Here's a few interesting facts about Rock-A- Doodle: 1.Plans for an animated version of the tale dated as far back as the early years of the Walt Disney Studios, where several of its artists were interested in combining elements of the story with those about an anthropomorphic fox named Reynard. Though character designs by Marc Davis survive, Walt Disney personally rejected the pitch, and the film was never put into production or animation tests. 2. Rock-A- Doodle was originally going to be released by MGM-Pathe Communications Co., but studio partnership was facing financial difficulties, so Bluth rescheduled the film for release around Thanksgiving 1991 and selected The Samuel Goldwyn Company as the film's distributor. However, that date was further moved to April 1992 to avoid competition with Walt Disney Pictures and Walt Disney Feature Animation's , as well as Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment's An American Tail: Fievel Goes West , a sequel to An American Tail , in which Bluth himself was not involved. Prior to the North American theatrical release, a sneak preview of the film was included on the 1990 VHS release of All Dogs Go To Heaven.
The Reynard project basically turned into both this and Disney's animated Robin Hood. Two quite divergent paths to take, both wildly unlike the source material to the point you need to be aware it exists at all to see what inspired either of them (much less a single source contributing so much to both).
Rock-a-doodle is a guilty pleasure of mine. I do think its not a very good film, but I do enjoy its weirdness, the main villain, the journey and the aesthetics. :)
sadly the actor who played the dog was Phil Harris & this is his final role of voice acting he passed away 30 years ago he's the same actor who voiced Baloo from The Jungle Book & Little John from Robin Hood so yeah
I only saw this once on television and it really feels like, unlike his other later films, a film that Don Bluth wanted to do. Nothing that the studio forced him into, nothing that seemed like a good idea at the time, nothing to be a wannabe Disney film. It was pure Don Bluth right there. And I really think the films after this one were just depressing. I hate them for being a waste of Don Bluth and his talents. Thumbelina was straight up trash, and was only worth seeing in theaters for the Animaniacs short on the big screen.
I recently checked this movie out. From an adult's preceptive: I thought it was a lot of fun. Was it weird and didn't make a lot of sense? Of course, but I loved the weirdness of it. It didn't go overboard and it was entertaining. It gave the film a dream-like atmosphere that I absolutely love (said atmosphere is present in most of Don Bluth's films, I think). Also, the Duke was a fun villain, I loved how over-the-top and menacing he was. Overall: It's not one of Bluth's best, but it's *definitely* not his worst. I thought it was better than The Pebble and the Penguin and Titan A.E. for sure (I'm sorry, I know a lot of people love Titan A.E., but while I love the ideas I thought the execution was lacking for the most part).
From your description, Rock-A-Doodle seems to be to Don Bluth what Cars is to Pixar or Robin Hood is to Disney: one of those "not as good as our masterpieces, but still relatively decent" movies. I personally haven't seen it in a long while, but maybe it's worth another watch.
@@georgerobertson7010 Robin Hood is a good idea, but the film is held back by a low budget. A film about talking cars could have worked if it was 2d, but for some reason it doesn't transfer well 3d. The characters are not as expressive as say Putt Putt. Still better than Brave.😠
I discovered Rock a Doodle on Netflix, and watched it dozens of times. It was a little weird, but I liked it either way. It did remind me of my childhood when I used to watch those old cartoon movies by Disney.
@@Drag0n_Bolt Don Bluth said that the reason why Phil Harris dog narrates though out the film, is because of test audience was confused by the story. Maybe the test audience was really young kids????? Cause I don't think the plot is complicated. If the Secret of Nimh had test audience then the story would be ruined.
This film was my childhood. I used to rent this movie all the time from my local library whenever I could on vhs back in the day Also thank you for taking a shot at "Soul". That film is quite overrated if you ask me.
Yes, it is bizarre that someone would take a medieval story about a rooster and frame it as an allegory about the life of Elvis, AND make it an apocalyptic battle of good vs. evil involving magic and animal transformation. But that's how you know at least an individual mind came up with it. And when most animated movies today seem so predictable and unremarkable they came off an assembly line, I'd honestly welcome a nice, unique mess of a movie like this one. I'd rather live with the worst of Don Bluth than the best of Illumination.
