Footrot Flats: The Dog's Tale

Footrot Flats: The Dog's Tale
New Zealand theatrical release poster
Directed by	Murray Ball
Produced by	John Barnett Pat Cox
Screenplay by	Murray Ball Tom Scott
Based on	Footrot Flats by Murray Ball
Starring	John Clarke Peter Rowley Rawiri Paratene Fiona Samuel Peter Hayden Dorothy McKegg Billy T. James Brian Sergent Marshall Napier Michael Haigh
Music by	Dave Dobbyn
Edited by	Michael Horton Dennis Jones
Production company	Magpie Productions Ltd.
Distributed by	Kerridge-Odeon
Release dates	9 April 1986 (1986-04-09)
Running time	71 minutes
Country	Australia New Zealand
Language	English
Box office	$2.5 million

Footrot Flats: The Dog's Tale (stylised on posters and titles as Footrot Flats: The Dog's Tail Tale) is a 1986 New Zealand-Australian animated comedy film directed by Murray Ball, produced by John Barnett and Pat Cox with music by Dave Dobbyn and written by Tom Scott and Murray Ball. It was based on cartoonist Murray Ball's comic strip Footrot Flats. The film features the voices of John Clarke, Peter Rowley, Rawiri Paratene, Fiona Samuel, Peter Hayden, Dorothy McKegg, Billy T. James, Brian Sergent, Marshall Napier and Michael Haigh. It was New Zealand's first feature-length animated film. The film was theatrically released on 9 April 1986 by Kerridge-Odeon. Footrot Flats: The Dog's Tale grossed $2,500,000 at the New Zealand box office (making it one of the most successful local films of the 1980s).^[1] In Australia it grossed $4,317,000 ^[2] which is equivalent to $8,677,170 in 2009.

The film began as an idea from producer Pat Cox who suggested to Murray his popular comic strip be made into a feature-length movie. Once Murray and writer Tom Scott had worked together to complete the script animator Robbert Smit was brought on to ensure the animation was successful. The main challenge faced in the animation was to get the voice acting right so that audiences who had created their own voice for the characters through the comic strip could relate it. This was solved by employing a cast of New Zealand's best comedy talent at the time. Footrot Flats: The Dog's Tale was first release in October 1986 on VHS. It was later released on DVD on the 9 of April 2004 for its 18th anniversary. It was re-released on DVD and for the first time on Blu-ray on 12 January 2011.

Plot

Wal Footrot (John Clarke) and Cooch Windgrass (Peter Hayden) are shearing sheep on Wal's farm. Cheeky Hobson (Fiona Samuel), Wal's girlfriend, is driving on the highway when she is driven off the road by the Murphy brothers, Spit (Brian Sergent) and Hunk (Marshall Napier), flying in a helicopter. The Murphys then terrorise Wal's property, leaving Dog (Peter Rowley) to drown in a sheep pit. As he is in the water, he has a flashback of when he was a little pup: how he was united with Wal for the first time, a gift from Aunt Dolly (Dorothy McKegg), and how he met Jess, who was nearly drowned by Spit and Hunk. Soon, Wal wakes Dog and Cooch and the dogs manage to foil the Murphys, who were in the process of capturing Cooch's deer.

Later, Wal finds Rangi Jones (Rawiri Paratene) and Pongo Footrot (Fiona Samuel) playing catch with a rugby ball, and so he joins in to coach them. After a while, Rangi and Pongo tell Wal about an All Blacks selector coming to watch an upcoming rugby match, and Wal daydreams about being an All Black. Over the next few days, Wal works out and goes on a date with Cheeky. Wal takes her to an untidy caravan restaurant selling fast food, run by Pawai (Billy T. James). Dog bursts in on them, thinking that Cheeky is trying to poison Wal, but ends up ruining the dinner after Cheeky vows never to see Wal ever again.

Wal leaves Dog tied up outside as punishment, and Dog is later attacked by rats but is rescued by the resident stray cat, Horse. It begins to rain heavily, and Jess is knocked out of her box and is lost somewhere near the Murphy's. Meanwhile, the Murphys, under the direction of Irish (Peter Hayden), steal Cooch's stag under the cover of darkness. While Wal tries to move the bull, Wal's goose tries to bite Wal on the butt (a running gag) and Rangi and Dog try to move the sheep, Rangi notices that Jess is gone. He tries to get help from Wal who refuses, his only concern being to play in the rugby game. Rangi and Dog decide to go looking for Jess themselves but are later separated. Rangi decides to go and get help from Wal, while Dog goes and looks for Jess, literally following in her footsteps. As the storm starts dying down, Cooch goes to feed his deer, but notices his stag is missing.

The next day, Rangi still tries to get help from Wal, but Wal wants "His Big Chance" to become an All Black, and so drives to the local rugby pitch with both Rangi and Pongo. During both the drive and the game (played against the Mill team and their star player Spit Murphy), Rangi tries to come up with a plan to get Wal to the Murphys'. When one of Wal's players are sent to the hospital wing, Rangi chooses to play with Wal in order to steal the ball and get Wal to follow him. When Rangi grabs the ball and runs off, Wal follows him, but only because Pongo mentioned that the Murphys stole Cooch's stag, after eavesdropping on their conversation.

