Okay, so I heard about this Disney/Yash Raj (an Indian film production company) collaboration a while back, and I was curious to see what the rest of the world is getting up to animation-wise (especially new players from emerging-film production countries). I saw a copy in my local library a few days ago and I borrowed it on a whim, and now that I’ve finished watching it, here’s what I think.
The plot in a nutshell is like You Don’t Mess With the Zohan meets All Dogs go to Heaven (If you’re wondering where Zohan comes into this, the protagonist happens to be a great hairstylist). The animation is a hit-and-miss for me. There were some brilliantly-rendered moments (most of them involving the protagonist Romeo and his love interest Laila) like the rooftop meetings, the dog-cabaret club (straight from All Dogs 2), and the scene after the cheesy opening dance sequence where Romeo experiences life on the streets as a stray for the first time. Charlie Anna (again, probably inspired from Carface of All Dogs) was a deliciously mean villain who gets his share of wisecracks, and the ‘Stray Gang’ were endearing enough (I liked the Bollywood quote-spouting dog).
But as is the case with startup studios like Animal Logic and Video Briquendo (as much as it pains me to say such contrasting studios in the same sentence), there is a tendency to fall back on pratfalls and slapstick jokes at the expense of tender heartwarming moments or thought-provoking poignancy. The animators obviously took their classes in the school of Chuck Jones and Tex Avery, but went a bit overboard, as some of the characters (especially the ‘Stray Gang’) will randomly start running amok or slam into walls in exaggerated panic whenever Charlie or his right-hand mutt Chhainu walk on-screen. Some of the scenes are also agonisingly drawn-out, and there is a propensity to try to be ‘hip and cool’ (again, watch the cheesy opening number) which comes off as self-important and hedonistic.
Again, it has its merits. The catchy Bollywood-inspired numbers and filmic-nods are sure to entertain those who are familiar with the genre, and I must admit that the theme song has become somewhat an earworm for me now. And some of the puns and jokes are actually quite funny. But in the face of a predictable plot and annoying ‘Saturday morning cartoon’ antics, what could’ve become a great animated movie with Indian influences ends up becoming vapid and shallow.
P.S. I was amused to see an ‘Animation Class’ banner in one of the scenes, where students can ‘learn about the bouncing ball and walk cycles’. Obviously, one of the texture artists thought it would be amusing to include a nod to their humble beginnings. And the coda before the credits (“No animals were harmed in this movie… but the same can’t be said about the crew”) made me chuckle.
Yea if you look up roadside Romeo on YouTube you should see the trailers and everything. It’s not bad but Disney never showed it in Australia, is this movie like a spanish movie or something?
[quote:3mzbkbdo]is this movie like a spanish movie or something?[/quote:3mzbkbdo]
Uh… no. It’s made in India, financed by America, and the characters speak English and Hindi.
[quote:3mzbkbdo]Lots of these foreign animated pictures all of a sudden, huh?[/quote:3mzbkbdo]
The definition of ‘foreign’ is subjective, Incredigirl.
True that. I didn’t consider that. It just seems like France, India, and other non-American countries are spitting animation out dozens at a time all of a sudden. Maybe I’m just not very informed; who knows…
Incredigirlvirginia: You’re right in a way. Non-American countries are only just starting to receive the technology and venture capital that their Yankee competitors have pioneered a long while ago, so it may seem like they’ve only just begun producing their own stuff instead of receiving ‘outsourced donkey-work’.
It may seem like they have to play some catch-up, but like the automotive industry, it’s only a matter of time before the little-league players from South Korea, France, India, China and Australia step up to take on the giants like America and Japan. Which is not a bad thing, it just means we get more films to choose from. Mark my words.
At least the dogs aren’t walking on their ‘toes’, so to say, like normal dogs. Because I think that’d be impossible for bipedial beings to walk like that. /ramble
alas, doesn’t look too bad. I may take a look around and see if I can watch this one. (my new Xbox also plays movies, yay!)
I agree with ellie-jessie-eve. One of those creatures looks like a cat. A scary cat, at that. And yes, the dog in the middle (presumably Romeo) looks to be wearing a headband.
I have to say that I do not like the photo. What is with the eyes on the far left dog? He looks mad creepy, but I do like his bowtie. Then also, what is with the look on the dog second to the right? He’s giving me one of those looks… I don’t like it.
Did you say you stumbled upon this movie in the library thedriveintheater? And is it really Disney affiliated? I have never heard of it before.
The character design reminds me a bit of Alpha and Omega. At least those wolves don’t walk on two legs…
I have to admit though, it might be interesting to watch this just for the Bollywood style music and dance numbers.
Hmm… a lot of people don’t seem to like the choice of image I used. Maybe if I had used this…
to convince you guys?
Then again, I suppose this…
…ain’t too shabby, either.
Yup. The cat is one of the more entertaining characters, she pretends to be a dog to join the crew (reminds me of another movie where a bird pretended to be a dog to fit in, but I can’t remember at the moment).
It’s worth a watch, just to see what India’s up to in terms of commercial animation. Some parts are ‘Ratatooing-so-bad-it’s-funny’ in a way, while others actually are pretty good, like the scene where Romeo dances with his love interest on the roof, or any scene with mob-boss Charlie Anna (I love his catchphrases “Nonsense persons!” and “Be happy, my chappy!”).
The dog with the bowtie is an English-aristocrat-wannabe. The winking mutt second to right is a film buff who quotes Bollywood movies, and is my favourite side character. And the one on the far right is aptly named Guru, the wisest of all the gang.
Yup, in a Sydney library. It is Disney affiliated, and it was pretty big news back in 2008. It was on the cover of the Autodesk Maya 2010 (the leading animation software in the industry) guidebook. Then again, Delgo was on the 2009 edition…
You’re right, which is why I’m looking forward to A&O to compare it with Romeo.
Again, you’d be right. It’s an ‘acquired taste’ sort of movie. But again, some parts are really silly that knocks it down a few notches.
I’m going to have to agree with thedriveintheatre on this one. I saw the film last night at a family gathering celebration, and I have to say; I loved the music a lot, but for a CGI animated film, it’s really quite terrible. The story was very weak, and although the animation was pretty good in a few scenes, it felt very awkward to me most of the time. The pacing, timing and the delivery was really off, not to mention some of the sequences were extremely corny, cheesy and embarrassing to watch (I heard my brother laughing even at the sentimental parts of the movie). If only the actual film was just as good as the soundtrack, then I might loved it. :\
And even the character designs were flawed. Romeo is definitely a cutie pie, but when he walks and dances like a human, he moves really awkwardly and just looks really creepy. Same goes for the rest of the animals in the film. I mean, I know they were trying to go for an anthropomorphic design and all, but they don’t wear anything else beyond headbands and dog collars, which makes them look strangely naked. To put it bluntly: I like Romeo a lot better when he actually acts like a real dog. Otherwise, he just looks plain creepy.
