Ross Higgins Movies

Skillfully combining animation and live action, this is the third in a series of on-going pre-teen movies about Dot (Robyn Moore) and her adventures, usually set in Australia's outback. This time around, the bunny is Dot's friend, but he wants to be a kangaroo so he can take the place of Joey, the lost "roo that Dot is searching for. Bunny and Dot travel through the outback, running into just about every animal imaginable except a kangaroo. Koalas, turtles, emus, and other creatures appear in their natural habitat and then change into animated personalities as they interact with Dot and Bunny. Behind the witticisms aimed more at the parents than the pre-teen viewers lies a light-handed moral about being happy with yourself as you are. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Although it is sometimes billed as an animated feature, this children's story is an entirely live-action film, filled with wacky and silly-looking adults for the amusement of the youngsters. It is, however, based on Fatty Finn, a cartoon-strip character popular in 1930s Australia. Set in the earlier part of the century, the story concerns Fatty, a freckled youngster living in a pleasant suburb who feels the need to cut up a bit just to prove himself, and though he ruffles a lot of feathers, the fact that he is basically a good kid eventually settles them down again. The funny-looking paterfamilias, John Finn, is played by the beloved Australian national treasure Bert Newton. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi