Adaptation Displacement: The movie is infinitely more well-known, largely due to its songs and, of course, its ending, than that of Ethel C. Pedley's novel. This, sadly, is why many people are left unaware that the endings of the novel and the movie are completely different.
The Bunyip Song comes completely out of nowhere, with the subject matter never spoken of again. With that said, it's so freaky that it's one of the most remembered parts of the movie.
The movie and sequels have many instances of this with the most frequent being just about every animal that isn't a kangaroo getting in an "I Am" Song that has no relevance to the plot whatsoever.
The seasons of the year sequence in Around the World with Dot.
At one point in the film, Dot and the kangaroo are chased by dingos, one of whom comes close to actually attacking them until the kangaroo kicks it over a cliff to its demise. Only three years after the film came out, 9-week old Azaria Chamberlain was killed by a dingo on August 17th 1980 during a family camping trip to Uluru and her body was never found.
Furthermore, a dingo killed a nine-year-old boy on Fraser Island in 2001, prompting a change in popular beliefs about dingoes.
In Dot and the Bunny, Dot nearly steps on a Echidna until a Numbat warns her she would step on the spines, in Dot and the Whale, Dot injures her foot on a live poisonous coral.
And while on the topic of war, a year before Dot & the Bunny was released, Yoram Gross released a film titled Sarah, which revolves around a little girl who was forced to flee into the woods with her family after the Nazis occupied Poland, which kickstarted World War II.
When Dot and Funny-Bunny are discussing the subject of war, they inevitably reach the point of talking about children being left orphaned and homeless as a result. Five years after Dot and the Bunny, Studio Ghibli released Grave of the Fireflies, which focuses on two siblings trying (and failing) to survive at the tail-end of World War 2 after losing their home and their parents.
In Dot and the Smugglers, Dot attends a circus only to find out that it's a front for an international wildlife smuggling operation, in season 3 of Blinky Bill, another Yoram Gross production, Blinky, Nutsy and Flap attend a circus only to find out that its animals are being mistreated.
This is hinted at in Around the World with Dot when a caged Joey sings A Circus is a Prison.
Gumley the koala is stricken with a life-threatening eye disease in Dot Goes to Hollywood, the author of the book that is the basis for the original film, Ethel C. Pedley, died of cancer a year prior to the book's publication.
In Dot in Space, a megalomaniacal balloon-like alien named Papa Drop becomes the dictator of the planet Pie-Arr-Squared by spewing Fantastic Racism amongst his own species, which is eerily similar to Hitler's rise to power in Nazi Germany, which is the most likely reason why this film is seldom seen outside its native country.
Little known fact: The late Yoram Gross, the director of the Dot series, endured the Nazi occupation of Poland during World War II, and his family was placed on Oskar Schindler's list, but chose to make their own escape, moving hiding places 72 times.
Also in Dot in Space, Dot's motivation for going to Cape Kennedy is to rescue Whyka, a Russian dog stranded in outer space after her ship broke down, which is even sadder if you consider that Whyka is an Expy of Laika, her real-life counterpart who actually died after being sent into orbit from hypothermia in 1957. Also, if the Americans sent Buster into outer space, he would've met the same fate as Whyka.
Iron Woobie: Dot. Most of her adventures are quite life-threatening and/or traumatizing such as being lost in the woods in the original film, almost dying of coral poisoning in Dot and the Whale, being imprisoned in a slave labor camp on another planet in Dot in Space among other threats and unfortunate events, but despite this, she still remains optimistic and empathetic.
Moe: What do you expect from a little girl in a yellow dress who goes barefoot and loves animals?
Sequelitis: The film spawned many sequels, none as memorable as the original. Though, to be fair, they're not without their fans (mainly Dot & the Bunny and Dot & the Whale (and Dot Goes to Hollywood, for classic film buffs)).
The Bunyip Song. With its frightening visuals, downbeat instrumentation, and lyrics about how the Bunyip is "the most unpleasant monster that you have ever seen" and is "going to get you in the Bunyip moon", this sequence has terrified generations of Aussie children unlucky enough to see it. That being said, it is still generally regarded as being one of the most memorable parts of the movie.
As one might expect from a 1977 film adaptation of an 1899 novel, not everything has aged well; the outright racist aboriginal stereotypes particularly stand out.
The first sequel Around the World with Dot also falls into this with the ethnic stereotyping of virtually all the foreigners (both human and animal) that the protagonists encounter, even as one of the first musical numbers is about the commonality of people everywhere (dissonance not unlike the "it's a small world" attraction at Disney Theme Parks).
Dot's mother in Dot and Keeto, did she believe Simon when he tried to tell her Dot had run away (since neither of them knew she had accidentally shrunk herself down to insect-size), she just didn't take him seriously at first because she knew he was a trouble-maker and thought he was just trying to get Dot in trouble? Or did she think he was just making it up and only started to realise that maybe he was right when Dot didn't return home until it was nearly the end of the day? Either way, she didn't appear too concerned (or to even care) about Dot seemingly running away only to then claim to have been worried sick about her when she returns home.
Did the Roundies in Dot in Space genuinely support Papa Drop's rise to power? Or did they only go along with him out of fear that he might imprison them for opposing him like he threatened to do with his own son Roley?
Also, given how quickly the Roundies reform (with the possible exception of the Roundy Sergeant) after Dot and Whyka encounter Gorgo and The Party (Roley), this suggests that they were conspiring with Roley to bring down Papa Drop before Dot and Whyka even ended up on Pie-Arr-Squared and their doing Papa Drop's bidding for him in the meantime was just a ruse hence why they were never able to catch The Party in the act of knocking down Papa Drop's statues. Either that, or they finally saw Papa Drop for what he really was when he refused to have the homes that Gorgo destroyed rebuilt, even with the possibility of having the captive Squaries rebuild them by force or Roley (as The Party) told them about his father threatening to imprison him or a combination of the two.
Was the Roundy Sergeant only trying to stay on Papa Drop's good side as much as possible because, as well as knowing Papa Drop couldn't realistically imprison him or his troops if there was to be anyone on Pie-Arr-Squared who could keep the Squaries in order, he also was planning to overthrow Papa Drop himself so that he would become the new dictator of Pie-Arr-Squared? He seems to not want Papa Drop to conquer the Universe but does not seem to care about anyone or anything else but himself and he seems to only care about seizing as much power as possible.
Ass Pull: The Roundy Army (with the possible exception of the Roundy Sergeant) switching sides and joining The Party (a.k.a. Roley), Dot and Gorgo in confronting Papa Drop in the climax of Dot in Space, when nothing in the movie suggests they did anything to warrant it, especially considering the atrocities they've committed under Papa Drop's regime and everything they put Dot through, and we aren't told whether the Roundies genuinely supported Papa Drop before his betrayal or they went along with him out of fear that they'll be imprisoned for opposing him, and there is absolutely no indication they showed any remorse for their past actions.
Crosses the Line Twice: Grumble-Bones in Dot Goes to Hollywood. Making fun of Gumley wearing dark glasses and taking them from him despite his condition is rather insensitive. Doing impersonations of various Hollywood celebrities while wearing them? Hilarious.
In Dot and the Bunny, the perpetually barefoot Dot asks Funny-Bunny "Who ever heard of the Easter Kangaroo?" The perpetually barefoot main protagonist of Rise of the Guardians would mistake the Easter Bunny for a kangaroo nearly 30 years later!
To add to that, the Easter Bunny in the aforementioned film is voiced by Hugh Jackman, who is Australian himself.
In Dot and Keeto, Dot (who is perpetually barefoot) gets shrunk down to insect-size and is briefly enslaved by an ant colony, the same thing happening to Lucas (who becomes perpetually barefoot until he returns to his normal size) is what drives the plot of The Ant Bully, although in Dot's case, she shrunk after consuming a magic root and she wanted to apologise to the ants for her brother tormenting them whereas Lucas was the one doing the tormenting for which the ants sought revenge by pouring a shrinking potion into his ear while he was asleep. At one point in both films, Dot and Lucas hide behind snack food (Dot, a cookie and Lucas, a potato chip) and get attacked by wasps. Both films also feature an adult character being shrunk, the mother kangaroo (though she is also returned to her normal size) and Stan the Exterminator. Also, Dot and Lucas both have annoying siblings (Simon for Dot and Tiffany for Lucas).
Also in "Dot and Keeto'', the insect-sized Dot hangs from her brother's shoelace to avoid being crushed. In Antz, the protagonist Z-4195 hangs from a person's shoelace while attempting to rescue Princess Bala who is stuck to the sole.
Also in Dot and the Whale, Dot, a perpetually barefoot redhead in a dress, learns how to breathe underwater like sea-dwelling mammals and fish. The titular protagonist in Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea starts off as a fish and therefore can breathe underwater even after she's turned into a human who takes on the form of a perpetually barefoot redhead in a dress.
Dot Goes to Hollywood was released in 1987, which was also the same year Garfield Goes Hollywood premiered on television (though Garfield Goes Hollywood was released two months before Dot Goes to Hollywood).
Coincidentally, the plot of both movies revolve around the main protagonists traveling to Hollywood to enter a contest and win money (Dot enters a beauty contest, while Jon enters Garfield and Odie into a pet talent show), though Dot's motivation for going to Hollywood was more altruistic than Garfield's, as she wanted to save the life of her friend, Gumley, a baby koalawho was stricken with a terminal eye disease. Also, Dot Goes to Hollywood contains many references to classic Hollywood films and suggests it takes place sometime in the 1930s/40s/50s (although the appearance of a Qantas jet airliner means it would have to be set in June 1959 at the earliest, unless Dot can somehow travel through time) whereas Garfield Goes Hollywood is more modern and has Garfield, Odie, and Jon posing as Elvis impersonators. Also both films begin with the two main protagonists dancing (Dot and Gumley in Dot Goes to Hollywood; Garfield and Odie in Garfield Goes Hollywood.).
Also in Dot Goes to Hollywood, during the "Idols of the Silver Screen", Leo can be seen parodying the MGM logo. Coincidentally, Leo is the name of the current lion used for the MGM logo.
Goodness knows how many lives were lost in the conflict that led to all those Military vehicles being left abandoned on Battle Beach in Dot and the Bunny.
The implied demise of Tonga's entire immediate family due to the effects of whaling as described in her backstory in Dot and the Whale. Also the graveyard of sunken ships, including the Golden Dragon.
The Koala Eye Disease epidemic in Dot Goes to Hollywood, Gumley himself is suffering from the early stages of the disease and the movie revolves around Dot trying to raise funds for an operation that could save his life.
One can only guess how long the Squaries in Dot in Space had been suffering under Papa Drop's regime until Dot and Whyka arrived.
Funnybunny. He spends most of Dot And the Bunny unsuccessfully trying to convince Dot that he's a joey and in general acts like an irritable brat, but at the climax of the movie, he breaks down in tears and tells Dot that he was orphaned by hunters and is only pretending to be a joey to find a new mother.
Moby Dick in Dot and the Whale. He refuses to assist Dot and Nelson in helping Tonga get back to sea. But seeing as he was relentlessly hunted by humans in his backstory, you can't help but feel sorry for him.
The fish-restaurant owners cross it in the climax of Dot and the Whale when they trick Dot and her friends into giving them the money that the latter raised to save Tonga and attempt to drive off with it. Thankfully, this leads to some Laser-Guided Karma when they crash into Mr. Carlow's truck and are subsequently chased off by his secretary, Mrs. Farrow.
Mr. Sprag in Dot and the Smugglers. He may have crossed it as soon as he first appears when he holds a "Catch the Bunyip" contest that nearly results in getting people killed.
