“Disney Dogs” showcases canine cartoon stars

Jim Hill

16 years ago

If you’re a Disney trivia buff, I’m sure that you can already name the father & mother dog in “101 Dalmatians.” But can you name all 15 of the puppies that Perdita had?

Okay. I know. That’s kind of a trick question. Given that — in the original 1961 film — only six of those puppies actually wound up with names. (And — for the record — those names were Freckles, Lucky, Penny, Patch, Pepper and Rolly).

But what about those two hounds who attack Edgar in “The Aristocats
” ? Can you name them?

Speaking of hounds, what’s the name of the bloodhound “The Great Mouse Detective
” makes use of while he’s pursuing Ratigan?

If you’re having some trouble naming all of these cartoon canines, not to worry. As part of the Disney Corporation’s company-wide promotional push for “Disney’s Dogs
” (Disney Editions, October 2008), a 192-page hardcover that features a pretty definitive listing of the Mouse House’s hounds.

“Disney Dogs” is broken down into five distinct sections. With the first part of this book — “Old Dogs, New Tricks” — dealing with Pluto
and all of the other cartoon canines that appeared in the studio’s shorts.

From there, we move on to “Hot Dogs.” As in: Those Hollywood hounds who starred in feature-length projects for Walt Disney Pictures. Among these were the two title characters in “Lady and the Tramp
,” the Dodger in “Oliver & Company
” as well as Copper in “The Fox and the Hound
.”

In this book’s “Their Bark is Bigger Than Their Bite” section, “Disney Dogs” deals with all of those canines who played supporting roles in the studio’s animated features. Furry scene-stealers like Max in “The Little Mermaid
,” Percy in “Pocahontas
” and Little Brother in “Mulan
.”

And then it’s time to go “Off the Leash” with Disney’s more unconventional dogs. Animated creatures that look like dogs & act like dogs but still aren’t dogs. Like the footstool in “Beauty and the Beast
,” Zero in Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas
” and — of course — Walt Goofy
.

FYI for all you Hidden Mickey
fans out there: Did you notice that oh-so-familiar three-circle-symbol on one of the remotes in the above picture?

“Disney Dog” wraps up with a look at the studio’s new four-legged American hero, Bolt. With this section featuring some of the early concept work that was done on this animated feature after Chris Sanders left the project.

Is “Disney Dogs” a perfect book? Well … While all of this seldom-seen artwork from Disney’s Animation Research Library is lovely … Me personally, I could have used a bit more text. Some information about the individual artists who worked on each of these canine characters. Perhaps a description of what’s involved when you animate a four-legged creature.

Ah, but why quibble about the stuff that’s not in “Disney Dogs.” When you could be spending your time playing with those flip-books that are located at the very end of this 192-page hardcover. Which show ruff … er … rough animation of Nana tripping over a toy wagon in “Peter Pan
” as well as Lady & Tramp’s first kiss.

If you’re an animation fan who loves looking at model sheets, concept paintings & thumbnails of your favorite characters, you’ll definitely dig “Disney Dogs.” Just don’t pick up this book and then expect to read a detailed account of how “Bolt” came together.

That book — “The Art of Bolt
” (Chronicle Books, October 2008) — just went on sale today. And we’ll be reviewing it shortly here at JHM

Your thoughts?