I thought this movie was a fever dream when I was younger until in my teens I did a deep dive into the huge catalog of records, movies, comics, shows with a comedy rockabilly band I had liked since I was a kid, Vazelina Bilopphøggers (1979-2022, their last concert is available on RUclips) for the film I had seen in either kindergarten or primary school was a norwegian-dubbed version of Rock-A-Doodle where Vazelina Bilopphøggers (Vazelina Carwreckers) had some of the voices The vocalist from 1981 to 2006, Viggo Sandvik had the voice for Chanticleer Guitarist/Accordionist/Singer Eldar Vågan was Patou Saxophonist/Organist/Accordionist/Singer Jan Einar Johnsen was Snipes And the drummer and carwrecker Arnulf Paulsen was Stuey Vazelina Bilopphøggers started out as a joke at a christmas party at Arnulf Paulsen's wreckyard in 1979, but the joke quickly took over when guitarist Eldar Vågan entered the band in a national competition which resulted in them getting a record deal (although they didn't win), the single record and the album sold very well in Norway which led to them choosing to continue even though half the band quit after 1 year which resulted in Viggo Sandvik joined the band in 1981 and the success continued and they were literally everywhere in the 80's and 90's The film was not a success in Norway either, but the album was
Bluth's independent Irish studio produced five feature films, the animated portion of The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera for Universal Studios, various commercials and finished work on Dragon's Lair Ii all between 1988-1995. Considering the level of animation they were striving for, and all of the problems they had with partner studios and their financers - it's pretty astonishing the films turned out as well as they did! Bluth doesn't get nearly enough credit!
Thank you for making this video, I completely agree. And frankly, I'll even take a Troll in Central Park over most of today's animated movies (that's just how much I miss traditional animation).
it is weird but I quite enjoy the animation because it's a freaking Don Bluth I wish this movie was longer than maybe an hour 1 30 minutes or an hour 1 40 minutes
@@erainmartinez8175 It needed at least ten more minutes at the start, so we can at least get to know Chanticleer properly before he goes into his self-imposed exile, and probably a few more minutes sprinkled throughout to explain or show things we only get told about.
I remember seeing this movie in theaters as a very small child. Or rather, I remember the initial live action scene, the scene of the main kid turning into a cat, and his death during the climax. I remember being terrified but _unlike_ Land Before Time and An American Tail (two of my favorite movies to that point) none of the rest of it stuck with me.
The songs are good...when I can hear them! I haven't seen it in a while, but I remember some of the songs being drowned out by people talking over them.
Honestly i really like Rock-a-Doodle, i grew up with it and loved it as a kid. Even as an adult sure i can point out a few things that are either inconsistent or don't work (or get caught up with the voice of the magpie being the same guy who voices Mandark from Dexter's lab), but i still sit tight and enjoy the ride with a little more insight and broader view of it all. I won't ever understand why it gets so much hate when it tells the story that it does so well. Sure perhaps the general narrative it tells is touched on in a slightly more grandiose manner in the 1994 film "The PageMaster" slightly better in some respects, but it really is a great story told through the eyes of someone who was in the story and in a way that leaves you wondering "was this all just a fever dream in the mind of an ill child, or did this really happen" by the end of it. No matter which is the case i still to this day adore this movie and hold a great deal of nostalgia for it. And while the kid who played Edmund was definitely just that a kid, having him legitimately and honestly playing it the way you'd expect of a child makes it feel more legitimate, more self-aware and contained. Furthering that end of the film curiosity of whether or not it was all just a fever dream in his head. There're so many franchises out there where the kid goes into a dream-like world and suddenly is changed and with that change comes a different actor or actress voicing their dream self. Having it be the same kid really made it feel a little more engaging, because sure the kid was clearly not a trained actor (there were some really good child actors who gave standout performances), but the honesty of it and the sincerity he was able to convey just kept you grounded and not taken too far into the surrealness of the animated 2/3 of the film where he's a cat. There's just something about having a kid just playing the part in such an honest way and not an acting way that makes it feel a little more authentic on the whole. The narration is probably the only significant point of contention for me as an adult. As a kid i had no issue with it overall i was used to movies with that aimed at my age group, and even some television programs. However, as an adult it was mostly unnecessary and with my changes in music taste having the songs which i loved as a kid but liked even more as an adult being spoken over did irritate me on a rewatch after growing up and showing the film to my kid brother.
