Footrot Flats: The Dog's Tale
Featuring the characters from Murray Ball's "Footrot Flats" (New Zealands most beloved local cartoon strip), questions to be answered include: Will Wal Footrot win the affections of Cheeky Hobson over the sleazy Spit Murphy? Will the Dog win the affections of the lovely Jess? Will Wal make a good impression on the selectors at Saturday's rugby match? Can Rangi and Pongo save Cooch's prize stag from the depths of Blackwater Station, home of the Murphys, their vicious dogs and deadly croco-pigs? All this and more will be answered as the small town of Raupo comes to life on the big screen.
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- Cast:
- Peter Rowley , Rawiri Paratene , Fiona Samuel , Peter Hayden , Brian Sergent , Marshall Napier , John Clarke
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Reviews
Please don't spend money on this.
Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.
Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.
Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?
As a Kiwi who grew up with this comic strip, I looked hard to find this film which few stores in my part of Australia seem to stock. However, I was disappointed in the results. The film tries to fit far too much in, and lacks a coherent plot. Where's the resolution of the dog drowning in the sheep dip? What about the 'breakup' between Wal and Cheeky? My kids watched the film and frankly were bored. It just goes to show that a great comic strip doesn't necessarily work as a film. I also thought the soundtrack was lame, especially when Wal (voiced by the always excellent John Clarke) suddenly breaks into song with the high-pitched tones of Dave Dobbyn - a voice that would have been much more suited to the dog. Let's face it, if this wasn't a Kiwi animation with nostalgic value for many of us, it would be a complete bomb
This movie was bloody excellent - sorry but its almost like a opening line by Wallace Footrot. Anyways They are releasing this movie on DVD for the first time in almost 20 years on November the 9th, 2005. The movie set the scene for many New Zealanders or as we call them Kiwi's. It shows the life on the farm, as well as the sport that many Kiwi's love, Rugby. the life of a jealous dog who loves his owner and Loves his owner to love him. The trials and tribulations of a Dog, and owner relationship, with the beautiful animal lover neighbor, his pet cat, named horse who is ferocious and a fine example or a fine male dominant cat. We can forget the many others in this movie as well
This film was an amazing event when it was released in New Zealand. Footrot Flats has for several decades been New Zealand's most popular and best loved journal cartoon strip. Murray Ball's characters are household names to millions of Kiwis around the world, and this film gave them living character, voices, movement. The film was celebrated immensely and rightly so as, made as it was with that unique NZ quality that comes with our movies, it had cartoons speaking with Kiwi accents that weren't forced or too Australian, NZ scenary, NZ themes that captured the rural environment of the day - everything about it was, and to many people no doubt still is, very familiar. The film has Dog - the real-life inspiration for whom died a few years back which received national media attention - saving Jess, his bitch, and starting a family, trying to keep Wall and his girlfriend Cheeky apart, and discovering the meaning of being alive, as well as the human menaces of his life living their simple existences. A must for all patriots of Aotearoa, anyone who's lived on or spent time on a farm out the back of some place here or there, or anyone who loves good quality animation.
I have to say that this is one of New Zealand's greatest movies. Unlike "Lawless", "Xena", "Hercules" and the like, this movie proved that New Zealand can do animated features. The soundtrack is great - personally I like Oughta Be In Love and Slice of Heaven. Good on ya Murray Ball and my Dog Rest in Peace.