Meanwhile, Dog finds Jess under attack by rats, led by their leader, Vernon the Vermin. Soon, while running from the Murphy's dogs, Dog kills Vernon with a log. Rangi hitches a ride on the top of the Murphy's van and later arrives at the Murphy's farm. Rangi is captured by Irish Murphy and locked in a shed. Irish decides to kill Dog, Jess and Horse by following them to the river with a gun. Wal and Pongo arrive. Pongo goes to help Rangi, while Wal chases after Irish and Wal's goose chases after Wal. Spit Murphy tries to help by taking the helicopter, but it's destroyed and Spit is captured by Pongo and Rangi. Irish manages to shoot Horse, while Wal swings in to get Murphy. First he falls in a mud pit, then he saves Irish from drowning and then finally ends up getting bitten "on the freckle" by his goose.

Dog saves Jess from crocopigs, with the unconscious Horse on the raft. Later, they float to a bridge, where Wal, Pongo and Rangi attempt to bring them up. Fortunately, Rangi manages to get a hold of Jess, but misses Dog and Horse. They pick up Cooch and decide to try down the beach, but no luck. They all leave, with the exception of Jess. After they leave, Jess starts barking, so Wal, Cooch, Pongo and Rangi turn back. Dog and Horse, now recovered, are still alive and arrive at shore.

The movie ends with Dog and Jess walking past Major, Wal's pig dog, with puppies in tow.

Cast

• John Clarke as Wal Footrot
• Peter Rowley as Dog
• Rawiri Paratene as Rangi
• Fiona Samuel as Cheeky Hobson/Pongo
• Peter Hayden as Irish Murphy/Cooch Windgrass
• Dorothy McKegg as Aunt Dolly
• Billy T. James as Pawai
• Brian Sergent as Spit Murphy
• Marshall Napier as Hunk Murphy
• Michael Haigh as The Rugby Commentator

Production

The film began as an idea from producer Pat Cox who suggested to Murray his popular comic strip be made into a feature-length movie. Once Murray and writer Tom Scott had worked together to complete the script animator Robbert Smit was brought on to ensure the animation was successful. The main challenge faced in the animation was to get the voice acting right so that audiences who had created their own voice for the characters through the comic strip could relate it. This was solved by employing a cast of New Zealand's best comedy talent at the time.^[3]

On January 21, 1986, it was announced that a 1986 New Zealand-Australian adult traditionally animated children's/teen adventure romantic comedy film based on cartoonist Murray Ball's popular comic strip Footrot Flats titled Footrot Flats: The Dog's Tale would be released in cinemas on April 9, 1986. John Barnett and Pat Cox would produce the film with Magpie Productions Ltd. and Murray Ball would direct and wrote the film with Tom Scott. Dave Dobbyn would compose the music for the movie. The movie would star John Clarke as Wal Footrot, Peter Rowley as Dog, Rawiri Paratene as Rangi, Fiona Samuel as Cheeky Hobson and Pongo, Peter Hayden as Irish Murphy and Cooch Windgrass, Dorothy McKegg as Aunt Dolly, Billy T. James as Pawai, Brian Sergent as Spit Murphy, Marshall Napier as Hunk Murphy and Michael Haigh as The Rugby Commentator. Kerridge-Odeon acquired distribution rights to the film. The film was located on a farm in New Zealand called Footrot Flats. The movie was filmed at Wellington, New Zealand and Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on March 9, 1986.

On March 28, 1986, it was announced that John Clarke would play the lead role in the film, while Peter Rowley and Rawiri Paratene were in early talks to join the cast. On March 29, 1986, Fiona Samuel, Peter Hayden, Dorothy McKegg and Billy T. James were also in final talks to join the film, Brian Sergent was added to the cast, playing Spit Murphy and on March 30, 1986, Marshall Napier and Michael Haigh joined the cast of the film, playing Hunk Murphy and the Rugby Commentator. Dave Dobbyn scored the music for the film and on its soundtrack. The soundtrack also contains "Let's Get Canine" performed by Dave Dobbyn, Betty-Anne Monga and Ardijah, "I Dream of Rugby" performed by Dave Dobbyn and Sacred Heart College Choir, "You Oughta Be in Love" performed by Dave Dobbyn and Ardijah, "Vernon the Vermin" performed by Dave Dobbyn and Ardijah, "Nuclear Waste" performed by Dave Dobbyn and Herbs and "Slice of Heaven" performed by Dave Dobbyn and Herbs.

Soundtrack

Featuring songs and music by New Zealand musician Dave Dobbyn, the Footrot Flats soundtrack spawned two singles: "You Oughta Be in Love", and "Slice of Heaven" (featuring Herbs), which was popular in both New Zealand and Australia.

Reception

When screened in Los Angeles, California in 1987, Charles Solomon gave Footrot Flats: The Dog's Tale two and a half stars out of four. "The raunchy humour," he said, "may surprise American audiences accustomed to the sanitized jokes of Saturday-morning kidvid."^[4] Besides that the film was a smash hit in New Zealand and Australia, with The New Zealand Herald giving it a four and a half stars out of five and The Australian giving it four out of five. Footrot Flats: The Dog's Tale grossed $2,500,000 at the New Zealand box office (making it one of the most successful local films of the 1980s).^[5] In Australia it grossed $4,317,000 ^[6] which is equivalent to $8,677,170 in 2009.

Home media

Footrot Flats: The Dog's Tale was first released in October 1986 on VHS. It was later released on DVD on 9 April 2004 for its 18th anniversary. It was re-released on DVD and for the first time on Blu-ray on 12 January 2011.

Accolades

See also

• List of animated feature-length films

References

External links

• Footrot Flats: The Dog's Tale at the Internet Movie Database
• Footrot Flats: The Dog's Tale at Rotten Tomatoes
• NZ On Screen page