My unpopular Don Bluth opinion is that An American Tail: Fievel Goes West is a worthy sequel to the original and a good movie. Yes, he had nothing to do with making it, and that's the primary reason most commonly cited for its dismissal.
Almost all of Don Bluth’s lesser known movies are on RUclips for free. I work at a preschool and we have movie day on Friday. My students favorite movies are rock a doodle and troll in Central Park.
I had to rewatch it. And there are a lot of symbolic tropes that are helpful guides for kids. There are more than one hero's journey, and they have to go down into the underworld in order to find their true selves - Edmund in his feverish trans and Chantic..chanteeclair (?) is submerged in the waters of chaos before finding his voice. And in Swedish the voice actors did stellar job! 30 years later, still loved it.
I just think that this movie is just ok. Some things that you didn't mention in the video are that they had to, in addition to cutting the "Skunk Pie" scene, reanimate some scenes to avoid a PG rating. This caused the movie to be delayed from November 1990 to April 3, 1992 (It was actually released in late 1991 in the UK.), the same day that Beethoven was released. Also, the movie was supposed to have two directors. Don Bluth was supposed to only direct the animated scenes, while actor\director Victor French, who was known for playing Isaiah Edwards on Little House on the Prairie & Mark Gordon on Highway to Heaven, however Victor French died before filming began & Don Bluth took over directing the live action scenes. Also, due to the negative critical reception that this movie had, it ended up being Glen Campbells last movie.
Thank you for this video! Up until now, I only saw the negative reviews. Rock-A-Doodle is actually my favourite Don Bluth movie. And yes, I watched his other, more acclaimed works too.
I really liked the movie, but after looking up the original play I think they missed some opportunities, especially with the musical themes you mentioned. We have country, rock and operatic/classical songs, and the original play had a theme of cynicism and materialism vs authenticity and devotion to an ideal all with a focus on artistic inspiration and creativity. The play had the whole, missing his chance to crow thing happen near the end instead of at in the prologue, and had Chanticleer get over it rather quickly by realizing his crowing- his art- still has value and meaning ie waking people up to start the day. So the Play had the themes of cynicism and materialism actively try to destroy authenticy belief in ideals, because they looked down on them and maybe felt threatened by people having that position compared to their view, We can translate this to modern values pretty easily, especially with the whole City's glitz, glamour and corruption, and the plotting of the aristocratic Owls. But then you could parallel the sun with the whole Artistic ideal thing. When he is in the city Chanticleer is basically only happy when he is performing, or when he falls in love, when he has his art, or a new ideal, and in the play goldie struggles with being second place behind Chanticleer's artistic ideals but eventually gets together with him anyway. So in the film we could have Goldie doubt the whole sun thing too, and hammer in the ideal/sun parrallel by giving a little more focus to Chanticleer's self perception as a fallen hero. One idea I really like comes from your Video on the Grand Duke- the idea that the DUKE was the one to make the sun come up to break Chanticleer's spirit- Here we can make it explitcit and another parrallel, have the duke try to break Chanticleer again by revealing that this is what he did, that Chanticleer's ideals and heroic actions are imatatable and reproducible, a comodity to the materialistic and cynical that they don't care for at all. But then retool the final crowing scene with Chanticleer's heroic realization to make it a bit more clear and then you get the message of not only others being able to produce the same sort of artistry, or embody the same sort of ideal doesn't remove the value of your art, or the ideal being expressed, but being overly cynical and materialistic does, because those values can't stand up to honest art and heroism, like the Duke basically evaporates into a powerless weakling when struck by the rising sun's light. I like the film and a lot of these values and themes can be found there if you look for them, but it could be improved with some editing and focus. For example Godie in the film is basically a combination of the Golden Phesant and the Nightingale in the play, being the love interest that is used by the villians to manipulate the hero, and the artist that not only is what actually distracts Chanticleer from the dawn until it is too late and an artistic mirror respectively. Maybe a scene and song showing her as an artistic foil and complement to Chanticleer before they become romantically entangled, and have her providing some support in the finale. Then you have her arc fleshed out by having music mirror her progression to the honest and artistic ideal Chanticleer is going back too- like have her start with a pop love song, then her more honest love song with chanticleer, then some heroic country lyrics in the finale inspiring Chantecleer to finally crow- maybe a bit of a group thing- or just heroic encouragement with the side characters to inspire him as they stand up the duke and then have her join in with the country number in the pre credits scene to the same effect.
