Beautiful little animated feature that I was lucky enough to see on HBO during the early days of cable. It has a charm that most films with live actors lack. It's fun and the characters are wonderful. Why this was lost is beyond me. No VHS or DVD. Who is holding it up? Great family claymation film that is tame enough for the kids but adult enough for a few older laughs.
6 Reviews
None of the charm of the source material
mail-9515 November 2005
Much as I love the concept of an animated version of "Pogo," this movie falls flat in too many ways.
First, the decision to use stop-motion as the animation technique really doesn't do the characters any justice; the Okefenokee folk were never meant to be rendered in anything resembling 3D, and look very unlike their comic strip counterparts here.
Second, Marc Paul Chinoy made a mistake of just adapting a slew of 1952 strips (from the original "Pogo For President" storyline) and a few 1960 strips to form the bulk of his screenplay, without updating them. (For example, the whole "reluctant candidate" theme was a stab at 1952's Democratic candidate, Adlai Stevenson, who didn't want the job but let himself be drafted. The reluctance jokes didn't translate into 1980, or any election since.) Where he wrote original material (like the fun fair sequence), it became obvious that he didn't really know or understand the characters.
The movie does have a few good things to recommend it. The voice cast is top drawer, with Vincent Price, Jonathan Winters, Stan Freberg, Arnold Stang, Ruth Buzzi, Bob McFadden, and Skip Hinnant all turning in top notch work. The songs (especially Dr. Hook's "Hard To Be A Friend") are pretty good; I almost wish there had been a soundtrack release instead of a video. These two factors alone account for the stars I give this film.
This isn't a good movie, or a good adaptation of the comic strip, but is pretty close. It would be nice to see what it could have become in more competent hands.
First, the decision to use stop-motion as the animation technique really doesn't do the characters any justice; the Okefenokee folk were never meant to be rendered in anything resembling 3D, and look very unlike their comic strip counterparts here.
Second, Marc Paul Chinoy made a mistake of just adapting a slew of 1952 strips (from the original "Pogo For President" storyline) and a few 1960 strips to form the bulk of his screenplay, without updating them. (For example, the whole "reluctant candidate" theme was a stab at 1952's Democratic candidate, Adlai Stevenson, who didn't want the job but let himself be drafted. The reluctance jokes didn't translate into 1980, or any election since.) Where he wrote original material (like the fun fair sequence), it became obvious that he didn't really know or understand the characters.
The movie does have a few good things to recommend it. The voice cast is top drawer, with Vincent Price, Jonathan Winters, Stan Freberg, Arnold Stang, Ruth Buzzi, Bob McFadden, and Skip Hinnant all turning in top notch work. The songs (especially Dr. Hook's "Hard To Be A Friend") are pretty good; I almost wish there had been a soundtrack release instead of a video. These two factors alone account for the stars I give this film.
This isn't a good movie, or a good adaptation of the comic strip, but is pretty close. It would be nice to see what it could have become in more competent hands.
Probably the first feature-length clay animation film.
Mimsy-227 February 1999
A must for fans of the Pogo comic strip and clay animation. Will Vinton claims his film "The Adventures of Mark Twain" (1987) was the first feature-length clay animated film. "I Go Pogo" pre-dates that film by a full three years. Not the best animation ever done but a lot of fun. Very few feature length clay films out there. Don't let this one be forgotten.
It's worth a watch
BandSAboutMovies17 September 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Pogo is the cartoon character who said, "We have met the enemy and he is us." Sure, it was created for kids, but it had political satire that appealed to adults. Cartoonist Walt Kelly created it and the strip was syndicated to American newspapers from 1948 until 1975, then there was a revival from 1989 to 1993 with writer Larry Doyle and artist Neal Sternecky, who eventually did the whole cartoon himself. Actually, some newspapers carried reprints from 1975 to 1982 because that's how popular Pogo was.
Chuck Jones had made The Pogo Special Birthday Special for the strip's 20th anniversary but fans and Kelly disliked it. Walt and his wife Selby wrote and hand-animated We Have Met the Enemy and He Is Us, which was unfinished due to Walt's poor health but the storyboards were used for the book of the same name. Finally, in 1980, this stop-motion film was made.
While this was released on VHS and played cable quite often - and Selby Kelly sold DVD on her site before her death - it has never officially been released on DVD. There was a ViewMaster set which makes sense, as the stop motion characters lend themselves well to that format.
Actually, the release of this movie is so weird. There were movie posters and ads in Variety claiming that it was to be released by 20th Century Fox. That never happened. It played once in August 1980 in New York City and its Kennedy Center debut never happened.
The stop-motion animators worked hard to ensure that the movie could be released four months prior to the 1980 election along with a promised a $1 million promotional budget and national Pogo for President write-in campaign.
Instead, 21st Century released it as a video rental through Fotomat huts - yes, this was a thing before digital cameras where you'd drive up and get your film developed but I never knew they had movies - in a plain generic Fotomat box.
