly song?? Good heavens! There is nothing like this!Incredible as it may seem, this short is a production by Paul McCartney and his then wife Linda. Paul even voices a few characters, such as the lovable little bear Rupert.This is a short that should never be missed in any collection of gold classic animated shorts/films. It is rather special and makes you feel really good.I'm not aware of the title of this in Portugal, which is a shame.

Carol Sandford Being a massive Rupert fan as a child, I just fell in love with this short film as soon as I saw it with my now grown up children, and I still own a copy of it myself. Next stop is the DVD version.I wish they'd bring Rupert back. We need his innocence and his love of adventure for our future generations. He'll never go out of fashion, and I think Paul & Co's voices were perfect.The fact that Paul McCartney took time out from being a Rock God to compose this stunning piece of movie and music is truly commendable. I wish he'd do some more. The song/movie is still hot, judging by ebay etc, so it would definitely make money, in my honest opinion.But just knowing that there are children, and adults out there waiting to watch and listen to his mini masterpieces, I'm sure, would thrill Paul, and Linda, God rest her soul.