The Love Bug (1968)

_**That lovable Volkswagen Beetle with a mind of its own**_ A has-been racecar driver in San Francisco (Dean Jones) acquires a Volkswagen Beetle and his luck changes on the raceway. He, his mechanic (Buddy Hackett) and potential girlfriend (Michele Lee) start to see that the cute vehicle has a mind of its own. David Tomlinson and Joe Flynn are on hand as dastardly villains. "The Love Bug" (1969) is a fun Disney racing-oriented fantasy that inspired three sequels by 1980, a television movie in 1997 and a 2005 theatrical sequel with Lindsay Lohan. This is a good flick when you’re in the mood for some innocent fun, but I feel the latter three movies are the best ones: “Herbie Goes Bananas” (1980), “The Love Bug” (1997) and “Herbie Fully Loaded” (2005) with the 1997 one arguably being my favorite (perhaps because it features the Dark Herbie and Alexandra Wentworth). But this is the one that started it all. It features a fitting cast and superb locations. It’s a tad overlong though and should’ve been abbreviated by 15-20 minutes. The film runs 1 hour, 48 minutes and was shot entirely in California, including San Francisco, Big Bear Lake, Riverside, Agoura, Santa Clarita, the Monterey Peninsula, Cuddy Valley, San Bernardino National Forest and studios in Burbank. GRADE: B-