# Herbie: Fully Loaded
*Herbie: Fully Loaded* is a 2005 American family comedy from [Walt Disney Pictures](https://www.edgepedia.org/walt-disney-pictures) in which Maggie Peyton, a third-generation member of a NASCAR family, restores the sentient 1963 Volkswagen Beetle Herbie and races him to the top of stock car racing. Directed by Angela Robinson and starring [Lindsay Lohan](https://www.edgepedia.org/lindsay-lohan), it was the first feature-length Herbie film since *Herbie Goes Bananas* (1980) and the fifth theatrical entry in the series that began with *The Love Bug* (1968).[1](https://movies.disney.com/herbie-fully-loaded) • [2](https://www.mamotorworks.com/production/Website/Common/knowledgeLibrary/11_20_2015_130644.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | June 22, 2005 (United States), rated G, distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution[1](https://movies.disney.com/herbie-fully-loaded) • [3](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/63449-HERBIE-FULLYLOADED?cp=1&pos=3&sid=22bb6a75-068a-4ee0-b7e2-ff91bbf00d18&sr=0.09508311) |
| Director / writers | Angela Robinson; screenplay by Thomas Lennon, Robert Ben Garant, Alfred Gough, and Miles Millar, from characters created by Gordon Buford[3](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/63449-HERBIE-FULLYLOADED?cp=1&pos=3&sid=22bb6a75-068a-4ee0-b7e2-ff91bbf00d18&sr=0.09508311) |
| Lead cast | Lindsay Lohan (Maggie Peyton), Michael Keaton (Ray Peyton Sr.), Matt Dillon (Trip Murphy), Justin Long (Kevin), Breckin Meyer (Ray Peyton Jr.)[4](https://d23.com/a-to-z/herbie-fully-loaded-film/) |
| Budget and box office | $50,000,000 production budget; $12,709,221 domestic opening; $144,146,816 worldwide[5](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0400497/credits/) |
| Franchise position | First Herbie feature film since *Herbie Goes Bananas* (1980)[2](https://www.mamotorworks.com/production/Website/Common/knowledgeLibrary/11_20_2015_130644.pdf) |
| Critical reception | Metascore 47 from 31 critic reviews; 40% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer[6](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/herbie-fully-loaded/) • [7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/herbie_fully_loaded/) |
| NASCAR setting | Race sequences shot during the real NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Pop Secret 500 at California Speedway, Fontana[4](https://d23.com/a-to-z/herbie-fully-loaded-film/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Maggie Peyton (Lindsay Lohan) graduates from college planning to take a job at ESPN, but wants to race. Her father Ray Peyton Sr. ([Michael Keaton](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-keaton)), a former racer, forbids her from driving, partly because years earlier she totaled a street racing car, and expects the racing duties to pass to her crash-prone brother Ray Jr. ([Breckin Meyer](https://www.edgepedia.org/breckin-meyer)).[8](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/herbie-fully-loaded) • [7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/herbie_fully_loaded/)
As a graduation present, Ray takes Maggie to a junkyard to pick out a car, where a 1960s-era [Volkswagen Beetle](https://www.edgepedia.org/volkswagen-beetle) catches her eye. She leaves in the rusty, banged-up car and soon discovers it is Herbie, a charmed car with a mind of its own. After Herbie wangles his way into a street race against egotistical NASCAR superstar Trip Murphy ([Matt Dillon](https://www.edgepedia.org/matt-dillon)), which Maggie wins, Maggie and her mechanic friend Kevin ([Justin Long](https://www.edgepedia.org/justin-long)) rebuild Herbie into a NASCAR contender, and the pair get the chance to realize their dreams on the NASCAR track.[4](https://d23.com/a-to-z/herbie-fully-loaded-film/) • [8](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/herbie-fully-loaded)
## Production
**A real car, not a computer.** Director Angela Robinson, who had debuted with the independent film *D.E.B.S.*, said her first decision was to use a real [Volkswagen](https://www.edgepedia.org/volkswagen) rather than a CG character, believing the charm of the original films came from the actual car and its physical slapstick; on-set effects such as ropes and rigs did most of the work, with a CG car reserved for the more spectacular stunts.[9](https://www.blackfilm.com/20050617/features/angelarobinson.shtml) The Los Angeles Times reported that the cars used for Herbie's emotional reactions were refashioned to operate as giant robotic puppets.[10](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-jun-22-et-herbie22-story.html)
**Shooting at a real race.** The climactic race was filmed during the actual NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Pop Secret 500 on September 4, 2004, at California Speedway in Fontana, because a computerized crowd could not reproduce the energy of a real event. Robinson used 23 cameras, NASCAR gave the crew a pit during the race, and Herbie was let onto the track during the pace lap; the crew then returned for about two weeks to shoot tighter shots and the major stunts.[4](https://d23.com/a-to-z/herbie-fully-loaded-film/) • [9](https://www.blackfilm.com/20050617/features/angelarobinson.shtml) • [11](https://www.phase9.tv/herbie-fully-loaded-2005-q-and-a-interview-with-angela-robinson/) Filming ran from August 2 to November 24, 2004, with locations including [Auto Club Speedway](https://www.edgepedia.org/auto-club-speedway) in Fontana and sites in Alhambra, Baldwin Park, and South Pasadena, California.[12](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0400497/locations?item=lc0140277)
**Herbie's makeover.** More than 30 Volkswagens were used during filming, and the car was restyled to bring him out of the 1960s and into the 21st century: pearl white paint, a whale-tail rear spoiler, intake vents ahead of the rear wheels, a windowed rear engine cover with blue LED lights, and lowered suspension with wider tires.