Father and child sit together smiling while looking at a smart phone.

Want more recommendations for your family?

Sign up for our weekly newsletter for entertainment inspiration

Parents' Guide to

Doug's 1st Movie

By Common Sense Media, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 6+

Doug saves a lake from a polluting monster.

Movie G 1999 77 minutes
Doug's 1st Movie Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

See all
age 10+

Based on 1 parent review

Kari F.
Kari F. Parent
April 30, 2021
age 10+

Not appropriate in my mind

There are mean kids in this movie who use words like "doofusses", "goons," "losers," call family members "monsters," and are all out nasty and rude. There was also at least one, "What the..."

This title has:

Too much swearing
1 person found this helpful.
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

In his film debut, popular television cartoon character Doug and his pal Skeeter discover a monster living in Lucky Duck Lake. It turns out that a local factory owner has been dumping waste into the lake, and the pollution created the monster. When Doug and Skeeter find out that the monster is friendly and means no harm, they name the creature Herman Melville and set out to protect it. While Skeeter wants to prove the factory owner is guilty of polluting the lake, Doug tries to use his friendship with the monster to impress his longtime crush, Patti. But when forced to choose between protecting the monster or proving himself to Patti, Doug helps the monster.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (2 ):

Doug's big screen debut suffers from not being enough of a movie. Though the story tries to weave in some big themes--doing the right thing, ecological safety, overcoming jealousy--it fails to combine them in a meaningful way, and it doesn't always match the quality or focus of the best cartoons in the series. Still, all the goofy characters from the series are here, Bluffington is a pleasant place to visit for seventy-seven minutes.

The movie's admirable message comes through loud and clear and while Doug is at times too good to be true, the movie avoids being sickly sweet with some clever moments. The bonus "Dougumentary" is the best part. Creator Jim Jinkins answers questions such as "Why are all the characters different colors?" The answer, as you might have guessed, is "It doesn't matter how you look on the outside, it's what's on the inside that counts."

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the environmental message in this story.

Movie Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Related Topics

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate