Napoleon (1995 film) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Napoleon |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Mario Andreacchio |
| Produced by | Michael Bourchier Mario Andreacchio |
| Written by | Michael Bourchier Mario Andreacchio Mark Saltzman |
| Starring | Jamie Croft Philip Quast |
| Music by | Bill Conti |
| Cinematography | Roger Dowling |
| Editing by | Edward McQueen-Mason |
| Studio | Blink Films Adelaide Motion Picture Company Australian Film Finance Corporation Nippon-Herald Films Pony Canyon |
| Distributed by | The Samuel Goldwyn Company |
| Release date(s) | 1995 |
| Running time | 81 minutes |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Budget | Approximately $4.3 million |
Napoleon is a 1995 Australian family film. It was directed by Mario Andreacchio. The story is about a brave Golden Retriever puppy. He runs away from his city home. He wants to live like a wild dog in the Australian wilderness.
Napoleon's Big Adventure
In Sydney, Australia, a golden retriever puppy named Muffin lives with his human family. He also lives with his mother. Muffin calls himself Napoleon. He pretends to be a tough dog. He dreams of living with the wild dogs he hears howling far away.
One day, his family has a birthday party. A basket with balloons is a decoration. Napoleon, being curious, jumps into the basket. But the basket floats away! It carries him high above Sydney and out over the sea.
A galah bird named Birdo lands on his basket. Birdo offers to help Napoleon get down. Birdo's idea is to pop the balloons. Napoleon lands safely on a beach. He thinks he can finally find the wild dogs. He goes into a nearby forest. Birdo tells him to go home, but Napoleon does not listen.
Challenges in the Wild
At night, Napoleon feels scared and alone. A tawny frogmouth bird warns him about dangers in the wild. But Napoleon ignores the warning. He keeps going. He finds a big tree where a mean cat lives. The cat sees Napoleon and chases him. She thinks he is a mouse! The tawny frogmouth pushes the cat into a pond. This helps Napoleon escape. The frogmouth warns Napoleon that the cat will not give up.
The next morning, Napoleon meets some noisy rainbow lorikeets. Then he meets a rude koala. He sees Birdo again. Napoleon asks Birdo to teach him how to live in the wild. He also tells Birdo his real name, Muffin. A deep-voiced Australian green tree frog and the lorikeets make fun of his name. Birdo tries to stop them. Napoleon then gets stuck on a floating log. Birdo finally agrees to teach Napoleon. First, he teaches him how to swim back to shore.
Napoleon tries to hunt rabbits. He fails and ends up eating moss. Birdo tries to teach him about friendly and dangerous animals. They meet a common wombat and some quokkas. Birdo also tries to teach him about snowy weather. Napoleon ignores these lessons. He barely avoids a group of running brumbies. Birdo thinks it is "blinding snow." Napoleon gets frustrated and leaves Birdo.
He smells something sweet and follows it to a sugarcane field. Birdo warns him that the field is dry. But Napoleon goes in anyway. He briefly meets a red-bellied black snake. The snake warns him of danger. A bushfire then starts! Napoleon escapes with Birdo's help. The mean cat returns and tries to attack Birdo. She fails. Birdo reunites with his flock of birds. The cat finds them too. Napoleon warns them about the cat.
Finding His Courage
Napoleon and Birdo come to a road. They see a frill-necked lizard hiding on a road stripe. A truck passes, and the lizard survives. The lizard then bullies Napoleon away. Napoleon and Birdo then go their separate ways. Napoleon still wants to find the wild dogs. Birdo wants to rejoin his flock.
Napoleon helps a short-beaked echidna find water. He then looks for shade. While resting, he realizes the howling he heard was a perentie lizard. The lizard was just imitating different animals. Napoleon feels sad about running away from home. A big rainstorm starts, and the area floods. Napoleon runs for shelter. He finds two dingo puppies, Sid and Nancy, inside a wet cave. He thinks they are lost.
The water floods the cave and sweeps Nancy away. Napoleon dives in and saves her. The puppies' mother returns. Napoleon realizes he has found the wild dogs! She lets him live with her, Sid, and Nancy. The dingo mother asks why he wanted to be with wild dogs. He explains he wanted to feel brave. But he admits he is disappointed with wild life. She tells him that his courage led him there. It also helped him save Sid and Nancy. This shows the true spirit of wild dogs.
Wanting to go home, Napoleon rides in a red kangaroo's pouch. He reaches the shore. He finds his basket. A feisty little penguin named Conan lives in it. Conan wants to be wild and brave, just like Napoleon did. Napoleon learns Conan's real name is Pengy when his noisy family arrives.
That night, Napoleon plans to sail back to Sydney in the basket. But the cat returns! A battle begins. Napoleon tries to stop her many times. Before she can hurt him, Pengy distracts her. Napoleon knocks the cat off the cliff. She falls into the basket, which sails away. On a cliff, Napoleon sees a wild dog howling. This shows he understands his own bravery.
Birdo reappears with a sea turtle. The turtle takes Napoleon back to Sydney. He returns home to his mother. She agrees to call him Napoleon instead of Muffin. The cat, carried by ocean currents, appears one last time in Sydney. She finally realizes Napoleon is a dog, not a mouse. But she still promises to get him someday!
Voice Cast
- Jamie Croft as Napoleon, the Golden Retriever pup.
- Philip Quast as Birdo, the Rose-breasted Cockatoo.
- Carole Skinner as the Cat.
- Mignon Kent as Nancy.
- Michael Wilkop as Sid.
See also
In Spanish: Napoleón (película de 1995) para niños
