Rock Dog

Director: Ash Brannon

Overview

A Tibetan mastiff (voiced by Luke Wilson) must defy the naysayers in his remote mountain community in order to follow his dream of becoming a rock star like his idol, Angus Scattergood (Eddie Izzard). But there's no one left to guard the sheep when he goes away to seek his fortune in the big city, rendering his flock vulnerable to a hungry wolf (Lewis Black). This animated feature was produced by Chinese rock singer/songwriter Zheng Jun.

Product Details

Release Date:	05/23/2017
UPC:	0031398259312
Original Release:	2016
Rating:	PG
Source:	LIONSGATE - 600000-AEC LGE
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Surround EX, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:30:00
Sales rank:	47,230

Special Features

Finding the Fire: The Making of Rock Dog; Mic Check: Casting the Voices; A Rockin' New World: Animating Rock Dog; Rock Dog and Roll: Exploring the Music; "Glorious" Music Video

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Julie Craig	Actor
Kellen Goff	Actor
Maddie Taylor	Additional Voices
Luke Wilson	Bodi
Eddie Izzard	Angus Scattergood
J.K. Simmons	Khampa
Lewis Black	Linnux
Kenan Thompson	Riff
Mae Whitman	Darma
Jorge Garcia	Germur
Matt Dillon	Trey
Sam Elliott	Fleetwood Yak
Will Finn	Floyd/Carl
Markus Pfeiffer	Voices
Rainer Fritzsche	Voices
Maja Maneiro	Voices
Jan Spitzer	Voices
Jennifer Hale	Voices
Nikoline Bangen	Voices
Sigbjørn Solheim	Voices
Ingve Connolly Gran	Voices
Ash Brannon	Ian
Liza Richardson	Radio DJ
Rolfe Kent	Conductor,Composer

Technical Credits

Ash Brannon

Kurt Voelker

Ash Brannon	Director,Screenwriter
Felix Liu	Producer
Amber Wang	Producer,Executive Producer
David Brian Miller	Producer
Kurt Voelker	Screenwriter
Mike Bundlie	Executive Producer
Chuck Peil	Executive Producer
Lauren Selig	Executive Producer
Andrew Yang	Executive Producer
Jerry Ye	Executive Producer
Ralph Kamp	Executive Producer
Zheng Jun	Producer,Executive Producer
Liu Shengyi	Executive Producer
Uri Fleming	Executive Producer
Belinda Blacklock	Executive Producer
Jennifer Rudin	Casting
Heather Johann	Producer
Wang Zhonglei	Executive Producer
Deng Feng	Executive Producer
Tan Fei	Executive Producer
Joyce Lou	Producer
Wang Zhongjun	Executive Producer
Angela Wu	Executive Producer
Xu Xiaoping	Executive Producer
Steven Ticknor	Sound/Sound Designer
Rob Feng	Producer
Angela Foster	Producer
Leah Carnahan	Producer
Linda Carlson	Executive Producer
Gladys Bernadac	Producer
Jamie McBriety	Producer

Editorial Reviews

In a bucolic village high in the Tibetan mountains, easygoing mastiff pup Bodi (voiced by Luke Wilson) is supposed to inherit the mantle of town guardian from his broad-shouldered father (J.K. Simmons). But his true calling is music, and he will not be deterred -- not even when his father confiscates every musical instrument in town after a devastating wolf invasion decimates the local sheep population. One day, a radio drops from a cargo plane flying overhead, and Bodi ends up enthralled by the rock music of Angus Scattergood (Eddie Izzard), a languorous white cat made from equal parts David Bowie and Keith Richards. Sensing defeat, his dad buys him a bus ticket to the big city, where he will be free to seek his fortune. But once the nattily dressed wolf syndicate realizes he's left the kennel, they drop their martinis to reel in their choice prey. So let's get this straight: A furry misfit living in a grim locale discovers a creative calling that is expressed visually as an ecstatic, synesthetic experience (like Ratatouille). He travels to an anthropomorphically populated metropolis (like Zootopia), where he joins a community of aspiring animal music makers (like Sing). Along the way, he gets on the nerves of a would-be mentor who gradually comes around to him (like Babe), and he eventually finds an alternate, purer, more joyous use for his power (like Monsters, Inc.). Have we missed anything? Oh, yes, it's all narrated by a wise and bemused water buffalo voiced by Sam Elliott, exactly as he lent his seismic rumble of a baritone to The Big Lebowski. You wouldn't know it from looking at most of Hollywood's output, but there's no mandate that children's movies must operate around the theme of "be yourself and follow your dreams." Many great children's movies are about other things, such as facing your own insecurities and resolving interpersonal conflicts (Toy Story); realizing one's overlooked potential (The Lego Movie); coping with mortality (Charlotte's Web); celebrating the many faces of love (Frozen); or defining a personal moral compass (The Iron Giant). Even if Bodi's gee-whiz enthusiasm is sort of charming (although his knit cap and well-weathered instrument bring to mind that guy around campus who's always playing hacky sack) and there's nothing offensive or repellent about this admittedly acceptable film for kids, there's also nothing enthralling in it for anyone over the age of ten. Rock Dog wants to be the Jeff Buckley of kiddie musicals, but it's really Hootie and the Blowfish -- perfectly fine, until the day you know enough to know better.