On November 2, 1982 - the day of the mid-term elections - HBO premiered a new cut of the film that had narration added by Len Maxwell. This movie is really talky, so now it became even more filled with words. That's the version that aired on cable through 1992 and that Disney Home Video released in 1984 and United American Video in 1989.
Directed by Marc Paul Chinoy, this film's claymation characters seem a bit too dimensional when I think of Walt Kelly's art, yet it's still an interesting look. The strange thing is that this is based on the strip where Pogo ran for President and that was in 1952 and 1960 so the stories were nearly thirty years old by the time this movie came out, so some of the timely references are no longer so on the mark.
That said, the cast is strong, with Ruth Buzzi as Miz Beaver and Miss Mam'selle Hepzibah; Kelly's friend journalist Jimmy Bresin as P. T. Bridgeport; Stan Freberg as Albert the Alligator; Jonathan Winters as Porky Pine, Molester Mole and Wiley Catt; Skip Hinnant (the voice of Fritz the Cat) as Pogo and Vincent Price as Deacon Muskrat.
It also has a good soundtrack featuring Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show. Yet it just feels like something I'm unsure kids would be interested in, as the subtext of political commentary has become the entire story. But hey, Will Vinton has always said that The Adventures of Mark Twain was the first full-length claymation movie and this was at least five years before that.
Chuck Jones had made The Pogo Special Birthday Special for the strip's 20th anniversary but fans and Kelly disliked it. Walt and his wife Selby wrote and hand-animated We Have Met the Enemy and He Is Us, which was unfinished due to Walt's poor health but the storyboards were used for the book of the same name. Finally, in 1980, this stop-motion film was made.
While this was released on VHS and played cable quite often - and Selby Kelly sold DVD on her site before her death - it has never officially been released on DVD. There was a ViewMaster set which makes sense, as the stop motion characters lend themselves well to that format.
Actually, the release of this movie is so weird. There were movie posters and ads in Variety claiming that it was to be released by 20th Century Fox. That never happened. It played once in August 1980 in New York City and its Kennedy Center debut never happened.
The stop-motion animators worked hard to ensure that the movie could be released four months prior to the 1980 election along with a promised a $1 million promotional budget and national Pogo for President write-in campaign.
Instead, 21st Century released it as a video rental through Fotomat huts - yes, this was a thing before digital cameras where you'd drive up and get your film developed but I never knew they had movies - in a plain generic Fotomat box.
On November 2, 1982 - the day of the mid-term elections - HBO premiered a new cut of the film that had narration added by Len Maxwell. This movie is really talky, so now it became even more filled with words. That's the version that aired on cable through 1992 and that Disney Home Video released in 1984 and United American Video in 1989.
Directed by Marc Paul Chinoy, this film's claymation characters seem a bit too dimensional when I think of Walt Kelly's art, yet it's still an interesting look. The strange thing is that this is based on the strip where Pogo ran for President and that was in 1952 and 1960 so the stories were nearly thirty years old by the time this movie came out, so some of the timely references are no longer so on the mark.
That said, the cast is strong, with Ruth Buzzi as Miz Beaver and Miss Mam'selle Hepzibah; Kelly's friend journalist Jimmy Bresin as P. T. Bridgeport; Stan Freberg as Albert the Alligator; Jonathan Winters as Porky Pine, Molester Mole and Wiley Catt; Skip Hinnant (the voice of Fritz the Cat) as Pogo and Vincent Price as Deacon Muskrat.
It also has a good soundtrack featuring Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show. Yet it just feels like something I'm unsure kids would be interested in, as the subtext of political commentary has become the entire story. But hey, Will Vinton has always said that The Adventures of Mark Twain was the first full-length claymation movie and this was at least five years before that.
"Just Fine"
lcole-815 July 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Some things never change, and "I Go Pogo" or "Pogo for President", spoofs todays political arena as it is often seen and thought about. The animation is all for the children, but the one liners and background are all adult. I remember the first time my son watched this movie, and I kept hearing those one liners as I was walking in and out of the room, and it made me sit down and start watching it as well. It quickly became a family classic, and even today, my son who is now back from the Air Force and married, still looks forward to sitting down and watching this movie with the family. In the immortal words of Fremount Bug, this movie is "Just Fine".
I Go Pogo takes a laid back skewering of election year politics in a charming of not all that polished film
IonicBreezeMachine14 May 2023
Set during election time in the Okefenokee Swamp, Pogo Possum (Skip Hinnant) is content to fish with Porky Pine (Jonathan Winters), but is routinely hounded by Albert the Alligator (Stan Fredberg), Howland Owl (Bob McFadden), and Churchy LaFemme (Arnold Stang) to run for President despite Pogo repeatedly voicing his desire not to do so. Meanwhile Deacon Mushrat (Vincent Price) and Molester Mole (Jonathan Winters) hatch various schemes to get the results that meet their own ends.
