Rover Dangerfield

Maybe it's a childhood thing. In fact it probably is. Considering the fact that i was at least 5 when I first watched this film, a young boy growing up in Ireland during times where nothing particularly amazing was happening. To be honest, back then i had absolutely no idea what i was watching. I just liked Rodney Dangerfield's voice. It was amusing. The song's were amusing, and Rover's little gimmicks every now and then sent me and my siblings chuckling and laughing, pointing at the screen and reenacting the said moments that had made us laugh so much "He look's kind of fat' I'm 17, and i've re-watched this on YouTube due to my sister sending me the link with the caption 'Part 1 for you' and a little love-icon. And yes, i watched it all over again, and found myself laughing at all the little moments again, finding humour in what is essentially a weak film. It just brought back all the memories of living in my favourite place back to me, and although for others, this is a tedious film that hardly suffices for children's entertainment, let alone anything else. This film is my personal favourite family childhood film, which i will always love and defend to the bitter end.

This movie did not get the recognition it deserved. I remember it played in the theatres for 2 or 3 weeks then went to video. That's a shame because it is actually really good. It's the story of Rover, a boozing, gambling Bassett hound (voiced by Rodney Dangerfield, of course) who has Las Vegas in the palm of his hand, er, paw. Cavorting with showgirl dogs by night and sleeping off hangovers by day makes him one contented pooch. However, trouble comes one night when a thug believes Rover is a witness to a crime. Rover is thrown into a bag and tossed over Hoover Dam to drown. But our hero escapes, floats down river and winds up on a farm!

This is where the humor and charm of the movie lies, and Rodney Dangerfield's classic schtick works perfectly as Rover tries in vain to assimilate himself into the dull farm life. Of course valuable life lessons will be learned amidst the humor.

This was a very good attempt at trying to make an animated film suited for adults, instead of the usual kiddie stuff that is released. That's not to say that kids couldn't enjoy this film too, but it's aimed at adults, with Rodney Dangerfield's brand of humor in some cases going over the heads of children. Unfortunately, the film didn't do well, and few attempts have been made since to target adults with animation. Rent this movie if you want to see an animated film that's a bit different from everything else out there, and especially if you are a Rodney Dangerfield fan. The jokes are funny, the animation topnotch and even the musical numbers are done well. This should have been a bigger hit than it was.

Although the film suffers a bit from slow pacing and doesn't contain the technical magic of a Disney feature, it still retains a surprising sweetness. The story is centered entirely on the famous Dangerfield stage persona; and translating the comedian's raunchy material into an anthropomorphized lovable pooch must have been no small task. Visually, the artists make strong use of colors and shadings to reinforce mood, although many scenes lack zest and are just too static. Story-wise, I rate the film above-average for its warmth and low-key humor. Children these days are only interested in the hyperactive action of Pokemon, but the littlest ones will likely be charmed. "Rover Dangerfield" may look flat when held up to "Dinosaur" but it's certainly got more heart. 7 out of 10.

This quality children's animated flick shows how versatile Dangerfield can be. Ask most stand-up comedians known for being on the dirty side to write a G-rated screenplay and they wouldn't at all know how to go about it. But Dangerfield does, in this good (but not great) comic and somewhat chessy and predictable, but that's par for all kid flicks, film. Good songs include "It's a dog's life and I love it" and the amusing "I'll never do it on a Christmas tree". Great looking animation of Dangerfield as a dog, and the best K-9 one-liners

Alright, this movie doesn't get nearly the recognition it deserves. Everyone keeps saying it's adult oriented and kids won't like it but this was one of my favorite movies when I was a kid. I watched it at least once a day for months. Granted, it's not one of the best movies ever made, but give it a chance. To me it was a nice change from Disney.