Tagline: Rev It Up.
Maggie Peyton is the new owner of Number 53–the free wheelin’ Volkswagen bug with a mind of its own; she puts the car through its paces on the road to becoming a NASCAR competitor. As a third generation member of a NASCAR family, racing is in Maggie Peyton’s blood, but she is forbidden from pursuing her dream by her overprotective father, Ray Peyton, Sr.
When Ray Sr. offers Maggie a car as a college graduation present, he takes her to a junkyard to choose one from an assortment of very used cars. Maggie has her eye on an old Nissan, but a certain rusty, banged up ’63 VW Bug seems to be clamoring for her attention. To her surprise, Maggie leaves the lot with Herbie. As she prepares to leave town for a position with ESPN News, Maggie discovers that Herbie has a mind of his own–and an alternate route for her future.
Herbie: Fully Loaded is a 2005 American sports-comedy film directed by Angela Robinson and produced by Robert Simonds for Walt Disney Pictures. It stars Lindsay Lohan as the youngest member of an automobile-racing family, Justin Long as her best friend and mechanic, Michael Keaton as her father, Breckin Meyer as her brother, David Collins as her second brother and Matt Dillon as a competing racer.
The film features cameos by many NASCAR drivers, including Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Mark Martin. It is the sixth and final installment of the Herbie film series, following the television film The Love Bug (1997) and the first theatrical Herbie film since Herbie Goes Bananas (1980). The film was released on June 22, 2005 and grossed over $144 million worldwide.
About the Production
One of the most beloved and magical characters in movie history is back—and about to not only be rediscovered but revved-up, tricked-out and put on the fast track to changing a family’s life in the high-speed comedy adventure, Herbie: Fully Loaded. The legendary “Love Bug” who became an icon in the ’60s rides again in 2005; only this time he’s partnering up with Lindsay Lohan and headed from the scrapyard heap to the high banked curves of NASCAR as he helps a young female race-car driver discover her destiny.
In 1969, the Walt Disney classic “Herbie The Love Bug” first introduced the world to the whimsical wonders of #53, the little white VW Beetle with a mind and feelings all his own—not to mention an exuberant spirit that seemed to redefine the word “freewheeling.” Herbie went on to become the star of numerous movies and television films in the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s, forging a three-decade cinematic legacy. But since then, Herbie has been missing in action, awaiting demolition in a downtrodden junkyard. Now, just when it looks like his number is up, Herbie is rescued and has a chance to win over a whole new generation of fans in a fresh and original adventure for the 21st century.
With an all-star cast appealing to audiences of all ages along for the fun-loving ride, this comedy takes the world’s grooviest VW places no one ever imagined he might go— transforming from Junkyard Herbie to Street Racer Herbie to Demolition Herbie to attaining the ultimate dream of becoming NASCAR Herbie. Director Angela Robinson hits the throttle as she takes Herbie into all-new twists and curves that have him matchmaking, helping a family and even falling in love.
Herbie’s (starring as himself) rescuer is none other than Maggie Peyton (Lindsay Lohan), a third-generation member of a legendary NASCAR family. Racing is deep in Maggie’s blood, but she has been forbidden from pursuing her dreams by her overprotective father and NASCAR champ Ray Peyton, Sr. (Michael Keaton) and, instead, is about to begin a career at ESPN.
Ray does offer to buy Maggie a car for college graduation, but takes her to the junkyard to pick out her gift. Maggie has her eye on something sporty, yet a certain rusty, banged-up, ’60s-era white Volkswagen Beetle keeps vying for her attention, revealing that whatever he lacks in the engine compartment, he makes up for with personality. Much to her surprise, Maggie leaves the lot with a smoke-spewing Herbie—who she soon discovers is no ordinary auto, but a charmed car who will literally help her shift the course of her life.
Soon, with a little help from his new friends, Herbie is stronger, faster and Herbie-er than ever, as he and Maggie become partners in a hilarious quest to make the world believe in them. “So many of us have loved Herbie since we were little kids. There’s no other character in movies like him, and I think we all felt it was time for his comeback,” says director Angela Robinson, who even went to race-car driving school to prepare to shoot the film’s contemporary NASCAR action. “Herbie: Fully Loaded brings a charming new angle to Herbie’s legacy as he meets up with Maggie Peyton, the character played by Lindsay Lohan, and they both get the chance to realize their dreams on the NASCAR track.
I knew it would be a whole lot of fun to bring the classic Herbie into a fresh new world of action stunts and special effects—but we also wanted him to be as real as ever. Our goal in designing the movie was to use our nostalgia for the original Herbie, who is still so cool and retro, while also updating him in a poppy, kind of hipster way that would appeal to a new generation of kids. We wanted the film to have a ‘California dreaming’ feel to it and to be like a perfect summer day—sunny, happy, fastmoving and tinged with magic.”
Continue Reading and View the Theatrical Trailer
Herbie: Fully Loaded (2005)
Directed by: Angela Robinson
Starring: Lindsay Lohan, Michael Keaton, Matt Dillon, Justin Long, Cheryl Hines, Breckin Meyer, Jimmi Simpson, Thomas Lennon, Jill Ritchie, Patrick Cranshaw, Scoot McNairy
Screenplay by: Robert Ben Garant, Thomas Lennon
Production Design by: Daniel Bradford
Cinematography by: Greg Gardiner
Film Editing by: Wendy Greene Bricmont
Costume Design by: Frank Helmer
Set Decoration by: Barbara Mesney, Penelope Rene Stames
Art Direction by: David Lazan
Music by: The Blacksmoke Organisation, Mark Mothersbaugh
MPAA Rating: G for general audiences.
Distributed by: Buena Vista Pictures
Release Date: June 24, 2005
Visits: 117
