I knew nothing about this film when I picked it up. I'm just a sucker for animated features, so I grabbed a copy. This movie was a pleasant surprise. It's not perfect by any means, but it has a certain je ne sais quoi that led me to watching it three times in a row.
The animation quality can't compete with anything produced by the bigger production studios. There is simplicity in the design that reminds me of early 3D animated films, but with a slightly more polished appearance. Director Ash Brannon claimed there were limitations that had to be dealt with (I'm assuming financial) that forced them to keep things simple. Brannon said they embraced their limitations to pay homage to older, hand-drawn cartoons. This alone allowed me to forgive any facet of the animation I might have otherwise regarded as "subpar." The animators could only do so much with what they had, and they pumped out the best product they could.
The voice acting is spot-on. I give props to the casting directors for getting Luke Wilson and Eddie Izzard on the project. Bodi's unending sunny optimism is brought to life with Wilson's vocal ministrations. The naïve little mastiff is easily the most charming character in the film. Angus Scattergood, a rock star cat played by Eddie Izzard, steals the show every second he is on screen. Clever animation and hilarious dialog result in him being just a pure joy to watch. I've found J.K. Simmons doesn't have any variety when it comes to his voice-over roles. He really only uses the same voice for every part he's given. However, it lends itself well enough to the gruff character of Bodi's father, Khampa. In the same boat of one-voice actors there is Lewis Black. Black plays Linnux, an evil businessman and head of a wolf gang who is hell-bent on invading Bodi's village and devouring the sheep that live there. This is quite a strange plot point. Even in a world populated by animals it seems out of place for a wolf (even though he is a predator) to murder an entire village and consume its inhabitants. One would think primitive evolutionary holdovers such as these would simply be things of the past.
Now for the music. For a film titled "Rock Dog" the viewer is going to expect plenty of it during the show. Surprisingly there is very little actual rock in the film. Other than three or four incidental cues and the big number at the end there isn't a whole lot of rockin' taking place. It appears to me the story and growth of the characters take precedent over the actual music. This is not to say the music is lacking, it's just not the main focus of the filmmakers.
I particularly enjoyed the Rock and Roll Park idea. Being a musician myself I was left wishing such a place actually existed. It'd be great to take a few friends to a park and perform for the public. The rapping rabbit was definitely the highlight (for me) of the scene. Adam Friedman, who provided Bodi's singing voice, provided the rabbit's voice in addition to the music and vocal talent of the other park performers. The "shred off" scene was a little disappointing, to be honest. For all the hype the characters gave it, I expected some actual shredding. Unfortunately the whole thing fell flat. I'm not sure what went wrong but Bodi's and Trey's performances sounded equally terrible. Perhaps this was the intent, I don't know. Had Bodi not thrown his guitar (is it really a guitar, though?) away like a fool and losing by default, I'm not convinced there actually would have been a clear victor. For a film that is music related I expected more inspired performances.
The song at the end of the film, "Glorious," is very catchy. We get to see the writing and recording process of the tune in a montage, but we don't hear the final product until right before the credits roll. While not exactly "rock" it's definitely worthy of praise. It seems Bodi truly is the savant Fleetwood Yak thought him to be. Once again Adam Friedman's talents shine through. I hope to hear more of Friedman's work in the future.
The film is obviously intended for the younger audience. One has to know this going in. For me it's a fun, innocent popcorner, albeit a tad sugary. Don't try and compare Rock Dog to other films such as Zootopia. Take it as its own thing. There aren't any boundaries being pushed, nothing new taking place, but it's a heartwarming story with clever visuals and some good music.
The animation quality can't compete with anything produced by the bigger production studios. There is simplicity in the design that reminds me of early 3D animated films, but with a slightly more polished appearance. Director Ash Brannon claimed there were limitations that had to be dealt with (I'm assuming financial) that forced them to keep things simple. Brannon said they embraced their limitations to pay homage to older, hand-drawn cartoons. This alone allowed me to forgive any facet of the animation I might have otherwise regarded as "subpar." The animators could only do so much with what they had, and they pumped out the best product they could.
The voice acting is spot-on. I give props to the casting directors for getting Luke Wilson and Eddie Izzard on the project. Bodi's unending sunny optimism is brought to life with Wilson's vocal ministrations. The naïve little mastiff is easily the most charming character in the film. Angus Scattergood, a rock star cat played by Eddie Izzard, steals the show every second he is on screen. Clever animation and hilarious dialog result in him being just a pure joy to watch. I've found J.K. Simmons doesn't have any variety when it comes to his voice-over roles. He really only uses the same voice for every part he's given. However, it lends itself well enough to the gruff character of Bodi's father, Khampa. In the same boat of one-voice actors there is Lewis Black. Black plays Linnux, an evil businessman and head of a wolf gang who is hell-bent on invading Bodi's village and devouring the sheep that live there. This is quite a strange plot point. Even in a world populated by animals it seems out of place for a wolf (even though he is a predator) to murder an entire village and consume its inhabitants. One would think primitive evolutionary holdovers such as these would simply be things of the past.
Now for the music. For a film titled "Rock Dog" the viewer is going to expect plenty of it during the show. Surprisingly there is very little actual rock in the film. Other than three or four incidental cues and the big number at the end there isn't a whole lot of rockin' taking place. It appears to me the story and growth of the characters take precedent over the actual music. This is not to say the music is lacking, it's just not the main focus of the filmmakers.
I particularly enjoyed the Rock and Roll Park idea. Being a musician myself I was left wishing such a place actually existed. It'd be great to take a few friends to a park and perform for the public. The rapping rabbit was definitely the highlight (for me) of the scene. Adam Friedman, who provided Bodi's singing voice, provided the rabbit's voice in addition to the music and vocal talent of the other park performers. The "shred off" scene was a little disappointing, to be honest. For all the hype the characters gave it, I expected some actual shredding. Unfortunately the whole thing fell flat. I'm not sure what went wrong but Bodi's and Trey's performances sounded equally terrible. Perhaps this was the intent, I don't know. Had Bodi not thrown his guitar (is it really a guitar, though?) away like a fool and losing by default, I'm not convinced there actually would have been a clear victor. For a film that is music related I expected more inspired performances.
The song at the end of the film, "Glorious," is very catchy. We get to see the writing and recording process of the tune in a montage, but we don't hear the final product until right before the credits roll. While not exactly "rock" it's definitely worthy of praise. It seems Bodi truly is the savant Fleetwood Yak thought him to be. Once again Adam Friedman's talents shine through. I hope to hear more of Friedman's work in the future.
The film is obviously intended for the younger audience. One has to know this going in. For me it's a fun, innocent popcorner, albeit a tad sugary. Don't try and compare Rock Dog to other films such as Zootopia. Take it as its own thing. There aren't any boundaries being pushed, nothing new taking place, but it's a heartwarming story with clever visuals and some good music.