LAST UPDATED: 1-1-2001

This page is all about Herbie Goes Bananas. It will again have mistakes and other Herbie oddities. In my opinion, this is the forth-best Herbie movie. Let's begin looking! It starts out with the credits and Mexican-style music with a "moving" background of Mexico. Then we arrive at Puerto Vallarta. The Love Boat was also filmed here, and the boat that they get on is the same as the Love Boat too! It has been renamed the "Sun Princess". The main characters are Pete Stanchek and D.J., which means Davey Jones. Pete is Jim Douglas's nephew. There's the connection! There is also Paco, the pickpocket. At Mechanico Perfecto an employee crosses the screen with a rear bumper like Herbie's. We finally see Herbie, looking as good as ever. He doesn't have the little black horn and external fuel tank pipe any more, although he does still have the aftermarket seats with the headrests. Now comes a mistake. D.J. says Herbie won the "Monte Carlo Grand Prix"! He actually won the Trans France race from Paris to Monte Carlo. If you notice, the windshield wipers seem to sit on the body, not the glass. Again, no VW logo. Then, the garage owner explains that Herbie could have won the "Baja" Race too, but Jim Douglas’ girlfriend’s car "Didn’t make the curve. Herbie stopped...didn’t finish." Well, isn't that a little too much the same as what happened in Monte Carlo? And why would Jim just leave Herbie? And why in Mexico? He was in France! His engine sounds as good as new when he pulls out of the driveway. The police cars are VW Things! When the Bus passes by, notice the reflection of the studio lights on it. When D.J. and Pete try to get Paco, he hears the squeak of D.J.'s door. Notice that he has no heat vents. When Paco sneaks around Herbie, notice the space for the Wolfsburg Crest. Notice Herbie turns his headlights to see Paco. When the policeman opens Herbie's door, notice how it is a darker shade of gray than normal. When Herbie opens his hood for Paco, notice how there is no gas tank or spare tire. There seems to be a carpet covering everything. How does he fit? The wheelie car is an oval. It was used in an earlier film and uses counterweights. Then, he's lifted onto the Sun Princess. D.J. says that it's going to win the "Grand Premio of Brazil". How does Paco lift the hood to see outside? Why doesn't anyone notice him? Notice the fake license plate. It looks painted with a plastic covering over it. Armando (what's his last name?) is getting ready for dinner. He puts a crate to eat in front of Herbie. Notice that this is the same man that was driving the taxi in the beginning on Herbie Ride Again! (When Hawk says, "Yeah...it'll make great parking lot!") He gets called to the phone and then, Paco steals his dinner. The chase scene is great...but don't you think Paco would be hurt, being bounced around in the trunk? Back in the hold after Herbie is caught the first time, he turns all four of his wheels. It was probably hydraulics. Many more than 1 car is used until after he gets Paco out. Some are oval rear windows. Some are correct-rectangle rear windows. Some are oval windows with their oval windows cut out and replaced by rectangle ones. Now, Paco starts calling Herbie "Ocho". After this, he has correct windows again. When his antenna helps Paco escape (when he gets the keys and the elevator button), you can just see the wire used for pulling it down. It also seems to sprout in the middle of the windshield, like the old-'49 style VW Bugs. And one more thing...it sprouts. In The Love Bug, he has a permanently mounted, non-moving antenna. Now is the saddest part in any one the Herbie movies. Herbie is made to "walk" the plank. This car is a stripped car with an old 40hp engine. Notice that he has no license plate. He suddenly has it again when Paco rescues him! There has been some discussion over this car. Yes, it is still down there. It had its side windows open! Disney has not attempted to get this car. Herbie miraculously reappears in the locks of the Panama Canal. When Paco sees him drowning, he rescues him! This car is attached underwater, similar to how he was in Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo in the lake. When he does get ashore, he tries to restart. In any other VW, this wouldn't work. The engine would be waterlogged and overflowed. It would need new sparkplugs, new oil, and some other new part. Well, Herbie can do anything. He turns his engine over beautifully. The rust and mudstains aren't real. They were painted on by Disney. Also, notice inside, which looks like its showroom new! Again, some of these are studio cars, with no headlining. Now for "Disney's technical triumph of this film", which is the bullring scene. Any inside shot here is a studio car. Any studio car has bigger windows, but any exterior car has the earlier kind. The dashboard in one part is correct but seems to be pale green. Then, in another part, it is the same pale green, but with no trim strip, radio, or gas gauge. Watch when the bull crunches one of Herbie's fenders. It's straight in the next shot! There is a caster wheel car, and another hydraulic Herbie where the 4 wheels turn again and spin. Another car drops the front end and raises the rear end, to bow. Note the REAL rust bubbles in the chrome vent window posts and engine vents. Then Herbie gets the adults to help save Paco. When they complain about space, notice that there seems to be more room in it than a New Bug! Then Paco comes aboard and the gold. Then Herbie disguises himself as a big "banana boat with wheels" quotes Captain Blythe. How does Paco sell all of those bananas in that short of time? He chases the plane and gets himself all banged up. Lots of these shots were filmed in studios. Lots of hydraulics are used again. Both the plane and Herbie are pretty beat up and messy. The last scene shows Herbie restored very nicely in a cabin. However, this car is a ‘65! And how did they get a car into a ship’s cabin? Why did they even bring it into the cabin? Why start the engine? And why does Paco drive? (Really, because Pete said earlier, "I'm not admitting the kid is a better driver then I am, but I have to say that he can get more out of that car than I can." Oh well, this movie is better than the TV movie!