I honestly don’t mind a troll in Central Park. I mean it’s definitely not a great movie and I’m not calling it good by any means but it certainly had an interesting concept behind it. I like the two child characters and the villains were extremely wacky too! Especially the female troll is all characters.
Rock A Doodle Is Also One Of My Most Favourite Don Bluth’s Movie Sure Its Not At Dark As Other Don Bluth’s Movies But Its Still Very Enjoyable And Hilarious Though I Wish They Would Have Given Hunch A Character Development And A Redemption (I Love Hunch He’s Adorable 🥰 So Thats My Main Reason Why I Want Him To Get A Character Development) But If It Did Happened Here’s What I Pictured What Would Hunch’s Redemption Would Be Like After Rescuin Chantacleer The Grand Duke Gets Angry At His Nephew After Continually Failin Him And Scarthes Him By The Wing (Showing Blood) Before Kickin Him Of The Cliff Unable To Fly Hunch Falls Down To A Fast Flowin River And After Accidentally Gettin His Leg Stuck On A Rope Hunch Trys His Best To Get Out As He’s Running Out Of Air After He Finally Gets Out He Looses All Consciousness And Faints On A Log And Edmond Decides To Save Him Even After The Scrawny Owl Tried To Kill Him And Manges To Save Him When The Poor Owl Nearly Drowned To His Death And Thats When Hunch Will Start Goin Through A Character Development And Redemption And Save His New And True Friends.
I love Rock-a-Doodle, one of Bluth's better works. Sadly, it being underrated is due to it being the start of Bluth's dark age. Nearly everything wrong can be blamed on executive meddling. The skunk pie scene was cut due to most domestic child abuse at the time happened in the kitchen with baking instruments and given how Judith Barsi died, Bluth was quick to cut it. Patio's narration came from executives underestimating the kids' comprehension and the live action parts were due to Roger Rabbit's success and this wasn't the only film hurt by Roger's influence. These delayed the film causing it to compete with Beauty and the Beast and American Tail 2, a bit ironic given his past connections to both Disney and Amblin.
I agree Rock A Doodle is far from Don Bluth's worst, Thumbelina and A Troll In Central Park are much worse, yes it has problems but it's decent overall, most of the songs are alright save for "They're Running Out of Batteries" and "The Bouncers Song", those two are pretty corny and cheesy, the characters and voice actors are alright, some people like to criticize the child actor who played Edmund, he did ok he was a little kid so of course he's not the best actor in the cast.
Always good to see positive reviews of Bluth films. I always defend him, but this is unfortunately his weakest film. Had Bluth been able to stick with his original script, it could have worked. Clearly, the film has a dual narrative - one story follows Chanticleer and his adventures in the entertainment industry, while the other follows Edmond and the other barnyard animals searching for Chanticleer. Goldcrest was the studio that produced this and All Dogs Go To Heaven. Unfortunately, the former film was a financial disappointment so they forced Bluth to focus on Edmond and the other animals on their search to find Chanticleer. Edmond's story obviously was the weaker of the two narratives. However, there are other story problems. It's never made explicitly clear whether or not Chanticleer actually causes the sun to rise or not. Also, the live action story doesn't connect very well with the animated one. Edmond isn't on some special quest for knowledge, to prove his courage, or to find some magical macguffin that will transport him home. He's really just there to help the other animals get Chanticleer back to make the sun rise again. However, as in all Bluth films, there is great character design, animation and voice acting. Chanticleer, Goldie and the magpie character are all visually stunning. Bluth was beginning to rip off himself with some of the characters. We get another Owl, mouse and cat. Personality wise, many of the barnyard characters evoke earlier Bluth ones. Chanticleer, Goldie and Sorrell Booke's fox are the most interesting personalities but their story takes a back seat to the rest.