Papa Drop himself crosses this when he betrays his own army by threatening to imprison them if they didn't recapture Dot upon realizing she escaped from the Prison for Squaries (though it doesn't justify them leaving her at the mercy of Gorgo hoping she gets eaten, especially the Sergeant, as nothing suggests they couldn't have overthrown Papa Drop and imprison him right then and there instead of following his orders), and in the climax, orders his guards to imprison them along with Dot and The Party, even going so far as pointing a laser gun at them when his guards refuse to carry out his order before Professor Globus disarms him, so the Roundies crossing the MEH is pretty much his fault. This is made even worse when it is revealed that the Party is actually his own son Roley in disguise if you consider the fact that he showed no remorse for nearly murderinghis own son, and the fact that he threatened to imprison him for opposing his plan to conquer the universe with Dot's rocket earlier doesn't help his case. Though it could be argued he crossed it long before the events of Dot in Space when he turned Pie-Arr-Squared into a dictatorship that revolves around the persecution of anyone who isn't perfectly round. It could also be argued he crossed it as early as when he first appears when he and his minions drag Dot into his Fantastic Racism fueled conflict, has her thrown in the Prison for Squaries where she is subjected to enslavement, starvation and abuse for not being round and attempts to use her rocket to subject several planets to the same tyranny he subjects on Pie-Arr-Squared. Simply put, Papa Drop is a walking Moral Event Horizon cross.
Nightmare Retardant: When it finally appears in Dot and the Smugglers (and acts as a crucial plot point, with the titular smugglers trying to find and capture it), the Bunyip turns out to be not nearly as scary as the first film made it out to be.
Also, there's no telling what could have happened to Dot if she'd been discovered at the space center.
On top of all the above, we don't even see Dot and Whyka return to Earth though Word of God says they do.
Also, how Dot has not been traumatized after everything she went through remains a mystery.
The planet Pie-Arr-Squared is shown to be a particularly hostile world. In addition to devastated villages and a dictatorship influenced by Fantastic Racism, there is also the numerous aforementioned dangers Dot encounters, all of which have deterred the Squaries from trying to escape from prison and which they will still have to live with even without Papa Drop's tyranny.
The film also has heavy references to Nazi Germany, such as the main villain Papa Drop behaving in a similar manner to Adolf Hitler, one of the Roundy interrogators doing a Nazi salute, and the Squaries being persecuted and imprisoned in slave labor camps, which is eerily similar to how the Jews were treated during the Holocaust. We should be thankful we never find out what Papa Drop's version of the Final Solution was (From what we see in the film, it appears to be nothing worse than working, starving and beating the Squaries to death, though it's possible it would have been much worse if the film hadn't been aimed at kids and would have had to be toned down accordingly). This (and everything Dot goes through throughout the course of the film) may be the most likely reason why this film is seldom seen outside of its native country of Australia (and even there, it's hard to find as the only time it has ever seen the light of day on home media is on VHS and as a bonus feature on the DVD release of the original film alongside Dot and the Smugglers.) In Germany, this film would be automatically banned for the same reason due to references to Hitler and Naziism being outlawed after World War II.
Even the theme from the Opening Scroll emphasizes the foreboding nature of the film.
Not that he doesn't deserve it of coursebut Papa Drop gets overinflated enough to float up into space where he would most likely die from either starvation and dehydration, suffocation or hypothermia or be burned by rays from the nearest star or even the Sun (which might even cause him to expand until he explodes) or in the atmosphere of the nearest planet if he doesn’t get hit by floating debris or even Dot's rocket, or even spend the remainder of his days as a living planet if he's lucky.
The very worst part of all that Dot goes through over the course of the film is that, like she says to Whyka at one point, she's going to have a hard time explaining it all because no one is going to believe her.
Also, with everything Dot goes through and how many times she came close to dying, one would think that Yoram Gross or someone else involved in making the film was trying to kill her off just to ensure that there definitely wouldn't be any more Dot movies.
from Around the World with Dot.