Box-office hit for the Disney Company gets mileage of out its slapstick, but is hampered by a screenplay running on empty. Dean Jones is a faded race car driver now working the stock car circuit who purchases a VW Bug with a mind of its own (when it initially prods Jones' leg at the dealership, one senses it may be flirting with him). Christened "Herbie", Jones and welder-pal Buddy Hackett race their discovery at all the major tracks, infuriating the Bug's original owner, a snippy antique car dealer who also races (and isn't above dirty tricks when he loses). Writers Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi, working from a treatment by Gordon Buford, give us a formula villain (David Tomlinson, acting the nefarious windbag) before turning hero Jones into a heel as well (and, along with Joe Flynn as Tomlinson's flunky, it's too many heels for one picture). When does Jones realize Herbie has the emotions of a human? There's no awe in the magical circumstance, only frustration. Hackett appears to be simpatico with the Bug--but there's no moment there, either, when Hackett realizes what the car is capable of (his character is designed to be 'nutty' for a laugh). Walsh and DaGradi push ahead with their formula without building a strong story; the team also (perhaps shrewdly) exploits the notion that Herbie has personality in order to tug at our heartstrings. Some of the special effects are amusing, but the back-projection and stock footage are sloppy, the sound quality is uneven (typical for Disney movies of this era) and the performances are variable. Followed by a handful of sequels, beginning with "Herbie Rides Again" in 1974. ** from ****

Amusing and funny first installment with the ¨Wolkswagen Love Bug¨ racing the tracks . Love Bug's outing in which Herbie is racing in competitions , it is full of pranks and car stunts that are great fun to see . Agreeable Disney's love bug Wolkswagen plenty of action , slapdash , laughs and entertainment . This hilarious Herbie story concerns about The Love Bug falls 'hood-over-wheels' for a classy chassis! . It deals with a down-on-his-luck race car pilot named Jim Douglas (Dean Jones who also plays the role of the hippy in the drive-in scene), who lives in an old run-down fire mansion in San Francisco with his partner , an occasional alcoholic mechanic called Tennessee Steinmetz (Buddy Hackett) . One day, Jim goes to a car seller and surprisingly sees a rare Volkswagon Beetle with a unusual problem, it tends to drive on its own will . Then, Jim and Tennessee who dubbed the car "Herbie" fixed it and now is under control . After that , Jim used Herbie for notorious international races and he was rising to fame and fortune , turning more successful in racing . Later on , Thorndyke (David Tomlinson) wants Herbie back, but Jim refuses and Thorndyke wishes to compete against Jim in the races, then he sabotaged Herbie before a car race so , he can vanquish . As the backdrop in the race scenes is of the Riverside International Raceway . Then, a big race was coming up and Herbie, the Volkswagen Beetle with a mind of its own undergoes the famous international car race called EL Dorado but encountering all sorts of comical obstacles along the way . Jim and Tennessee along with Thorndyke's previous assistant named Carrol Bennet (Michelle Lee) , repaired Herbie before the race . The trio are determined to win Thorndyke in the El Dorado, but he will swindle and trap to make sure that they do not win . Fortunately, the couple of pilots have a sleeve in the form of Herbie , the fantastic car , as they take the magical Wolkswagen Bug with a mind of its own as both of them compete in the notorious race and attempt to beat . So the two rogue pilots (Joe Flynn , David Tomlinson) resort to all manner of cheats , legal or otherwise, to get it and are now attempting to get them back . There is one obstacle however : Herbie . Miraculous Herbie take them for a ride and stumbles into evil hoodlums who pursue through roads and race tracks . As always, Herbie the love bug , is helping the young couple (Dean Jones , Michelle Lee) find romance but encountering all sorts of hilarious problems along the way . Herbie with the number 53 intervenes in the biggest car race and win the Grand Prize , a challenge among top competitors circle the world's most famous racing circuits and quickly slipping in the ranking.This delightful Disney comedy displays great loads of amusement , fantastic race cars , slapstick , fun , giggles , chases are great fun to watch and being pretty entertaining . It's an enjoyable movie for kids and for those who enjoy cars racing round and round and bounds and leaps carried out by Herbie . Herbie The Love Bug was a 1963 Volkswagen Beetle deluxe ragtop sedan painted in Volkswagen L87 pearl white. Under normal circumstances, the interior would be a matching white. However, Herbie's interior was painted a special non-reflective grey color so the camera and studio lights would not reflect . The actors seem to enjoy immensely , as Dean Jones and Buddy Hackett play of sympathetic manner and the mean-spirited villains performed by David Tomlinson Joe Flynn are top notch. Colorful cinematography by Edward Colman and jolly soundtrack by George Bruns including the lively leitmotif , usual in the Herbie's series. This is a delightful film , this original entry is followed by ¨ Herbie rides again (1974)¨ also by Robert Stevenson and starred by Ken Berry , Stefanie Powers and Helen Hayes ; it's followed by ¨Herbie goes to Montecarlo¨ with Dean Jones , Don Knotts and Julie Sommers ; followed by ¨Herbie goes bananas¨ (1980 , or Herbie Torero) by Vincent McEveety starred by Charles Martin Smith and Cloris Leachman , among others and a 1997-for-television-movie with Bruce Campbell and John Hanna and a TV series , the most part filmed by Stevenson and Vincent McEveety and usually starred by Dean Jones . Furthermore recent version starred by Linsay Lohan , Justin Long and Matt Dillon , being directed by Angela Robinson. This first version " Love Bug ¨ results to be the best version , it is amusing story with lots of laughs but is a familiar film . The motion picture is correctly directed by Robert Stevenson . He's an usual craftsman from Disney productions who achieved for the famous company its greatest successes such as ¨Mary Poppins¨ , ¨Bednobs and broomsticks , ¨Gnome-mobile¨, ¨Herbie rides again¨ , ¨Absent-minded professor¨, ¨Son of Flubber¨, ¨Shaggy DA¨ , ¨That darn cat¨ , ¨One of our dinosaurs is missing¨ and many others . Rating : Acceptable , 6,5 , worthwhile watching . Amusing and engaging film with effective combination of primitive special effects , live action , adventure , fantasy and humor . The children will get a kick out of this typical Disney film ,it's a great fun to watch and there are loads of entertainment in this one . It' one of the best and funniest of ¨Herbie¨ series

