This title is currently available (as of October 31st, 2017) on Blu-ray and DVD from Olive Films (www.olivefilms.com – www.facebook.com/olivefilms).
Director Don Bluth has had a storied career in the animation industry, originally working for Disney before venturing out alone and forming his own company. Over the years he’s had a string of hits and misses. Although everyone seems to fondly remember titles like The Secret of NIMH, An American Tail and All Dogs Go to Heaven, many would be harder pressed to recall A Troll in Central Park or The Pebble and the Penguin.
One might say the same for Rock-A-Doodle, a fascinating but bizarre and admittedly muddled effort from the otherwise talented animator. It has been out-of-print for several years, with old DVDs fetching ridiculous sums online. Despite its flaws, the movie has developed a following over the years. Thankfully, Olive Film have given it the high definition treatment, allowing fans and animation enthusiasts to pick the title up at a far more reasonable price.
The movie begins with a live-action segment concerning a young boy named Edmond (Toby Scott Ganger) who lives on a farm. When a massive rainstorm results in dangerous flooding, the child reads to help pass the time as family members work outside. The animated book story involves a singing, rockabilly rooster named Chanticleer (Glen Campbell), known for crowing so loudly that he can make the sun rise. After an unfortunate incident results in others on the farm questioning his ability, a dejected Chanticleer leaves town.
The friendly animal residents soon come under threat from the Grand Duke (Christopher Plummer), a very sinister owl who curses the area into darkness. Edmond’s imagination soon takes over, as the youngster travels into the book and is transformed into a cat. He immediately befriends farm dog Patou (Phil Harris), mouse Peepers (Sandy Duncan) and crow Snipes (Eddie Deezen). Together, they leave the farm for the city in the hopes of finding Chanticleer and saving both the fictional and real life characters as well. Admittedly, it is an interesting and unique idea for a family feature.
There is plenty of comedic potential here, especially with a singing rooster modeled after Elvis Presley. The tunes themselves aren’t phenomenal, but there are a couple of catchy numbers as Chanticleer croons around the farm and on stage in the big city. Campbell’s got a great voice and it’s fun to hear him let loose on several of the numbers (helped by The King’s own backup singers, The Jordanaires). Some of the visuals are amusing too, including a tough-looking group of froggy “bouncers” as well as moments with the villainous owl playing a large pipe organ.
The most bizarrely hilarious shot involves climactic image of the rooster hitting a high note and literally flying around a storm cloud at intense speed, bringing out the sun. If the movie had focused more on the absurdity of the concept and perhaps poked more fun at itself, it might have played better than it ultimately does. But at least the feature looks really good. After the opening credits, the animation appears quite crisp and sharp, a most definite improvement over the film’s previous releases.
However, if the plot sounds a bit jumbled and confused, that is because it most certainly is. Reportedly, early test screenings confused audiences and numerous changes were made to try and clarify the story. Perhaps the filmmakers shouldn’t have done a thing, because the first act of the flick feels incredibly rushed and abbreviated. The dog narrates large portions from the very beginning (including the early live-action sequences) right until the end. Musical numbers early on are often interrupted as Patou’s voice drowns out the music and explains plot elements. Not only is it incredibly distracting, but it takes away from the film’s big production numbers.
With little except voice-overs to establish them, the lead characters aren’t very interesting and don’t feel fully developed. Chanticleer is a dynamic and funny presence, but most of the film is focused on Edmond and his attempts to locate the lost singer. The boy’s transformation into a feline is a strange choice and the film’s attempts to address its themes don’t work either. After being told by his real mother that he’s too little to help during the storm, he struggles with being ineffectual in the animated section. While Edmond eventually makes some strides, the movie doesn’t resolve the issue very effectively; in fact, the real boy wakes up after the problems facing the family have passed.
And while it’s interesting to see live action interspersed with animation, there are some oddities present with the real actors. Edmond’s mother’s voice appears to have been dubbed over for no discernible reason (Dee Wallace is credited with rerecording the dialogue). Well, there probably was a reason, but it’s not definitively clear upon first viewing. And the attempt at the end to have a real boy integrate and dance with animated characters doesn’t come off as well as other films of its era, like Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
So in the end, Rock-A-Doodle an intriguing mess that should have been so much better than it ultimately ended up being. Sadly, the failure of the feature led to bankruptcy for Bluth’s animation company. However, he would ultimately bounce back in 1997 with Anastasia, the highest grossing film of his career. Despite all of the flaws, there are plenty of points of interest in Rock-A-Doodle and some very unusual and eccentric moments that have led to it developing a following. Those who enjoy it will certainly be impressed with this release, which boasts greatly improved image quality as well as a decent stereo sound mix.
Note: The Blu-ray also includes a trailer for the film.