Toon Tuesday : How Disney is fixing “American Dog”

Jim Hill

17 years ago

It’s often been said that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.

Well, I’m guessing that the folks at Walt Disney Feature Animation have never heard that expression. For they’re right in the middle of an Extreme Makeover of their 2008 release, “American Dog.”

Gone is Chris Sanders‘ quirk-filled take on this tale. Which (for those of you who’ve already forgotten) went something like this:

“Henry, a famous TV dog, finds himself stranded in the Nevada desert. Out in the world for the first time, Henry’s tidy life of scripted triumph has come to an end, and his 2,000 mile trek through the real world is just beginning.”

Sanders was removed as the writer / director of this project back in December (And — if current reports prove to be true — Chris actually left the employ of the Walt Disney Company late last week). With John Lasseter then tapping Chris Williams (I.E. A veteran Disney story artist best known for his work on “Mulan” and “The Emperor’s New Groove“) to be “American Dog” ‘s new director.

And given that Walt Disney Studios absolutely, positively needs “American Dog” to be ready for release in late 2008 (So that the company can then honor all of its previously arranged agreements with promotional partners, toy manufacturers and other licensees), Williams immediately got to work. Restructuring this film to suit Lasseter’s story sensibilities (Who — it should be noted here — supposedly wasn’t all that fond of Sander’s directorial debut, “Lilo & Stitch“).

So that giant radioactive rabbit & the cat with the eye patch who previously appeared in this picture? They’re gone. Likewise the version of this film’s storyline that was mostly set in the American Southwest. Even the title character has been radically rethunk. He’s no longer a cute little round brown hound dog. But — rather — a heroic-looking white German Shepherd with a lightning bolt-shaped patch that runs down the left side of his body.

In fact, Bolt is actually this character’s new name. And Bolt stars with Penny (a 12-year-old girl) in the hit television show, “American Dog.” Which those familiar with this production have described as ” … Johnny Quest meets James Bond.”

Anyway, the gimmick of the “American Dog” TV show is that Bolt & Penny fight crime. With this heroic canine using his super powers (EX: A bark that’s so loud it actually stuns whoever it’s aimed at) to defeat the bad guys.

But Bolt … He doesn’t understand that this is all just pretend. He actually thinks that he’s a super hero. More importantly, that Penny really is a little girl who loves him. Rather than some actress who’s just been hired to play a part. And as for those super powers … Bolt hasn’t yet realized that all of those brick walls that he’s been jumping through for all these years are just fakes that have been constructed by the studio’s prop department.

So obviously Bolt lives in a fantasy world. As do so many others who call Hollywood home. But thanks to the extra special treatment that this celebrity canine always receives, he never once has had reason to question this existence. To wonder what life might be like outside of the studio’s walls.

But all of that changes one night when Bolt’s handler accidentally leaves the door open to this pampered pooch’s cage. Bolt wanders out into the night … And then (for reasons that are too hard to explain here) winds up getting sealed inside of this UPS / Fed Ex-type package that’s being shipped overnight to New York City.

Bolt is finally able to bust out of that box once it arrives in NYC. Far from the world that he knows, this heroic canine now decides to use his super powers to get back home.

As you might expect, this deluded dog is going to need as much help as he can get in order to cross the continental United States and eventually make his way back to Hollywood. Which is why it’s lucky that Bolt soon befriends Mr. Mittens (Who is actually a female cat who was mis-named by an inattentive owner) as well as Rhino. Who’s this hamster who never leaves his plastic exercise ball. Who (not-so-co-incidentally) is a huge fan of “American Dog,” having seen & then memorized virtually every episode of the series.

So this trio then bands together to help this TV star get back home to Hollywood. With Bolt (because he’s still certain that he has super powers) continually attempting these incredibly dangerous stunts. Like jumping off a bridge onto a train that’s moving at high speed.

As you might expect, Mr. Mittens & Rhino soon have their hands full. As they try to keep this crazy canine from accidentally killing himself. And then — of course — comes that awful moment toward the middle of the story. When Bolt suddenly realizes that he’s not actually a super hero. More importantly, that “American Dog” was just some TV show …

Okay. I know. A lot of you animation fans out there must already be thinking that Bolt’s story arc in “American Dog” sounds an awful lot like what Buzz Lightyear went through in the first “Toy Story” film.

Mind you, you wouldn’t be the first person to think that way. Based on what a number of WDFA insiders have told me, they have similiar concerns about “American Dog” ‘s new storyline. That it may be just a little too familiar to movie-goers.

Mind you, these are the same folks who have been telling me that John Lasseter ordered that “American Dog” ‘s setting be shifted away from the American Southwest. Why For? Well … Given that “Cars” had just been set in this same part of the country, the new ubermeister of WDFA & Pixar allegedly felt that it was just too soon to set another animated feature in this same terrain. That audiences would now be up for something different.

Beyond that … Given all the CG-based prep work that’s already been done on this film, “American Dog” will remain on Disney’s computer animation production track. Though — that said — Disney’s marketing staff is allegedly already actively casting around for a new title for this project. With “Hollywood Dog” reportedly emerging as one of the top contenders.

Now I know — particularly for all you Chris Sanders fans out there (Who were actively looking forward to seeing a new Disney animated film that would feature Chris’ truly unique character design & story sense) — that it must be disappointing to hear about all of the changes that are being made to this movie. To learn that virtually nothing that we’ve seen so far will wind up appearing in the finished version of this film.

But that said … You have to understand that this is a business, folks. And John Lasseter was just making the changes that he felt were necessary in order to insure that “American Dog” would ultimately be a success at the box office. As to whether or not these decisions were actually the right ones (More importantly, is the Mouse eventually going to come to regret letting a true talent like Chris Sanders walk out the door?) … Well, I guess we’re just going to have to wait ’til 2008 to see. When Chris Williams’ quirk-free version of this WDFA production finally arrives at a theater near you.

Your thoughts?