This is genuinely one of my favorite kid movies and I can still watch it as an adult. Even better than the Secrets of NIMH - which I should have given more remembrance to at the beginning of 2020. Predictive or what?
'Rock-A-Doodle' is nowhere near as bad as they say - I've certainly seen much worse. Friends of mine owned the VHS when I was a kid, and I watched it a few times with them. It's not a masterpiece; it could definitely use a little tightening in some places and a little loosening in others, but it has a great villain and a lot of classic Bluth stuff that sticks in your head. It's certainly not one of the worst kid's movies ever made, as some seem to think it is. The one thing about the movie that I genuinely DO hate, though? Snipes the magpie. Snipes has to be the single most obnoxious supporting character I've ever seen. He has NO redeeming values whatsoever - he's rude, loudmouthed, panicky, self-centered, puts the other heroes in danger more than once, and is just so thoroughly useless that there is basically no reason he's there. I'm OK with comic relief characters when they pull their weight, but Snipes not only doesn't pull his, he isn't even funny. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of the movie's detractors would have gone much easier on it if it weren't for that damned magpie.
Quite honestly, I prefer Troll in Central Park over The Pebble and the Penguin. I know people hate TCP, but it's a cute movie and has a valuable message to the film. Besides, even if it is the "worst" Don Bluth film, there are other theatrically released animated films that are far worst than that. That's my unpopular opinion on a Don Bluth film.
I adore this movie! It's basically my go-to comfort movie! That being said, It's sad that it had to go through so many edits before release. Fuck the Snyder Cut, give me the Bluth Cut!
Wait, the Dragon's Lair movie they announced isn't going to be animated?! That just ruins the whole thing for me. Edit. I think the sun was coming up because it was expecting the crow. After realizing it wasn't happening it went "back to sleep" as Patoo puts it.
@@joshuagonzalez4183 Don Bluth said that the reason why Phil Harris dog narrates though out the film, is because of test audience was confused by the story. Maybe the test audience was really young kids????? Cause I don't think the plot is complicated. If the Secret of Nimh had test audience then the story would be ruined.
I friggin' love this movie! I don't care what anyone says! Its too fun, beautifully animated and one of the last roles with ol' papa bear himself Phil Harris( Baloo)...playing the Dog, Pattoo! Plus who doesn't love The Grand Duke!!!!❤
@@jeremyusreevu237 Don Bluth said that the reason why Phil Harris dog narrates though out the film, is because of test audience was confused by the story. Maybe the test audience was really young kids????? Cause I don't think the plot is complicated. If the Secret of Nimh had test audience then the story would be ruined.
Before I watched it, I thought it was gonna be terrible. When I finally did see it (on RUclips), I thought... "Hey! This isn't that bad!" Yeah, at first the live-action scenes threw me off... until they tied it together with the animated part of the story. So at least they didn't make Edmond a completely pointless character and instead got him involved by turning him into the most Don Bluth-esk kitten I've ever seen. Overall, it was still pretty weird, but hey! Still better than, say... A Troll in Central Park.
dude this movie is a mess. The narrator literally narrates shit that the viewer can find out for themselves. He even talks over songs. I've seen baby cartoons like Bluey that treat the audience less like babies. Watch a better Don Bluth film
Don Bluth actually is trying to make a real comeback with 2D Animation in the form of "Bluth's Fables".
I would love for Don to come back
@@snbsixteen6stars201 he's currently working on a Dargon's lair movie, but it's taking a while!!!
NGL, I thought he was dead, but seeing he's still alive, it would be cool to see what will come next.
Here's a few interesting facts about Rock-A- Doodle:
1.Plans for an animated version of the tale dated as far back as the early years of the Walt Disney Studios, where several of its artists were interested in combining elements of the story with those about an anthropomorphic fox named Reynard. Though character designs by Marc Davis survive, Walt Disney personally rejected the pitch, and the film was never put into production or animation tests.
