"Napoleon" (1995), this film is kind of an interesting one. I pretty much forgot all about it until just a few days ago. Seriously, out of nowhere I remembered certain moments and images from this movie and thought: "wait, was this a real film? Or, am I just imagining things?" I looked it up, and sure enough, it is a real movie! As soon as I saw the movie poster, the warm and happy memories of my childhood came rushing back to me like a ton of bricks. I watched it again to refresh my memory, and honestly, it holds up pretty well today! "Napoleon" has a great story, sublime acting, perfect sets/locations, perfect special effects, and of course a perfect soundtrack to tie it all together. The plot is, a golden retriever puppy named Muffin, who prefers to be called Napoleon, wishes to live in the wilderness and become a wild dog himself. One day, that happens by accident, as he climbs into a basket with balloons tied to it. The balloon strings get pulled loose, lifting Napoleon off the ground and into the sky, carrying him away from his home, and soon the city. From there, he must fend for himself in the wilderness, befriending several different animals along the way, along with making a few different enemies. I won't go into any extra details about the storyline at the risk of spoiling anything. But, I will say this, it's a story that'll stick with you for the rest of your life. It's fun, heartwarming, the morals are strong and it keeps you intrigued all the way from beginning to end. The best word to describe it, is charming. Now, it's not as good as other live-action animal films. Like, for example: "The Adventures of Milo and Otis" (1986) or "Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey" (1993). That being said, "Napoleon" is in it's own league, it's more of a children's movie than a family film. But, that doesn't mean adults still can't enjoy it, especially if they've seen it as a kid like I have! If I had one nitpick, and it really is just a minor nitpick, there are a few scenes that look and feel rushed. I won't describe them, because that may spoil the movie. But, it just feels some scenes are missing that should have been in the final cut. They would've linked everything together and provided a stronger connection to the subplots! Then again, it's supposed to be made for kids and children aren't too keen on watching long films. Like I said, it's just a nitpick and the shortened length doesn't hurt it in any way. When I watched it again before I wrote this review, I was kind of worried that it would just be another run-of-the-mill movie, just like a lot of the many different ones out there. However, "Napoleon" is told and expressed from a different point of view. It's about a dog who wants to leave his home, rather than about a dog who wants to get home again. Here, it's the other way around the spectrum, which is a rare thing to see, and this film gets it right! As for the acting, it's stellar from the whole entire cast. Just like in "The Adventures of Milo and Otis", this film features an all-animal cast as the main characters. There are human actors, but they're only on the screen for a brief moment and then gone for the rest of the movie. The humans shown are background extras at best. The whole cast, especially the voice cast, does such a fantastic job in this movie! Fun fact: the original version of this film is with Australian actors and actresses, since it was made in Australia. But, there is also an American-dubbed version that came out a few years later in 1998. That was the version I saw on video first. Which one do I think is better? Well, both nationalities bring great charm and heart to their respectable characters. But, I'm going to have to give the original Australian dub the edge. It just sounds all the more authentic, given the location of the storyline and it just has that much more of a heartwarming feeling to it. The American-dubbed version is great and gets the job done, but the original dub is superior by just a tiny margin, in my opinion. All of the sets/locations are perfect and give this film a stunning atmosphere. You can't go wrong with filming your movie in Australia! As for the special effects, they are all very well-done and still hold up to this day. Some may be a little cheesy, but they just add to the charm of the story. Like I always say, practical effects beat CGI any day! Finally, the soundtrack composed by Bill Conti is absolutely phenomenal. Bill Conti is one of my top 10 all-time favorite film score composers, and this one here is no different. His film score sets the perfect tone for the story and it really helps bring the movie to life! To be honest with you all, this is one of my personal favorites of his film scores. Whenever I hear a part of this soundtrack, I immediately pinpoint it to this movie. That's the mark of a flawless film score. My personal favorite tracks are: "Out to Sea", "Funny, You Don't Look...", "Turtle Ferry" and both versions of "How Far I'll Fly". Plus, as a bonus, there's a song here in this movie that cracks me up, called: "Kangaroo La Roo". It may be ridiculous, but it's still funny to me. Overall, the whole entire soundtrack is incredible. Props to you, Bill Conti! "Napoleon" is a fun, heartwarming and very enjoyable film for people of all ages, especially children. But, now that I've discovered it again, I'll be watching it again a lot! Of course, I give this movie 5 out of 5 stars on my scale, which equates to 10 out of 10 IMDB stars. If you haven't seen "Napoleon" yet, what are you waiting for? Go and check it out today. Or, if you need a great film for kids to watch, look into this one. I guarantee that they'll love it, and you'll love it too. Put it on today, and prepare for a fun and memorable adventure!
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