Rock Dog Review
PG: Action and Language
Summit Premiere, Huayi Brothers, Mandoo Pictures
1 Hr and 20 Minutes
Voice Cast: Luke Wilson, Eddie Izzard, J. K. Simmons, Lewis Black, Kenan Thompson, Mae Whitman, Jorge Garcia, Matt Dillon, Sam Elliott
REVIEW: I said it once and I'll say it again, when a film is shelved, I'm eager to see it like crazy. Rock Dog was a film that was in production for many years. It was back in 2015 when I saw the trailer and immediately became very eager to see it. It wasn’t because of the film itself but because of the studio that animated it which was REEL FX the studio behind one of my favorite animated films of 2014, The Book of Life. Though it isn’t under their production, it was animated by them. It's like how Storks was from Warner Animation Group but was animated by Sony Pictures Imageworks. If that wasn’t enough, this is the director of Surf’s Up which was one of those films I hated as a child but loved as I grew older and gained more knowledge of forms of narrative. It was supposed to be released in September of 2015 and then somewhere in 2016, but now dropped in the middle of February of 2017. Just like the Matt Damon film The Great Wall, this was one of those Chinese produced films that were dropped in China in 2016 and imported for the American audience in 2017. But where The Great Wall made its money in China, Rock Dog made nothing at all. It only made 7.6 million on a 60 million budget which is the most expensive Chinese-financed animated production to date. Hey if it’s gonna bomb in China, it's sure not to bomb in America right?
Bodi (Luke Wilson), a wide-eyed Tibetan Mastiff, is expected to become the next village guard to a group of fun-loving, country-side sheep, but fears he does not have the passion to assume the role of his dad Khampa (J. K. Simmons). Everything changes when a radio literally falls out of the sky and Bodi hears a song by rock legend Angus Scattergood (Eddie Izzard), opening his heart to a musical world he must explore. Leaving home to chase his destiny in the big city, Bodi attracts the attention of Khampa’s nemesis Linnux (Lewis Black). Leader of a hungry wolf pack, Linnux believes that Bodi is his ticket back into the village and closer to delicious sheep. It is up to Bodi to save his family and friends from harm without giving up his newfound dream.
THE GOOD: For a Chinese Production, Rock Dog offers some good animation. Opposed to third-party animation studios that get weird distributors (especially Lionsgate), Rock Dog has some money behind its production. It doesn’t look like a TV production. The characters are detailed and rendered with fur, they move well in this colorful environment. It doesn’t look like Norm of the North or Alpha and Omega. One of the best scenes in the film is when Bodi experiences rock for the first time where he feels it’s electricity as it moves him and it doesn’t look cheap. The beginning follows a traditional 2D animation narration that takes its styling from Kung Fu Panda but manages to be visually impressive. The characters have some really cool designs especially the wolves for they are more of mob boss businessmen more than the average wolf. As the credits rolled, it was revealed that the character designs came from Peter De Seve who is the character designer of the Ice Age films, Robots, Tarzan and a ton of other films. But the most distinctive designs he created, in my opinion, are the Ice Age characters. While these characters aren’t as distinctive as his other creations, the designs are creative and different.
With every character this film has to not really offer, the most enjoyable character is Eddie Izzard as Angus Scattergood who's like a washed up Mick Jagger stripped of the drugs and the sex. The film is very funny when it wants to be. The majority of Izzard’s dialogue is hysterical. He’s the only character that isn’t as bland as everyone else. He may not have a heart, but he has personality and character. His dynamic with Bodi leads into some great comedy. It's comedy you don’t expect. Even Scattergood’s mansion is the best set piece in the entire film with booby traps that makes you go “huh, that was clever.”
THE BAD: It sucks that Rock Dog wasn’t released in 2015 or 2016 as it should’ve been especially if I haven’t seen several masterpieces such as Zootopia and Kubo and the Two Strings. Rock Dog is an animated film that attempts to be something special but it's so reminiscent of better-animated features, because it never passes the level of genericism. You’re just name dropping films you’ve seen with every trope it hits going, “Hey it’s Kung Fu Panda. Now it’s Zootopia. Now it’s Kubo. Now it’s Surf’s Up. Wait this is the guy who directed Surf’s Up?” Rock Dog has enough animation quality that belongs on a big screen though it’s writing is on the level of television. It’s not like watching Ratchet and Clank where I’m just dreading for the entire film to end for it has enough humor to keep you awake, but it feels like a Netflix film that I just can’t press the back button on. The film has a clever concept and have slithers of creativity, though it’s a shame studios such as Disney and Laika did it better than this. It feels like a Zootopia side story and an average one at best.
Whereas its animation and designs are creative, there are little to no variety of animals in this film. You have a 60 million dollar budget, why the hell is there only 10 animals in this movie. At least with Sing, you had 20 and that was a 75 million dollar budget film. When Bodi gets to the city you see the same reoccurring designs of animals who are either wearing a suit or casual clothes that are it.
The film’s narrative beats are handled poorly due to nearly every character being either unlikable to having no personality. We see Bodi grow up only in the Tibetan village, so you know when he gets to the city he’s going to having some socializing issues, but he’s such a bland character. On the upside he’s optimistic, but on the downside, he’s clueless, oblivious, and so simple-minded to an extent he allows everyone to push him around. His hero pushes him around, some jerk from a band (played by Matt Dillion) pushes him around, and most of all his father pushes him around.
J.K Simmons does a great job doing the voice work, but you don’t like his character Khampa because he’s an asshole to his own son. With each trial Khampa gives Bodi, the result ends in chaos due to Khampa screwing it up himself. The majority of the things that happens wrong in the village is Khampa’s fault so it doesn’t seem right for him taking it out on Bodi.
For an 80 minute animated film, there is barely anything that goes on. It just goes through the motions trying to hit beat after beat. Its third act is so anticlimactic that entire film finishes three minutes afterward. The wolves are meant to be the antagonists pose no threat to Bodi since they have their own asses handed to them (usually by each other), so it never feels intense. The film is paced so slowly that it goes from Rock & Roll to a Rock & Lull.
LAST STATEMENT: Rock Dog has impressive designs and a handful of humorous moments, but it’s generic storytelling and slow pacing has it be just another average animated film aimed at young audiences.
Rating: 2/5 | 48%
Super Scene: Angus gets pissed at Bodi which leads to a comedic series of events
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Peter De Seve Designs | Slow Pacing |
| Voicework | Matt Dilion/Trey |
| Eddie Izzard/Angus Scattergood | Bodi is a Bland Character |
| Animation Rendering | Khampa is a Poor Father |
| Brief Humorous & Clever Moments | Generic Storytelling |
