Blinky Bill: The Mischievous Koala

Blinky Bill: The Mischievous Koala is a 1992 Australian animated adventure comedy film directed by Yoram Gross and distributed by his Sydney-based production company Yoram Gross Film Studio.

For the 2015 film, see Blinky Bill the Movie.

Blinky Bill: The Mischievous Koala
Theatrical release poster
Directed byYoram Gross
Produced byYoram Gross
Written by
  • Yoram Gross
  • Leonard Lee
  • John Palmer
Based onThe Complete Adventures of Blinky Bill, by Dorothy Wall
Starring
Music by
Cinematography
  • Frank Hammond
  • Paul Ozerski
  • Nicholai Sherman
Edited byG.Y. Jerzy
Lee Smith
Production
company
Distributed by
Release date
  • 17 September 1992 (1992-09-17)
Running time
93 minutes
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish
Box officeAUD$1.9 million

The film tells the story of Blinky Bill’s childhood with his animal friends in the Australian bush. The peace and charm of their existence is shattered by the destruction of their homes by humans. Blinky Bill rallies his friends, in a series of exciting adventures, as they battle to protect their homes from destruction and as he rescues his mother from captivity. The animation is superimposed over live-action footage of the Australian bush, which was filmed on location in a farm at Bobin.

Plot

The local woodlanders are carrying with their everyday life as normal until the next morning, when two men Harry and Joe start to take down the entire forest with their tractor. The animals evacuate as many trees fall down, and more trees are cut down including Mrs Koala's home, and a tree knocks Blinky Bill unconscious.

At sunrise nothing is left of the bush and every animal is left homeless. They move out of the grounds to search for a new home, including Mr. Wombat. Blinky Bill, dazed and confused, calls for his mother, but she is nowhere in sight. Blinky rescues a young female koala named Nutsy from a cluster of fallen trees. They both run into Mr. Wombat. Nutsy tells him that Blinky has amnesia and Mr. Wombat explains to him about his life so far.

Blinky was a very mischievous sort causing trouble and receiving a scolding from Mayor Pelican, his teacher Miss Magpie and his mother for his many antics. He once encountered and escaped Ms. Pym at her general store. His mother then disciplines him and cries about the grief he is causing her. By the end of this story, Blinky is feeling very guilty about the trouble he caused his mother, so decides to find her.

Blinky Bill and Nutsy make their way towards a riverbank where they meet up with a hard of hearing Granny Grunty Koala. Down the river, they meet up with Splodge and his family who tell them about what happened to Mrs Koala who refused to evacuate out of pride of her own home. Blinky and Nutsy make their way to the waiting line where Mayor Pelican is assigning all the woodlanders to their places. Blinky Bill approaches the mayor who is less than pleased, and orders Nurse Angelina to take the children to the leaking North Cave. Unfortunately Blinky's mother is not here.

Blinky asks Ruff's mother for directions to the woodchip mill. Ignoring the fact there is danger there, Blinky goes to find his mother at the mill, and Nutsy follows him as they make their way through a rampaging river and the woods. They finally make it to the mill. The wood chip mill is home to the very woodcutters that felled their homes.

Next morning Blinky and Nutsy witness the woodcutters reducing the animals former homes into sawdust, narrowly escaping the circular buzz-saw. Then they stay in hiding until night time, but as they try to escape, they alert the dogs. When Blinky slingshoots the security light, Harry's wife Flo urges her husband to investigate. Blinky manages to slip out of the place, but Nutsy is trapped and makes a run for it, climbing into the bedroom of the family's daughter Claire Ann.

Blinky tearfully goes back to tell the others about the tragic news. Blinky's gang form a rescue party, forcing Marcia to join them. Blinky has Jacko para-drop Marcia down the chimney of the woodcutters' house taking notes of the house layout and items. Meanwhile, Nusty climbs into Claire Ann's bed who wakes up happy to find a real koala in her bed and manages to get her parents to let her keep the koala temporarily.

Blinky's gang sneak up to the house at night, then break into the house, but then they start up a commotion. Claire Ann immediately hides herself and Nutsy in her bedroom cupboard. Splodge manages to fend off both the dogs and Joe, while Blinky keeps Harry and Flo locked in their bedroom. In the chaos that follows, the wood chip machines starts up. Blinky gets Nutsy out of the house and they both fight off Harry. The chain of chaotic events against Harry and Joe end them up in a water tank. Blinky locates his mother and they all leave the place in the woodcutters' truck, while Claire Ann waves tearfully goodbye to her new-found koala friends.

