Common Sense Media Review
By Sandie Angulo Chen
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Enthralling for preschoolers; much less so for anyone else.
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Why Age 2+?
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The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 10 parent reviews
Based on 13 kid reviews
Kids say this movie is painfully boring and overly childish, receiving criticism for being a blatant rip-off of other children's shows and lacking entertainment value for older viewers. While some parents feel it might entertain very little ones, the overwhelming consensus is that it promotes poor behavior and has no redeeming qualities.
- poor entertainment value
- promotes bad behavior
- aimed at toddlers
- overwhelming negativity
- rip-off of classics
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
The three brightly colored Oogielove friends (green Goobie, a "scientastic" inventor; yellow Zoozie, a "deliciousness" animal lover; and purple Toofie, an "adventurific" risktaker) live together in LovelyLovelyville, where they're taken care of by an upright vacuum (appropriately named J. Edgar) and visited daily by Windy, who shows up as a face in their home's window. The Oogieloves are throwing a birthday party for their friend Schluufy, a fuchsia pillow, but their plan is ruined when five magical golden balloons (Shluufy's present) float away. To retrieve the balloons in time for the party, the Oogieloves and their pet fish, Ruffy, follow Windy's directions to visit five wacky adults, who each have a balloon.
Is It Any Good?
The Oogieloves are like a mash-up of the colorful Teletubbies creatures and the upbeat musical friendliness of Barney the purple dinosaur and his prehistoric pals. They're a bit odd looking (although not as much as the Teletubbies), but the youngest viewers will watch in awe as Goobie, Zoozie, and Toofie encourage kids to stand up and perform different little exercises or dance moves at each stop on their overlong (83 minutes to find five balloons!) mission to recover Schluufy's gift.
The five human friends the Oogieloves make on their big balloon adventure are a treat for parents desperate for a familiar face amidst the made-up adjectives and oversized Oogielove heads. Cloris Leachman, Chazz Palminteri, Cary Elwes, Toni Braxton, Jaime Pressly, and Christopher Lloyd all make notable appearances, but they can't save the movie for grown-ups. Pressly's awful accent as supposedly Spanish-speaking Lola, a salsa dancer, is especially cringe-inducing, as is the slightly inappropriate allure of Braxton's song-and-dance number. But none of that matters to preschoolers, who will be charmed nonetheless.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the Big Balloon Adventure's interactive aspects. Do you think little kids will enjoy following the instructions? What about older kids?
What do you think will draw preschool-aged viewers to the movie? The color palette? The simple story line? The Oogielove creatures?
What can kids learn from this movie? Is it important that little kids learn something every time they engage with media?
Movie Details
- In theaters : August 29, 2012
- On DVD or streaming : February 5, 2013
- Cast : Cary Elwes , Cloris Leachman , Toni Braxton
- Director : Matthew Diamond
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Black Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Kenn Viselman Presents
- Genre : Family and Kids
- Topics : Friendship
- Run time : 83 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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