New to Netflix today is the slapstick children’s ‘comedy’, Woody Woodpecker Goes to Camp. The movie – from director Jon Rosenbaum – features the voices of Eric Bauza, Kevin Michael Richardson, and Tom Kenny, and as the title suggests, sees the titular bird head off to a summer camp.
In the film, Woody is causing chaos in the woods. In fact, he’s causing so many problems that Ranger Walters suggests he needs to leave his home and learn how to become a team player.
Keen to overcome this obstacle, Woody checks in to Camp Woo Hoo, where he hopes to learn some important life lessons which will help him fit in back home. But will camp life offer Woody a new, calmer outlook, or will he simply take his chaotic behaviour to an alternate location?
For those with short memories (or better things to do), you may have forgotten that in 2017 the world was subjected to a bloody awful Woody Woodpecker movie. The self-titled film was a truly dreadful movie, but unfortunately it made a moderate amount of money and this meant a sequel was inevitable.
That sequel is Woody Woodpecker Goes to Camp – a film no one asked for, but hey, money talks. And if there’s a chance of making some more cash, the film industry will wheel out any crap that could pass for entertainment.
Ladies, gents, and anyone paying attention, Woody Woodpecker Goes to Camp falls into the ‘crap’ category. Filmed in 2021, but only now seeing the light of day, Woody Woodpecker Goes to Camp is low budget tosh and unless you’re of a very young, impressionable age, you’re going to struggle with this one.
The target audience for this film is 6 to 8 years’ old max. Anyone beyond this age range will find their tolerance levels being truly tested.
Woody is an irritating lead character, the comedy is poor, and the script appears to have been written on the back of a napkin. The whole film plays like a straight-to-video release from the early ‘00s, which does everything on the cheap to avoid spending unnecessary dollars.
Oh, and this extends to the cast, who have been hired simply so that Woody has an audience to talk at. There’s no desire here to do anything with the human characters, they are merely on board as required background noise.
On the plus side, the CGI is surprisingly not awful. Alongside Woody, fellow cartoon characters Buzz Buzzard and Wally Walrus appear in the movie and even though they are all as annoying as each other, they (mostly) look fine.
It appears as if this is where the money went. I guess this is some small mercy at the very least.
Outside of the acceptable CGI, there’s nothing else to highlight I’m afraid. The film may be enough of a distraction for the youngest members of the family, but that’s about it.
Woody Woodpecker Goes to Camp aims low and maintains this specific flight path. Kids may find it tolerable, but even then don’t be surprised if they start to lose interest and head to TikTok as an escape.
For any adults watching, praying to get some enjoyment out of this film, abandon all hope now. Woody Woodpecker Goes to Camp is the movie equivalent of being repeatedly kicked in the balls, while watching back-to-back episodes of BBC s(h)itcom, Mrs. Brown’s Boys, and having your house burgled and your garden set on fire.
One for the kids only, I’m afraid. The kids you don’t like.
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Rewind to the ’90s
Ever wondered what Weekend at Bernie’s II, Stay Tuned, Body of Evidence, and Mandroid have in common? All of these films feature in Alex Wiggan’s book, Rewind to the ‘90s – a humorous and occasionally torturous journey through 100 movies from the 1990s.
Inspired by a long-running feature on the It’s A Stampede! blog, Rewind to the ‘90s, presents thoughts, observations, and a running commentary on some of the best and worst movies of the 1990s. This book reprints material originally featured on It’s A Stampede!, while serving up a wealth of new content, including anecdotes, reflections, general musings, and some bonus movies.
So, laugh, cry, and take an excursion through the highs and lows of cinema. Rewind to the ’90s is available on Amazon.
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Disclaimer: I earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article.
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Thank you for taking the time to read this review on It’s A Stampede!. For more reviews, check out the recommended reads below.
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