Underdog (2007)

A Beagle must use his newly-bestowed superpowers to defend Capitol City from mad scientist Simon Barsinister.

Director:

Frederik Du Chau

Writers:

Adam Rifkin (screenplay), Joe Piscatella (screenplay)

Stars:

Peter Dinklage, Jason Lee, Amy Adams

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jason Lee	...	Underdog (voice)
Peter Dinklage	...	Dr. Simon Barsinister
James Belushi	...	Dan Unger (as Jim Belushi)
Patrick Warburton	...	Cad
Alex Neuberger	...	Jack
Taylor Momsen	...	Molly
John Slattery	...	Mayor
Amy Adams	...	Polly (voice)
Brad Garrett	...	Riff Raff (voice)
Samantha Bee	...	Principal
Timothy Crowe	...	Police Chief
Larry Vigus	...	Security Guard
Mario Mariani	...	Police Officer
Bates Wilder	...	Cop
Alexander 'Alex' Garde	...	Small Boy

Storyline

A bomb-sniffing beagle is fired from the mayor's office for a faux pas. That night a mad scientist dognaps him and injects him with an elixir. The dog escapes, but now has superpowers. He's adopted by a security guard - an ex-cop, who's a widower with a moody teen son, Jack. The boy discovers that the dog, named Shoeshine by dad, has super powers, but it's their little secret. While Underdog saves people in distress, the mad scientist and his underling continue their plot to catch him and take over the city. There's also a girl Jack likes who has a dog that Shoeshine takes a shine to. Will every dog have his day?

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Plot Keywords:

dog | mad scientist | ex cop | widower | security guard | 

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Taglines:

One Nation, Under Dog.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for rude humor, mild language and action

Details

Official Sites:

Disney [United States] Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment [Japan]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 August 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Underdog - Unbesiegt weil er fliegt

Filming Locations:

Providence, Rhode Island, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$11,585,121 (USA) (3 August 2007)

Gross:

$43,751,706 (USA) (7 December 2007)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Have No Fear Productions, Walt Disney Pictures, Maverick Film Company

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

SDDS DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

References to the original cartoon series include:

• Secret identity as "humble and lovable Shoeshine Boy"



• love interest "Sweet Polly Purebred"



• speaking in rhyme



• causing significant property damage during rescues



• pill as source of super powers



• changing into costume in exploding phone booth



• explaining to crowd that he is "not plane, nor bird, nor even frog, just little old me: Underdog".

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Goofs

When Jack is speaking to his dad near the end of the movie, Underdog is listening from behind a wall. In the previous scene he was wearing his new collar, but when he is behind the wall the collar is missing. The next time we see him, the collar is back.

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Quotes

Shoeshine Boy: When I'm bored, I just chase my tail. If you're lucky, you throw up, and BINGO, lunch part two!

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Crazy Credits

Snapshots of the cast and crew's dogs were shown as well as some "Bloopers"

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Connections

Spoofs Superman (1978)

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Soundtracks

Underdog Raps
Written by W. Watts Biggers, Treadwell Covington (as Treadwell D. Covington),
Joseph Harris (as Joseph B. Harris), Chester Stover (as Chester A. Stover)
Produced by Ali Dee
Performed by Kyle Massey

User Reviews

I Found It Surprisingly Enjoyable

You know, the old Underdog cartoons were a favorite of mine when I was little. I much preferred them to its counterparts in Rocky & Bulwinkle, Dudley Doright, and Fractured Fairy Tales. I really had forgotten what it was that I had loved so much about those old, cheaply animated cartoons.

Then I saw this movie, and it actually reminded me about what I had liked so much -- the rhyming couplets of Underdog's speech, the inability for Polly Purebred to recognize that Shoeshine is Underdog, and one other thing which I will leave as a surprise (it's a bit of dialogue at the end of the film).

Obviously, I disagree with many other reviewers here. Clearly, this has been marketed to kids, with the hope that nostalgic parents will be willing to cart the kids to the theater to see it. Four adults went with three children in my group, and all of us enjoyed the movie.

First, let me say that it is rare to find a great movie for all ages. It's hard to find any sort of action/superhero genre movie that is not peppered with profanity, sexual innuendo, or potty humor. Underdog is almost nil on all those counts. What exists in this movie is far from the usual garbage that attempts to pass as humor. All of us felt comfortable with our children (age ranges 4 - 10) seeing this.

I didn't mind the fact that the movie is not animated. The CGI stuff that animates the dogs' mouths does not trouble me. I mean, does anyone expect that this is going to be nominated for any Oscars? Sometimes movies exist just for escapist entertainment.

For me, the movie hearkened back to the original cartoon as much as it could without looking stupid. Obviously, Underdog's alter-ego is not literally a clothed dog working as a shoeshine boy. But I think that what the writers and director did was fine. As a fan of the original series, I was not disappointed.

I also liked Jason Lee's voice for Underdog. The script was humorous without being gross, and it clearly was geared for children. Simon Barsinister is an adequate villain, but rather upstaged by Patrick Warburton as the witless Cad.

Like I said, others may disagree with me, but I think this is one that I'd buy on DVD to have in my child's library of movies. It's nice to know that there is something that kids can watch without having to be subjected to profanity or sexuality in everything that comes across the screen.

It seems to me that most of the other reviewers have expected way too much or else have turned a too-critical eye on this pleasantly distracting bit of entertainment. As I said before, it evoked a lot of memories for me of the original, and I even liked the new spin on the theme song.

Guys, every movie does not have to be Schindler's List, Lord of the Rings, Titantic, or some such other movie with critical acclaim.