[2](https://www.mamotorworks.com/production/Website/Common/knowledgeLibrary/11_20_2015_130644.pdf)
## NASCAR tie-ins and product placement
Disney's partnership with NASCAR was described by the sport's director of film, TV and music entertainment, Sarah Nettinga, as NASCAR's biggest movie tie-in to date. Placement within the film included [RadioShack](https://www.edgepedia.org/radioshack), Nextel, Valvoline, Goodyear, Northwest Airlines World Vacations, Pringles, NetZero, UPS, Wal-Mart, NASCAR, and Volkswagen, and the relationship extended to signage at NASCAR events and mentions on NASCAR's XM Satellite Radio station. Drivers [Jeff Gordon](https://www.edgepedia.org/jeff-gordon) and [Tony Stewart](https://www.edgepedia.org/tony-stewart) made cameo appearances.[13](https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2005/06/08/Sponsorships-Advertising-Marketing/Herbie-Is-Fully-Loaded-With-Corporate-Tie-Ins/) The climax sees Herbie defeat NASCAR's top drivers, ex-champions Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, and Jimmie Johnson among them, in a 500-mile Sprint Cup event held at Auto Club Speedway of California.[14](https://www.oak.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/JLAS_SP_17_0.pdf)
## Reception and box office
The film opened domestically on June 22, 2005 with $12,709,221 and went on to gross $66,023,816 in the United States and Canada (45.8% of its total) and $78,123,000 internationally, for a worldwide total of $144,146,816 against a $50,000,000 budget.[5](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0400497/credits/) Within the Herbie franchise, its worldwide gross exceeded every earlier entry, including *The Love Bug*'s $50,582,265.[15](https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/franchise/Herbie)
Critics were divided. The film scored 47 on Metacritic, labeled "mixed or average" from 31 reviews, and holds 40% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer with the critics consensus calling it "a decent kids movie that is pretty undemanding for adult viewers."[6](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/herbie-fully-loaded/) • [7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/herbie_fully_loaded/) [Entertainment Weekly](https://www.edgepedia.org/entertainment-weekly) gave it 75, calling it a serviceable introduction to the notion of a sentient set of wheels, while The Washington Post's Stephen Hunter scored it 20 and objected that the story diminished the skills it takes to win a race.[6](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/herbie-fully-loaded/) The Family Filmgoer in The Washington Post judged that only the car itself, with winking headlights and a sagging bumper, brought charm to an otherwise cliched movie, though kids 7 and older might enjoy the racing sequences.[16](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2005/06/24/the-family-filmgoer/733bd0f9-99e8-4739-a93c-c72c07f4e9c8/)
## Place in the series
Herbie, the Volkswagen Beetle with a mind of his own, first appeared in *The Love Bug* (1968), followed by *Herbie Rides Again* (1974), *Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo* (1977), and *Herbie Goes Bananas* (1980).[16](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2005/06/24/the-family-filmgoer/733bd0f9-99e8-4739-a93c-c72c07f4e9c8/) *Herbie: Fully Loaded* was the character's first feature-length film in 25 years, and it updated the premise by moving the sentient Beetle from the original films' settings into contemporary NASCAR racing.[2](https://www.mamotorworks.com/production/Website/Common/knowledgeLibrary/11_20_2015_130644.pdf) The film remains available on Disney+.[17](https://www.disneyplus.com/browse/entity-72e4cc49-d689-46b5-a8aa-f8a2ee2eb935)
## References
1. [Herbie: Fully Loaded, Disney Movies](https://movies.disney.com/herbie-fully-loaded)
2. [Herbie Fully Loaded: Beloved VW Gets A Sporty Makeover, Mid America Motorworks](https://www.mamotorworks.com/production/Website/Common/knowledgeLibrary/11_20_2015_130644.pdf)
3. [Herbie: Fully Loaded (2005), AFI Catalog](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/63449-HERBIE-FULLYLOADED?cp=1&pos=3&sid=22bb6a75-068a-4ee0-b7e2-ff91bbf00d18&sr=0.09508311)
4. [Herbie: Fully Loaded (film), D23](https://d23.com/a-to-z/herbie-fully-loaded-film/)
5. [Herbie: Fully Loaded (2005), Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0400497/credits/)
6. [Herbie Fully Loaded Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/herbie-fully-loaded/)
7. [Herbie: Fully Loaded, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/herbie_fully_loaded/)
8. [Herbie: Fully Loaded, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/herbie-fully-loaded)
9. [An Interview with Director Angela Robinson, blackfilm.com](https://www.blackfilm.com/20050617/features/angelarobinson.shtml)
10. ['Herbie' gets his girl, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-jun-22-et-herbie22-story.html)
11. [Herbie: Fully Loaded (2005) – Q&A interview with Angela Robinson, Phase9](https://www.phase9.tv/herbie-fully-loaded-2005-q-and-a-interview-with-angela-robinson/)
12. [Herbie: Fully Loaded (2005) – Filming & production, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0400497/locations?item=lc0140277)
13. ['Herbie' Is Fully Loaded With Corporate Tie-Ins, Sports Business Journal](https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2005/06/08/Sponsorships-Advertising-Marketing/Herbie-Is-Fully-Loaded-With-Corporate-Tie-Ins/)
14. [Bridging the Gap: Reaching First-Generation Students in the Classroom, Journal of Leadership and Applied Sports](https://www.oak.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/JLAS_SP_17_0.pdf)
15. [Herbie Franchise Box Office History, The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/franchise/Herbie)
16. [The Family Filmgoer, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2005/06/24/the-family-filmgoer/733bd0f9-99e8-4739-a93c-c72c07f4e9c8/)
17. [Herbie: Fully Loaded, Disney+](https://www.disneyplus.com/browse/entity-72e4cc49-d689-46b5-a8aa-f8a2ee2eb935)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Franchise and series entries as standalone works › Teen and comedy series film entries › Entries released in the 2000s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license