Blinky Bill: The Movie Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

Blinky Bill: The Movie Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 17, 2016

I remember stumbling across an Australian kiddie show called Bananas in Pajamas when my boys were tots, and mistakenly thinking it was British, turned to my wife and joked, “It’s now clear why England lost the empire.” Another perhaps slightly less surreal Australian export arrives now in the guise of Blinky Bill The Movie. Though I personally have never even seen this adventurous little koala bear before, he’s evidently one of the most famous children’s characters down under, and some of the voice actors like Ryan Kwanten are on record in supplements on this Blu-ray recalling their parents reading Blinky Bill stories to them when they were children.

While Bill’s little village of Greenpatch is the animal equivalent of Greenpatch, he still dreams of joining his famous explorer father in one Dad’s many treks to the Outback, often to rescue lost animals. When his Dad doesn’t return after a trip to track down a perhaps mythical place, Blinky Bill sets out on a quest of his own. As is often the case in these animated features geared toward youngsters, teamwork and the importance of family and friends play paramount parts in a bright, colorful and occasionally sweet journey.

Blinky Bill: The Movie Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Blinky Bill: The Movie is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Shout! Factory with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. While certainly not at Pixar levels of digital design brilliance, the character aesthetic displayed throughout the film is quite appealing, and rendering of elements like fur very impressively handled. The story varies over a wide array of climates, and so there's everything from a rain forest like enclave filled with dense foliage to more deserted looking locations. The palette runs the gamut from bright primaries to a number of appealing pastels and other hues. The image is typically sharp and well defined as befits its CGI provenance, though commendably some elements have more of an old school cel animation look, specifically some of the backgrounds. The backgrounds, while occasionally nice looking, suffer from underdevelopment quite a bit of the time, and can look pretty flat and unremarkable. There is occasional banding on display, but otherwise this is a problem free presentation.

Blinky Bill: The Movie Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Blinky Bill: The Movie features a nice sounding DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track (a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track is also included on the disc). Surround activity is fairly consistent throughout the film, with a glut of well placed ambient environmental effects accompanying Blinky Bill on his journey. Music also spreads throughout the surrounds at regular intervals. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly on this problem free track.

Blinky Bill: The Movie Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

All of the supplements with the exception of the music video contain brief interviews with cast members.

• Blinky Bill The Movie! (1080p; 1:57)


• The Plot (1080p; 1:05)


• The Characters (1080p; 1:45)


• The Evolution (1080p; 2:21)


• The Voice Actors (1080p; 2:03)


• What's Your Favorite Aussie Animal? (1080p; 1:29)


• What's Your Favorite Aussie Food? (1080p; 1:29)


• Music Video (1080p; 2:52)

Blinky Bill: The Movie Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I personally found an animated koala decidedly less troubling than fruit in evening wear, and my hunch is those with younger tots around the house will find Blinky Bill: The Movie a lightweight but generally appealing addition to the home video "baby sitting" library. Technical merits are generally strong, and Blinky Bill: The Movie comes Recommended.