The Magic Pudding (film)

The Magic Pudding is a 2000 Australian animated musical adventure comedy film loosely based on the story of the same name by Norman Lindsay. Directed by Karl Zwicky, the film features an ensemble cast of known voice actors, including Sam Neill, Geoffrey Rush, Hugo Weaving, Jack Thompson, Toni Collette and John Cleese.

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. Buncle runs off with the pudding and claims it as his own, but the block of ice he was standing on breaks and falls into the sea, while Bill and Sam manage to rescue the pudding, and choose to protect it from thievery. 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

 * John Cleese as Albert the Magic Pudding: The pudding who lasts forever and turns into different sorts of puddings.
 * Geoffrey Rush as Bunyip Bluegum: An accomplished young koala that leaves home in search of his lost parents.
 * Hugo Weaving as Bill Barnacle: A sailor who leads the noble society of Pudding owners group.
 * Sam Neill as Sam Sawnoff: A penguin who is a shipmate of Bill Barnacle's cruise.
 * Jack Thompson as Buncle: A very selfish and very hungry wombat who is after the magic pudding for himself to eat forever. Also a former shipmate of Bill Barnacle's cruise.
 * Toni Collette as Meg Bluegum: The mother of Bunyip Bluegum.
 * Roy Billing as Tom Bluegum: father of Bunyip Bluegum.
 * Greg Carroll as Watkin Wombat: The nephew of Buncle who is one of the pudding thieves who has to catch and bring the pudding to him.
 * Dave Gibson as Patrick O'Possum: The wombats helper of the pudding thieves, and as Wattleberry: the uncle of Bunyip Bluegum.
 * Mary Coustas as Ginger: is the right-hand mouse of Buncle.
 * John Laws as Rumpus Bumpus: A wise old friend of Bunyip Bluegum.
 * Sandy Gore as Frog on the Log: She helps Bumyip to finding his parents.
 * Michael Veitch as Bandicoot: He carries the Watermelon.
 * Peter Gwynne as Benjamin Brandysnap: an elderly dog who owns a grocery store, once a friend of the pudding thieves, now betrayed by them after they stole his grocery bag and joined the pudding owners for revenge.
 * Robyn Moore as Henrietta Hedgehog
 * Martin Vaughan as Parrot
 * Gerry Connolly as Dobson Dorking

Release
The film was first released in Australia on 14 December 2000.

The VHS tape and DVD were released in Australia in May 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.

The film is available on Amazon Prime Instant Video in the United States.

Reception
The Magic Pudding received mixed reviews.

Australian critics, such as Louise Keller, Andrew L. Urban, and David Edwards, have given the film positive reviews.

Soundtrack
A soundtrack, recorded by the Marionette Theatre of Australia, was released on 14 July 2001.

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.