Throughout the years, there have been countless animated movies based off of a comedian's schtick, such as Bee Movie with Jerry Seinfeld and Louie CK with The Secret Life of Pets. However, going as far back as the early 90s, the late standup king of quips Rodney Dangerfield had been heavily involved with a movie starring himself as a wise cracking canine named Rover. While it was neither a critical nor commercial hit upon its release, and it did fade into obscurity for many years, it has now resurfaced as somewhat of a curious peak for animation and Dangerfield enthusiasts. And let me tell ya, there's a lot to appreciate about it.
The movie centers on a Las Vegas street dog named Rover (played by you know who), who gets dumped off the Hoover Dam by his showgirl owner's boyfriend. However, instead of drowning, Rover ends up on a farm where he learns the values of being a loyal house dog. Now from a premise like that, the storyline seems pretty routine and formulaic, and it wouldn't be that hard to figure out what goes on in the plot. However, what does elevate the conceptually generic concept is the execution, mainly from Dangerfield's charming standup routine, the surprisingly strong tone, and some notable dark content. In addition to showing the hidden grittiness of Las Vegas thugs, the film is not afraid to go dark when it comes to the consequences of Rover's mistakes. What's interesting to note is that this movie was intended to be much more mature and disturbing before Warner Bros forced the movie to be toned down for a family audience. Yet even with its restraints, one can tell just how much Dangerfield was vying for more of a bite in this otherwise hysterical romp.
In terms of stuff that was a result of the subdued tone, the movie showcases some straightforward albeit well choreographed musical numbers, with humorous lyrics from Dangerfield himself. While these songs may feel forced, they do spice up the momentum to either establish Rover's character or the general action with brisk pace (although one particular song about a Christmas Tree is entertaining for other reasons). In terms of other characters, the most notable ones include Rover's farm love interest Daisy, who does show as much concern for the guy as she does affection. Cal and his son Danny, the owners of Rover on the farm, take kindly to Rover but also elicit punishment to the mutt whenever he screws up, making them more interesting owners than his flat og owner Connie and her tough guy boyfriend Rocky. Everyone else are either just plot devices to dictate what Rover ends up doing in the movie or are just accompaniments to his standup routine. While some characters serve their purpose well, the rest aren't meant to have as much focus as Dangerfield.
If anyone had the most fun behind this film, it would have to be the animation crew, as they probably knew they were in for a wild ride. The way the animators designed Rover to resemble the real life Dangerfield in dog form shows off clever touches that would make most cartoonists giggle. In addition to the character designs looking like interesting mixes of Disneified cutesiness and urban graphic comic stylization, the character animation is very lively and fluid and full of personality all over the screen, even with the more realistic humans compared to the cartoony animals. However, the true highlights would have to be the experimental filmmaking, from the bold cinematic layouts, to the colorful effects work, to the briskly tight editing, so on and so forth. It feels like the crew had wanted to flex their muscles in visual storytelling so much that they chose to go full force on this movie. It's not uncommon when animated movies go so far in terms of playful filmmaking past the realm of live-action, and this film is a prime example of doing so in the purest way.
Of all the movies in the world where little is known about its production history, Rover Dangerfield is one of the most curious tales of rediscovery I've ever known. While seemingly stupid at first glance, the film offers a surprising amount of humor, pathos, playful filmmaking, and uplifting music to enlighten audiences. Even if you're not familiar with Dangerfield as a comedian, this film is worth checking out in terms of how far filmmakers will go to elevate a crazy idea like this. Dangerfield says he never got any respect at all, so let's see if this movie shall elicit some respect after nearly 30 years.
The movie centers on a Las Vegas street dog named Rover (played by you know who), who gets dumped off the Hoover Dam by his showgirl owner's boyfriend. However, instead of drowning, Rover ends up on a farm where he learns the values of being a loyal house dog. Now from a premise like that, the storyline seems pretty routine and formulaic, and it wouldn't be that hard to figure out what goes on in the plot. However, what does elevate the conceptually generic concept is the execution, mainly from Dangerfield's charming standup routine, the surprisingly strong tone, and some notable dark content. In addition to showing the hidden grittiness of Las Vegas thugs, the film is not afraid to go dark when it comes to the consequences of Rover's mistakes. What's interesting to note is that this movie was intended to be much more mature and disturbing before Warner Bros forced the movie to be toned down for a family audience. Yet even with its restraints, one can tell just how much Dangerfield was vying for more of a bite in this otherwise hysterical romp.
In terms of stuff that was a result of the subdued tone, the movie showcases some straightforward albeit well choreographed musical numbers, with humorous lyrics from Dangerfield himself. While these songs may feel forced, they do spice up the momentum to either establish Rover's character or the general action with brisk pace (although one particular song about a Christmas Tree is entertaining for other reasons). In terms of other characters, the most notable ones include Rover's farm love interest Daisy, who does show as much concern for the guy as she does affection. Cal and his son Danny, the owners of Rover on the farm, take kindly to Rover but also elicit punishment to the mutt whenever he screws up, making them more interesting owners than his flat og owner Connie and her tough guy boyfriend Rocky. Everyone else are either just plot devices to dictate what Rover ends up doing in the movie or are just accompaniments to his standup routine. While some characters serve their purpose well, the rest aren't meant to have as much focus as Dangerfield.
If anyone had the most fun behind this film, it would have to be the animation crew, as they probably knew they were in for a wild ride. The way the animators designed Rover to resemble the real life Dangerfield in dog form shows off clever touches that would make most cartoonists giggle. In addition to the character designs looking like interesting mixes of Disneified cutesiness and urban graphic comic stylization, the character animation is very lively and fluid and full of personality all over the screen, even with the more realistic humans compared to the cartoony animals. However, the true highlights would have to be the experimental filmmaking, from the bold cinematic layouts, to the colorful effects work, to the briskly tight editing, so on and so forth. It feels like the crew had wanted to flex their muscles in visual storytelling so much that they chose to go full force on this movie. It's not uncommon when animated movies go so far in terms of playful filmmaking past the realm of live-action, and this film is a prime example of doing so in the purest way.
Of all the movies in the world where little is known about its production history, Rover Dangerfield is one of the most curious tales of rediscovery I've ever known. While seemingly stupid at first glance, the film offers a surprising amount of humor, pathos, playful filmmaking, and uplifting music to enlighten audiences. Even if you're not familiar with Dangerfield as a comedian, this film is worth checking out in terms of how far filmmakers will go to elevate a crazy idea like this. Dangerfield says he never got any respect at all, so let's see if this movie shall elicit some respect after nearly 30 years.