MEMORIES:

Cast:

Studio:

Release History:

Following up a hugely successful film with a sequel is often a recipe for disaster, but with the star power of an omnipotent automobile like Herbie, the follow-up film, Herbie Rides Again, proved that America hadn’t quite had its fill of the charming four-wheeled hero, ready to tackle the treacherous streets of San Francisco with his own inimitable style.

 

From the popular Flubber films, Disney resurrected the dastardly villain Alonzo Hawk, played to the hilt once again by actor, Keenan Wynn. In the process of building a massive skyscraper, his plans are complicated by the owners of an old firehouse that sits in its place. The elderly widow, Mrs. Steinmetz and her neice, Nicole Harris, are steadfast in their refusal to sell their land or capitulate to Hawk’s intimidations. Sure, he is a powerful businessman with muscle and money, but he is going to have to get past their secret weapon if he wants to emerge victorious - and that weapon is a fearless and mischievous Volkswagen with a mind of its own.

 

The feisty landowners manage to score a victory when Hawk’s nephew falls in love with Nicole but even he isn’t powerful enough to put a chink in Hawk’s armor and upset his plans. No, the only one who can save the day is, of course, Herbie, who proceeds to enlist every Volkswagen in San Francisco to help him bring down Hawk. At the end of the film, Herbie and his bug buddies face a showdown with a battalion of bulldozers and Herbie once again proves that he is a force to be reckoned with.

 

It would have been easy for Disney to simply rehash the original The Love Bug but instead, they offered a dose of zany originality and created a sequel that was wonderfully different, while retaining all the qualities that made Herbie a success in the first place. In a world where sequels often fall flat, Herbie showed that he had enough staying power to continue his ride. He would, in fact, have enough gas for three more sequels that were spread out over the next 30 years, truly making him the little engine that could.