Rock Dog
Rock Dog (simplified Chinese: 摇滚藏獒; traditional Chinese: 搖滾藏獒; pinyin: Yáogǔn Zàng'áo literally "Rock and Roll Tibetan Mastiff") is a 2016 computer-animated comedy film produced by Mandoo Pictures and Huayi Brothers. The film is directed by Ash Brannon in his solo directorial debut, from a script by Brannon and Kurt Voelker. The film based on the Chinese graphic novel Tibetan Rock Dog by Zheng Jun, albeit its basic premise has been significantly altered. It features the voices of Luke Wilson, J. K. Simmons, Eddie Izzard, Lewis Black, Kenan Thompson, Mae Whitman, Jorge Garcia, Matt Dillon, and Sam Elliott. The film follows a young Tibetan Mastiff who leaves his mountain home village to become a rock musician in the big city after a radio falls from the sky.[10]
Rock Dog
After a disastrous training session, Bodi indirectly causes a nearby flying plane to drop a package. Among the items, Bodi becomes interested in a radio and listens to rock music, becoming entranced with British rock legend Angus Scattergood (Eddie Izzard). Bodi steals a traditional dramyin from a den of locked up instruments, adds additional strings to make it a conventional Western guitar, and neglects his duties in favor of becoming a musician, putting him at odds with his father. After Khampa and some of the guard sheep accidentally cause Bodi to unleash a false alarm on the village while dressed as wolves (in an attempt to scare him straight), village elder Fleetwood Yak (Sam Elliott) convinces Khampa to let Bodi follow his dream. Bodi is given a bus ticket to a nearby city, but Khampa makes him promise to give up music if his trip doesn't work out. At the bus station, Bodi is discovered by two of Linnux's henchman, Riff (Kenan Thompson) and Skozz, and he orders them to kidnap Bodi, reasoning it is his chance to take over Snow Mountain.
Scattergood, guilt-tripped by Ozzie for exploiting Bodi for his own selfishness, uses his old tour bus to find him and apologize. At Rock and Roll Park, Scattergood meets with Darma and Germur and discover Bodi's capture when they see his dart-covered guitar. Scattergood forgoes sending in his new song to rescue Bodi. Meeting Bodi outside of Linnux's hideout, Scattergood makes amends by giving his old acoustic guitar with his autograph as a sign of gratitude and takes him to Snow Mountain to stop Linnux and his henchmen. Linnux and his gang overpower Khampa and the whole village and attempt to devour the villagers, but Bodi appears. After a climactic chase, Bodi subdues the wolves by "finding the fire" by playing Scattergood's guitar and making the wolves, the villagers, and his friends levitate. Khampa banishes Linnux with his Iron Paw and accepts Bodi's ambition to play rock music.
The film cost $60 million to make, and thus making it the most expensive Chinese-financed animated productions.[16] Rock Dog is based on a graphic novel, written and illustrated by Chinese rockstar Zheng Jun.[16]
ROCK DOG opens in Snow Mountain, a peaceful sheep village high in the Himalayas where Khampa (voiced by J.K. Simmons) -- a brave, responsible mastiff -- guards the residents. Always alert to the dangers of fierce wolves from the city below, Khampa is a strict taskmaster, keeping his army of sheep well prepared for any attack. He's counting on his son, Bodi (Luke Wilson), to continue the fight, but Bodi's heart isn't in his job: Music is his great passion (much to his dad's dismay). One day, a radio literally falls from the sky, courtesy of a low-flying plane, and Bodi finds it. Trying to make sense of the strange object, Bodi is soon entranced by the exciting sounds of Angus Scattergood (Eddie Izzard), a rock god from the big city. In that moment, it becomes clear that Bodi's talent and ambition aren't to be denied, so he convinces Khampa to let him go to the city, and his adventure begins. Bodi quickly learns that his quest isn't an easy one. Will the super-arrogant, elusive Angus ever listen to Bodi's original songs -- and, if he does, will he be willing to share the credit for them? Will Bodi connect with the eclectic musicians who populate the city's Rock Park, including the feisty Darma (Mae Whitman), who may like him for more than his songs? And, most pressing, will Bodi be able to outwit Linnux (Lewis Black), the wolves' gangster-like leader, who vigilantly tries to capture Bodi, hoping that the innocent young dog will reveal the secrets of Snow Mountain's security detail?
More of an updated take on Looney Tunes than a Pixar-worthy achievement, Rock Dog (which is based on a popular Chinese graphic novel but was written and directed by American Pixar alum, Ash Brannon) offers fun, old-fashioned comic mayhem. Still, the musical numbers are only so-so, and there are some historical rock references that may go over the head of the younger audiences (though parents may appreciate them). But positive messages about independence, responsibility, and parent-child understanding are smoothly woven into the story, and the action is fine for kids who are clear about real vs. imaginary action.
Rock Dog 2: Rock Around the Park (摇滚藏獒蓝色光芒) is a 2021 Chinese-American direct-to-video rock musical comedy film. It is the sequel to the 2016 film Rock Dog. The film was directed by Mark Baldo and written by Alec Sokolow. None of the original cast returned from the first film. It was released for digital download on July 11, 2021, and later released for Blu-Ray and DVD on July 15.[2]
One year after the events of the first film, Bodi and his friends Darma and Germur, have formed their own rock band "True Blue" at Snow Mountain, Bodi's idol Angus Scattergood has returned to England to spend more time with his mother, and his arch-nemesis Linnux returns to seek his revenge. The sheep villagers and most of the wolves, formerly from Linnux's pack, have taken up residence and are huge fans of True Blue, including a pair of teenage red pandas named Wei and Shumai. Bodi's biggest fan is his father Khampa.
But the moment Bodi picks up a stringed instrument, he has other interests. And the moment a portable radio drops into his life, he has his own dream. He wants to develop some chops, visit the city, go to Rock and Roll Park where the rock buskers play and form a band.
Never in the history of cinema has a film so gracefully encapsulated the experience of being a human being. I am floored by the majesty of this work, and I hope to one day live as freely as the titular "rock dog".
Although scripted and computer-animated in the United States, Rock Dog is loosely based on a 2009 graphic novel, Tibetan Rock Dog, by Chinese rock star Zheng Jun. Financed by Chinese investors, it opened in Shanghai last summer and has landed stateside (though one suspects not for long). The characters, all animals, have an unlovely, hard-plastic sheen. Moments of visual beauty and comedic charm nevertheless provide grace notes at the beginning and end of the movie, bookending a lot of crass fluff in between. Director Ash Brannon, a co-director and co-writer on Toy Story 2 (1999) and Surf's Up (2007), fails to find much magic in his reimagining of the original tale, despite the involvement of multiple writers.
One day a small plane flies overhead and loses its cargo, including a bright red radio. Bodi turns it on and hears the music of rock legend and lean feline Angus Scattergood (Eddie Izzard), who inspires the young mastiff when he tells an interviewer that any youngster with musical dreams should "play your guts out, even when your dad says 'Stop.'" 041b061a72