I know, I know. Over the past few months, there hasn’t been an awful lot of good news coming off of the set of “Herbie: Fully Loaded.” First there were all those stories about how the film’s teenage star — Linday Lohan –wasn’t exactly in top form while this “Love Bug” remake was being shot last year.
Then came word that the Mouse had decided to push back “Herbie: Fully Loaded” ‘s release date from June 3rd to June 24th. Which started tongues wagging all over in Hollywood about how this upcoming Walt Disney Pictures’ release might be in serious trouble. That Disney might actually need those extra three weeks in order to get this “Love Bug” remake ready for release.
Copyright 2005 Walt Disney Pictures
Well, I don’t know about you. But I’m getting kind of tired of reporting nothing but bad news about “Herbie: Fully Loaded.” So — today — let’s not talk about Ms. Lohan and/or the trouble that Disney’s editors are supposedly having with whipping this picture into shape. Instead, let’s talk about the real star of this “Love Bug” remake. A little certain VW named Herbie.
Photo courtesy of Kool1 & toolbit
Doesn’t the “Love Bug” look great in this photograph? Well, it should. After all, this is the “pimped out” version of the vehicle. One of at least seven different versions of Herbie which will appear in this upcoming Walt Disney Pictures’ release.
Mind you, the “Love Bug” doesn’t actually start out the film looking like this. Over the course of this remake, I’m told that this little VW undergoes quite a transformation. First we have junkyard Herbie …
Photo courtesy of Kool1
… followed by demolition derby Herbie ( he’s the one on the right) …
Photo courtesy of Kool1
… and — sometime over the course of the picture — we even get Chia Pet Herbie!
Photo courtesy of Kool1
But — eventually — the film starts following the plotline that we all know and love from the original “Love Bug” movie. Which has Herbie’s owner, Maggie Peyton (Lindsay Lohan), taking No. 53 out on the race circuit.
Photo courtesy of Kool1
And — surprise, surprise — that spunky little volkswagon starts winning races.
Photo courtesy of Kool1
Of course, every good Disney film has to have a villain. In “Herbie: Fully Loaded,” that role is played by former “Tex” star, Matt Dillon.
Photo courtesy of Kool1
Dillon plays Trip Murphy, the NASCAR vet who will do whatever he has to shut down Maggie & Herbie.
Of course, in order to find out what excactly Trip does to in order to try and trip up Herbie … Well, I guess you’re going to have to buy a ticket to this “Love Bug” remake when “Herbie: Fully Loaded” hits theaters on June 24th.
Now, I know you must be wondering: Where did JHM get all of these great pictures that were taken on set at the “Love Bug” remake. Well, truth be told, these extreme cool images come to JimHillMeda.com readers by way of a very generous gentleman called D. Grimmitt AKA kool1. He gave us permission to reprint the pictures that he & his freinds had taken while they were on the set of this Walt Disney Pictures’ production last year.
As you might expect, kool1 is a big-time Herbie fan. He’s reportedly got a huge collection of “Love Bug” memorabilia. Which features his full-sized VW emblazoned with the No. 53. (Here’s another interesting bit of trivia for you: You know that Herbie that you see in that “Coming Home” commercial for Disney’s “Happiest Celebration on Earth” that’s currently airing on TV? Well, that’s kool1’s car. Grimmitt agreed to loan his Herbie to Disney for that ad shoot if they — in turn — would make a donation to the “Make a Wish” foundation in Walt Disney’s name. Pretty cool, huh?)
Anyway … If you’d like to learn more about folks like D. Grimmitt who collect “Love Bug” memorabilia, then kool1 suggests that you follow this link. If — on the other hand — you’d like to see even more photos (like the one below) that were taken on the set of “Herbie: Fully Loaded,” then I suggest you follow this link.
Special thanks to D. Grimmitt — AKA kool1 — and the nice folks over at Team Douglas for graciously agreeing to share these images with JHM readers.