Many a film has put out the notion that animal pets, dogs and cats etc, have to find the people they are suited for. But until Disney Studios put out The Love Bug, cars definitely did not seek out their owners.Yet that's what happens when one day racing driver Dean Jones comes into the auto show room of David Tomlinson who usually deals in the most pricey of cars. This little Volkswagen offends his dignity somewhat and Tomlinson abuses it. Jones defends it however.But what neither of them know, but Jones soon finds out is that this unprepossessing beetle has a mind all its own. And when it wants to the beetle has speed like nothing else.When Tomlinson finds out what he's lost, he'll stop at nothing to get Herbie back. He's been given a name now, by Buddy Hackett who plays Jones's mechanic. He's the first to really realize how special Herbie is.I'm willing to bet that those who succeeded Uncle Walt at the Magic Kingdom never realized just what a franchise The Love Bug would prove to be. This and all the succeeding films made lots of money for the studio and Herbie still has plenty of life left in him as his most recent outing a year or so ago with Lindsay Lohan ought to prove.Herbie's quite the romantic too. He even helps win the heart of Michele Lee for Jones. But this is a Disney film so that's kind of a given. This first Love Bug movie had a good cast of supporting players who were finding the Disney Studio their employer of last resort. Where else can you see someone like Iris Adrian in a brief, but very funny role as a carhop or Joe E. Ross as a policeman? It's one of the reasons I like the Disney films in general.The Love Bug set a good standard for the future films. It's got laughs and also plenty of heart and soul.

Sorry to sound like Scrooge, but after seeing these films once again in the late '90s, I did not particularly enjoy this late '60s Disney movie favorite, nor its sequels. I watched them when they came out and was mildly amused at that time, but these Herbie flicks did not age well. I can understand why they did a remake recently.I know it's a fantasy, but it just looks now so stupid it's almost beyond description. In a nutshell, we have a 40-horsepower VW bug that wins auto races because it's "alive," complete with a personality and - get this - a soul! Meanwhile, the driver of the race car (Dean Jones as the annoying "Jim Douglas") thinks he's responsible for the race victories. Well, at least that made sense. The film turns out to be a propaganda piece for Buddhism!! I kid you not!In fairness, Disney and other studios who have done animation have always made inanimate objects human-like and many times we laugh at that, myself included. So, I'm not really making fun of the premise but it just looks and sounds so dated 40 years later, especially the San Francisco hippie scenes."Herbie," by the way, was a likable "guy." It was good to see Benson Fong (Charlie Chan films) again, and Joe E. Ross (Bilko, Car 54, Where Are You?) and even goofy Buddy Hackett as "Tennessee Steinmetz." I always found it a shame, though, that humorous stand-up comics like Hackett and Don Rickles played so many stupid roles in these '60s films.