Jason’s Disney Movie Review: 'Mr. Magoo' (1997)

The next movie in my quest to watch and review all the movies and films made by Disney is the 1997 movie “MR. MAGOO.” Not sure how long this will take or if I will be able to complete it but I am going to have some fun trying and hopefully watch some some great movies! All the movies and films will be chosen at random and right now come from the Walt Disney Pictures library which will include Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar movies as well as the True-Life Adventure movies. It will not include at this time movies and films from Touchstone Pictures or Hollywood Pictures or from any of the studios that were acquired by The Walt Disney Company such as Marvel Studios, LucasFilms and 20th Century Studios to name a few. Those may come later. My goal is to post at last one review a week and possibly more in some weeks. For each movie I review I will include some basic information such as release dates, synopsis, cast and crew as well as my thoughts and a rating or score that can be used to put together my all-time favorite Disney movie list.

'Mr. Magoo' was generally released on December 25, 1997. A Walt Disney Pictures and United Productions of America (UPA) production distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, Inc. Based on the UPA cartoon character of the same name that originated in 1949 before it became a long running animated television series. When a stolen gem lands in the possession of bumbling nearsighted millionaire Quincy Magoo (Leslie Nielsen), a sinister plot is hatched to steal it back by the original thieves. Magoo who is the target of evil culprits, consistently manages to escape unharmed, totally oblivious to the dangers that surround him. Hunted by robbers and set up by a conniving female thief (Kelly Lynch), Magoo ultimately nabs the real villains with the help of his nephew, Waldo (Matt Kessler), and his trusty bulldog, Angus, and is hailed a hero.

Directed by Stanley Tong. Produced by Ben Myron, Justin Greene (Co-Producer), Andre Morgan (Executive Producer), Robert L. Rosen (Executive Producer) and Henry G. Saperstein (Executive Producer.) Written by Pat Proft and Tom Sherohman. Music by Michael Tavera. Starring Leslie Nielsen (Mr. Quincy Magoo), Kelly Lynch (Luanne LeSeur / Prunella Pagliacci), Matt Keeslar (Waldo Magoo), Nick Chinlund (Bob Morgan), Jennifer Garner (Stacey Sampanahoditra), Ernie Hudson (Agent Gus Anders), Stephen Tobolowsky (Agent Chuck Stupak), Malcolm McDowell (Austin Cloquet) and Miguel Ferrer (Ortega Peru.)

The movie was a box-office failure, finishing 10th on opening weekend with $5.2 million and only grossing $21.4 million on a $30 million budget.  

Released on VHS and DVD on July 7, 1998. Also available on Disney+.

Film Technical Specifications – Rating: PG | Runtime: 1 hour and 27 minutes (87 minutes) | Sound: Dolby Digital Mono | Color: Color | Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1.

Jason's Thoughts

I watched this movie on Disney+ on March 26, 2023. I had not seen this movie before, at the theater or any other platforms and honestly had forgot this was even a Disney movie. I’ve been a fan of Leslie Nielsen for years and had some high hopes before watching. It has a few other well known actors that I like as well, including Jennifer Garner and Ernie Hudson but minus a few laughs this isn’t a movie I would want to or plan on watching again anytime soon. 

Here are some fun facts about "Mr. Magoo" you may or may not know: 

When Mr. Magoo and his pet bulldog Angus go fishing he says he hasn't seen his car windshield this clean since 1956. 1956 was the year the original cartoon ''Magoo's Puddle Jumper'' (1956) came out and won an Academy Award for best cartoon.

The original voice of Mr. Magoo from the animated cartoon was Jim Backus, who played Thurston Howell III on the television series Gilligan’s Island. For Disney, Jim played Timothy Forsythe in “Now You See Him, Now You Don’t” (1972) and the Mayor in “Pete’s Dragon” (1977.)

My Score: 50.00 (Check out the Jason's Movie Review page to see all the movies I have watched and reviewed.)

Have you seen “Mr. Magoo?” What are your thoughts on the movie? Share in the comments below, I’d love to hear them!