Characters

Animal characters
  • Blinky Bill - a young koala and the titular movie character.
  • Nutsy - a female koala. She was taken in by mistake by Claire Ann, Harry's small daughter, who likes koalas.
  • Splodge - Blinky's best friend. He is a kangaroo, who lives with his parents.
  • Marcia - One of Blinky's friends. She is a tomboyish marsupial mouse.
  • Flap - A brown platypus and one of Blinky Bill's friends.
  • Mrs. Koala - Blinky Bill's mother. She was kidnapped by Harry and his assistant Joe.
  • Mr. Wombat - Blinky's mentor. He does not like it when Blinky calls him "Wombo".
  • Miss Magpie - Blinky's school teacher.
  • Mayor Pelican - The Greenpatch mayor. He hates it when Blinky gets up to mischief.
  • Mr. Gloop - Mayor Pelican's helper.
  • Jacko - A spoiled kookaburra, who often laughs.
  • Nurse Angelina - A wallaby, who wears a nurse uniform.

Humans
  • Harry - a fat woodcutter, Joe's boss, Flo's husband and Claire Ann's father.
  • Joe - Harry's assistant.
  • Flo - Harry's wife and Claire Ann's mother.
  • Claire Ann - Harry and Flo's six-year-old blonde daughter, who loves animals unlike her parents.
  • Ms. Glenys Pimm - a shopkeeper, who has a dislike for koalas.

Cast
ActorRole
Robyn MooreBlinky Bill, Nutsy, Marcia, Mrs Koala, Miss Magpie, Nurse Angelina, Flo, Claire Ann, Ms. Pym
Keith ScottSplodge, Flap, Mr Wombat, Mayor Pelican, Mr Emu, Jacko, Harry, Joe
Ross HigginsFrogs

Soundtrack

Guy Gross composed and produced music and songs, while all lyrics of the latter are written by John Palmer except "You and Me" and "Nutsy's Ballad", where instead are by Mattie Porges. Finally, through The Danglin' Bros. performance, all songs are sung by Robyn Moore and Keith Scott except where indicated below.[1]

Blinky Bill The Mischievous Koala Soundtrack
Soundtrack album by
John Palmer, Robyn Moore & Keith Scott
Released17 September 1992
Length48:19
LabelYoram Gross Film Studios. / ABC Music, Roadshow
Track listing
No.TitleArtistLength
1."You and Me"Robyne Dunn, Geoff Robertson & Kevin Bennett4:39
2."I’m Old Man Wombo" 2:10
3."I'm Blinky Bill" 3:18
4."Arithmetic Song" 1:41
5."Gribbit (Frog Song)"Ross Higgins1:46
6."I Am the Mayor" 1:30
7."Nutsy's Ballad" 3:54
8."Motherhood" 1:25
9."How I Hate Koalas" 1:02
10."Snakes Are So Superior" 2:18
11."Country Girls" 2:11
12."Don’t Try to Sing Underwater" 2:06
13."Home" 1:42
14."Who’s on the Menu Tonight" 2:00
15."Whistle Song" 2:16
16."Sleep Bush Baby Sleep"Julie Anthony1:50

Box office

Blinky Bill: The Mischievous Koala grossed $1,903,659 at the box office in Australia.[2]

Television Series
Main article: The Adventures of Blinky Bill

The film was followed by a 26-episode television series, The Adventures of Blinky Bill that aired on Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Seven Network for three seasons.

Remake
Main article: Blinky Bill the Movie

A contemporary CGI film titled Blinky Bill the Movie was released in 2015, featuring the voices of Ryan Kwanten, Toni Collette, Barry Humphries, Deborah Mailman and Robin McLeavy,[3] with Richard Roxburgh, Rufus Sewell, David Wenham and Barry Otto.

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References
  1. "Blinky Bill - Songs from the Movie". Australian Soundtracks - Film & Television. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  2. "Film Victoria - Australian Films at the Australian Box Office" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 20 October 2010.
  3. "Blinky Bill movie will star Ryan Kwanten, Toni Collette, Barry Humphries, Deborah Mailman and other big names". news.com.au. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
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