Shaggy-dog story that’s a bit rocky
EDDIE IZZARD gives a Mick Jagger-style voice to a rock-star cat called Angus Scattergood.
That is one averagely good reason to see Rock Dog, a computer-animated cartoon about a Tibetan mastiff called Bodi (Luke Wilson) who makes a life-changing discovery when he finds a radio in the Himalayan snow and tunes it to a rock ’n’ roll station.
Another reason is a character called Fleetwood Yak (Sam Elliott).
With J.K. Simmons and Matt Dillon also among the voice artists, there is quality in Rock Dog, but oddly it doesn’t quite extend to the animation work, which in this age of Pixar and DreamWorks cleverness looks 20 years behind the times.
Even though it was financed in China, and is based on a graphic novel by Chinese rock star Zheng Yun, you might also object to all the animals in the Himalayas sounding like they come from Oklahoma.
‘That boy is really startin’ to steam my clams,’ says Bodi’s father (Simmons).
Nonetheless, as Bodi follows his heart to the big city and strives to turn D-O-G on its head and become a rock god, the film has its charms and should appeal to younger children, if not necessarily their parents.