I Go Pogo (aka Pogo for President) is an adaptation of Walt Kelly's newspaper comic strip Pogo which is known for its satirical take on politics using funny animal characters. Marc Paul Chinoy, an animator on Sesame Street and TV commercials, was introduced to the strip by various other crewmembers on Sesame Street who were fans of the comic and Chinoy himself soon became a fan of the strip. Chinoy developed a animation technique called "flexiform" involving manipulation of plasticine figures and introduced the technique to Kerry H. Stowell of Stowmar Enterprises partnering with her on various educational and industrial films. The two decided to do a more ambitious project for Flexiform and decided a Pogo film adaptation was the route to take. With the approval of Walt Kelly's widow Selby Kelly who also served as a consultant on the film, the movie was produced independently on a $2 million budget over the course of a year starting in 1979 with the intention of releasing it in the months leading up to the 1980 United States Presidential Election. This ultimately didn't come about as the distributor reneged on their promised promotions and theatrical engagements and instead released the movie for rental via Fotomat's video rental service. In the time since its release I Go Pogo has been largely forgotten which is a shame because despite not being perfect it's one of the earliest examples of an American feature length stop-motion film.
As the movie was primarily built around adapting Kelly's strips, I Go Pogo doesn't have much of a story to analyze and is really just a series of set ups used for commentary on the political process or the occasional pun. Skip Hinnant is very good as Pogo and is endearing as someone who wants nothing to do with the craziness that's thrust upon him and the cast is filled with all manner of noted comic actors and even features a guest appearance by Jimmy Breslin as P. T. Bridgeport who gets the most memorable line in the movie saying the one word of profanity (assuming you're not watching the HBO or Disney cut). Most of the gags are pretty on point and Vincent Price is quite fun playing Deacon Mushrat, and while most of the humor is pretty timeless when it comes to politics Pogo's final line does kind of have a level of naivety in light of recent developments of people who made it to the seat. The sets and characters are beautifully crafted and you can feel the care that went into making this movie on a purely visual level. The music and certain other technical elements are more hit and miss as the background music playing comedic high register versions of "hail to the chief" can become a little grating at points and the various wipes used (including a star wipe) make the film feel more like it was made for TV than a theater.
I Go Pogo is a strange curiosity. The fact that this was independently produced shows a clear love and dedication to the characters and art form that has to be admired, but even if this had been widely distributed I'm not sure it would've resonated that much with audiences. If nothing else it's a solid showcase for painstakingly crafted stop motion work.
I Go Pogo (aka Pogo for President) is an adaptation of Walt Kelly's newspaper comic strip Pogo which is known for its satirical take on politics using funny animal characters. Marc Paul Chinoy, an animator on Sesame Street and TV commercials, was introduced to the strip by various other crewmembers on Sesame Street who were fans of the comic and Chinoy himself soon became a fan of the strip. Chinoy developed a animation technique called "flexiform" involving manipulation of plasticine figures and introduced the technique to Kerry H. Stowell of Stowmar Enterprises partnering with her on various educational and industrial films. The two decided to do a more ambitious project for Flexiform and decided a Pogo film adaptation was the route to take. With the approval of Walt Kelly's widow Selby Kelly who also served as a consultant on the film, the movie was produced independently on a $2 million budget over the course of a year starting in 1979 with the intention of releasing it in the months leading up to the 1980 United States Presidential Election. This ultimately didn't come about as the distributor reneged on their promised promotions and theatrical engagements and instead released the movie for rental via Fotomat's video rental service. In the time since its release I Go Pogo has been largely forgotten which is a shame because despite not being perfect it's one of the earliest examples of an American feature length stop-motion film.
As the movie was primarily built around adapting Kelly's strips, I Go Pogo doesn't have much of a story to analyze and is really just a series of set ups used for commentary on the political process or the occasional pun. Skip Hinnant is very good as Pogo and is endearing as someone who wants nothing to do with the craziness that's thrust upon him and the cast is filled with all manner of noted comic actors and even features a guest appearance by Jimmy Breslin as P. T. Bridgeport who gets the most memorable line in the movie saying the one word of profanity (assuming you're not watching the HBO or Disney cut). Most of the gags are pretty on point and Vincent Price is quite fun playing Deacon Mushrat, and while most of the humor is pretty timeless when it comes to politics Pogo's final line does kind of have a level of naivety in light of recent developments of people who made it to the seat. The sets and characters are beautifully crafted and you can feel the care that went into making this movie on a purely visual level. The music and certain other technical elements are more hit and miss as the background music playing comedic high register versions of "hail to the chief" can become a little grating at points and the various wipes used (including a star wipe) make the film feel more like it was made for TV than a theater.
I Go Pogo is a strange curiosity. The fact that this was independently produced shows a clear love and dedication to the characters and art form that has to be admired, but even if this had been widely distributed I'm not sure it would've resonated that much with audiences. If nothing else it's a solid showcase for painstakingly crafted stop motion work.
See also
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