Rock Dog (2016)

When a radio falls from the sky into the hands of a wide-eyed Tibetan Mastiff, he leaves home to fulfill his dream of becoming a musician, setting into motion a series of completely unexpected events.

Director:

Ash Brannon

Writers:

Ash Brannon (screenplay by), Kurt Voelker (screenplay by)

Stars:

Luke Wilson, Eddie Izzard, J.K. Simmons

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Luke Wilson	...	Bodi (voice)
Eddie Izzard	...	Angus Scattergood (voice)
J.K. Simmons	...	Khampa (voice)
Lewis Black	...	Linnux (voice)
Kenan Thompson	...	Riff (voice)
Mae Whitman	...	Darma (voice)
Jorge Garcia	...	Germur (voice)
Matt Dillon	...	Trey (voice)
Sam Elliott	...	Fleetwood Yak (voice)
Will Finn	...	Floyd / Carl (voice)
Ash Brannon	...	Ian (voice)
Liza Richardson	...	Radio DJ (voice)
Julie Craig	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Deng Feng	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Kellen Goff	...	Additional Voices (voice)

Storyline

Teenage Tibetan Mastiff Bodi (Luke Wilson) is expected to be the next guard of the village of Snow Mountain, succeeding his father Khampa (J. K. Simmons), who years ago drove out a pack of gangster Grey wolves, led by the villainous Linnux (Lewis Black). Khampa has some local sheep disguised as Mastiffs to give the illusion the village has multiple guards to keep the wolves at bay, but Bodi has trouble perfecting his father's signature move the Iron Paw, which projects a powerful blast that can only happen if Bodi "finds the fire." Khampa has forbidden music in the village as it distracted Bodi from his duties when he was younger..

---

Plot Keywords:

musician | rock band | animal protagonist | anthropomorphism | deception | 

---

Taglines:

A new breed of rock star

---

Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Music

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for action and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

China USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 February 2017 (USA)

Also Known As:

Tibetan Rock Dog

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$60,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,704,749, 26 February 2017, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$9,404,922, 7 April 2017

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$20,519,503, 20 March 2017

Company Credits

Production Co:

Summit Premiere, Huayi Tencent Entertainment Company, Mandoo Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital Dolby Atmos Dolby Surround 7.1

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Keegan-Michael Key were considered for the role of Riff.

---

Goofs

Angus's best rock guitar is levitating in its case.

---

Quotes

Darma: Bodi?
Bodi: Oh, hey, Darma.
Darma: Are you okay?
Bodi: Yeah, yeah. I've just been, uh, hanging out with Mr. Scattergood.
Darma: Whoa, whoa! Sorry. Back up. You've been hanging with rock legend, Angus Scattergood?
Bodi: Uh, yup!
Germur: Right on. Hanging with Angus.
Darma: He was not hanging.
Germur: Hangus with Angus!

---

Crazy Credits

The first half of the closing credits shows important things from the movie in flash, including the actors next to the items. Before the director credit, it shows the David B. Miller memorable credit.

---

Connections

Referenced in Midnight Screenings: A Cure for Wellness (2017)

---

Soundtracks

VII Babies
Written by Jane Penn, David Carriere, Riley Fleck, and Thomas Gillies
Performed by Tops
Record Label: Arbustus Records
Under License by Riptide Music Group LLC.

User Reviews

Entertaining Family Fun

This movie was given no promotion whatsoever in Australia and so I watched this with my children (14 and 11) with no expectations.

While the movie didn't break any new ground, it was entertaining, family-friendly and quite fun overall. The kids enjoyed it and there was enough humour to keep the parents happy too. When I came online to recommend it, I was quite shocked to see the low ratings and critical reviews - although the financial flop explains why it never made it to cinemas or even rated a mention locally.

Rock Dog isn't brilliant - this isn't 'Kubo' or a Pixar classic. But it's fun, family entertainment and for that audience, it's definitely worth a watch.