The Love Bug

Herbie will honk his way into your heart.

1968 • 108 min • Comedy · Family · Fantasy

Join the Angel Guild Write your review Sign in to rate and review

Synopsis

Down-on-his-luck race car driver Jim Douglas teams up with a little VW Bug that has a mind of its own, not realizing Herbie's worth until a sneaky rival plots to steal him.

Our family guide

Best from age 5

Movie Knight Score

657 reviews

100 Reviewers · 2 · 51%
66 Audience · 655 · 49%

Jim Douglas, a struggling race car driver, finds his luck changing when he acquires Herbie, a Volkswagen Beetle with a personality. As they team up on the race track, a rival racer tries to scheme his way into stealing the special car.

Violence & peril: 2/10
Language: 1/10
Drinking, drugs & smoking: 1/10
Romance & sensuality: 1/10
Scary moments: 1/10

Heads up

Some comedic car crashes
A character briefly appears drunk
A man implies he might hurt himself after a loss

What it models well

Teamwork and friendship
Believing in yourself
Fair play and integrity

Talk about it after

The importance of treating others with kindness
Why cheating is never the answer
How to handle disappointment

Written by the Movie Knight editorial team for The Love Bug. Our own words, our own scoring — always double-check against your family's standards.

Where to watch

Country

Stream

Disney Plus

Rent

Buy

Links go straight to each service. Some are affiliate links that support Movie Knight at no cost to you. Availability data by JustWatch via TMDB.

Top billed cast

Director: Robert Stevenson • Crew: Don DaGradi, Bill Walsh, Gordon Buford

Trailers & clips

The Love Bug | Unofficial Official Trailer | Disney+

The Love Bug (1968) Disney Home Video Australia Trailer

Reviewer notes

Recommended
David Tomlinson was always pretty reliable as the go-to comic English gent, and he delivers quite well here as the supercilious car dealer "Thorndyke". He only deals in the luxury end of the market, so "Jim" (Dean Jones) is a bit surprised to find a dilapidated old VW Beetle in his yard. There's something very special about this little car, and soon the down-on-his-luck driver and his mate "Tennessee" (Buddy Hacke...
Geronimo1967, TMDB Community

Recommended
_**That lovable Volkswagen Beetle with a mind of its own**_ A has-been racecar driver in San Francisco (Dean Jones) acquires a Volkswagen Beetle and his luck changes on the raceway. He, his mechanic (Buddy Hackett) and potential girlfriend (Michele Lee) start to see that the cute vehicle has a mind of its own. David Tomlinson and Joe Flynn are on hand as dastardly villains. "The Love Bug" (1969) is a fun D...
Wuchak, TMDB Community