The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle (2001, VHS)

It's been a pleasant surprise to see the successful adaptation of the cartoons of Jay Ward to the big screen, and in live action. "George Of The Jungle" was a delight three years ago. Now, lightning has struck twice with "The Adventures Of Rocky And Bullwinkle." The people responsible for these movies, I suppose, are a lot like me - fans of the series who have loved the pun-based humor and the satire of Cold War politics.

The Cold War, of course, is long over, but the spies of Pottsylvania still long for world domination. The fall of the Iron Curtain has driven Boris, Natasha, and Fearless Leader underground. Their travels underground, though, lead them to the office of a Hollywood producer, where they convince the producer, Minnie Mogul (Janeane Garofalo) to approve a Rocky and Bullwinkle picture. Mogul, herself a fan of the show, signs their contract through the TV on which Fearless Leader and his top agents appear. When Mogul takes the contract, the trio hangs onto the paper and are converted from cartoon characters into real people.

Things have not gone well for Rocky and Bullwinkle, either. After their show was cancelled, our heroes watched their hometown of Frostbite Falls, Minnesota, fall into a state of animated disrepair. Bullwinkle has even written the President to ask for assistance. Washington hears him, but it's the FBI who needs him. The Pottsylvanians have created RBTV (Really Bad Television), which will be used to brainwash America and put Fearless Leader (Robert De Niro) in control. FBI supervisor Cappy Von Trappment (Randy Quaid) assigns his agent Karen Sympathy (Piper Perabo) to enlist the assistance of the moose and squirrel.

Sympathy brings Rocky and Bullwinkle into the real world by going to Hollywood and greenlighting their movie. Fearless Leader sends Boris (Jason Alexander) and Natasha (Rene Russo) after them with their latest secret weapon, which permanently banishes any animated character to the Internet. Sympathy has to get the heroes across country before RBTV goes live.

"The Adventures Of Rocky And Bullwinkle" captures the spirit of the cartoon, though the humor is a little cuter and more kid-oriented. Highlights of the movie include De Niro, as Fearless Leader, reprising his famous "You talkin' to me?" line from "Taxi Driver," and Bullwinkle's visit to his alma mater, Wossamotta U.. The movie has a fan club feel to it, as celebrities like John Goodman, Carl Reiner, and Whoopi Goldberg make cameos. It's a fitting tribute, thanks to writer Kenneth Lonergan and director Des McAnuff. They did their homework and made the animated transistion successful.

June Foray, the only remaining actor from the original series, is still in fine form as the voice of Rocky. Keith Scott (not related to original Bullwinkle Bill Scott) makes his work seem as if he's been working with Foray for years. Perabo is fine as the human foil to the animated good guys. The movie "Rocky And Bullwinkle" isn't exactly like the cartoon, but I enjoyed the nostalgia and the spirit of the picture. I hope this creates more fans among the young for a show still running all over America.