2. Rock-A- Doodle was originally going to be released by MGM-Pathe Communications Co., but studio partnership was facing financial difficulties, so Bluth rescheduled the film for release around Thanksgiving 1991 and selected The Samuel Goldwyn Company as the film's distributor. However, that date was further moved to April 1992 to avoid competition with Walt Disney Pictures and Walt Disney Feature Animation's , as well as Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment's An American Tail: Fievel Goes West , a sequel to An American Tail , in which Bluth himself was not involved.
Prior to the North American theatrical release, a sneak preview of the film was included on the 1990 VHS release of All Dogs Go To Heaven.
The Reynard project basically turned into both this and Disney's animated Robin Hood. Two quite divergent paths to take, both wildly unlike the source material to the point you need to be aware it exists at all to see what inspired either of them (much less a single source contributing so much to both).
Rock-a-doodle is a guilty pleasure of mine. I do think its not a very good film, but I do enjoy its weirdness, the main villain, the journey and the aesthetics. :)
sadly the actor who played the dog was Phil Harris & this is his final role of voice acting he passed away 30 years ago he's the same actor who voiced Baloo from The Jungle Book & Little John from Robin Hood so yeah
Rest in peace Phil Harris
As an adult I still freakin' love Rock-A-Doodle, one of my favorite animated films.
I only saw this once on television and it really feels like, unlike his other later films, a film that Don Bluth wanted to do. Nothing that the studio forced him into, nothing that seemed like a good idea at the time, nothing to be a wannabe Disney film. It was pure Don Bluth right there. And I really think the films after this one were just depressing. I hate them for being a waste of Don Bluth and his talents. Thumbelina was straight up trash, and was only worth seeing in theaters for the Animaniacs short on the big screen.
Good point actually. It also felt one of the more original ideas from Don Bluth as well.
I recently checked this movie out. From an adult's preceptive: I thought it was a lot of fun. Was it weird and didn't make a lot of sense? Of course, but I loved the weirdness of it. It didn't go overboard and it was entertaining. It gave the film a dream-like atmosphere that I absolutely love (said atmosphere is present in most of Don Bluth's films, I think). Also, the Duke was a fun villain, I loved how over-the-top and menacing he was. Overall: It's not one of Bluth's best, but it's *definitely* not his worst. I thought it was better than The Pebble and the Penguin and Titan A.E. for sure (I'm sorry, I know a lot of people love Titan A.E., but while I love the ideas I thought the execution was lacking for the most part).
From your description, Rock-A-Doodle seems to be to Don Bluth what Cars is to Pixar or Robin Hood is to Disney: one of those "not as good as our masterpieces, but still relatively decent" movies. I personally haven't seen it in a long while, but maybe it's worth another watch.
I was kind of shocked to find out people don’t like Robin Hood and cars
@@georgerobertson7010 Robin Hood is a good idea, but the film is held back by a low budget. A film about talking cars could have worked if it was 2d, but for some reason it doesn't transfer well 3d. The characters are not as expressive as say Putt Putt. Still better than Brave.😠
Can’t believe I’m not the only one who thought this.
I discovered Rock a Doodle on Netflix, and watched it dozens of times. It was a little weird, but I liked it either way. It did remind me of my childhood when I used to watch those old cartoon movies by Disney.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who likes Rock A Doodle.
It's a great movie
H e l l Y e a H
@@Drag0n_Bolt Don Bluth said that the reason why Phil Harris dog narrates though out the film, is because of test audience was confused by the story. Maybe the test audience was really young kids????? Cause I don't think the plot is complicated. If the Secret of Nimh had test audience then the story would be ruined.
My brother loved it, and I found it watchable. The magical stuff was very interesting when it came to the effects and animation.
@@Cerebrum123 Don Bluth said that hardest part about making this film were the live action segments
This film was my childhood. I used to rent this movie all the time from my local library whenever I could on vhs back in the day
Also thank you for taking a shot at "Soul". That film is quite overrated if you ask me.
Yes, it is bizarre that someone would take a medieval story about a rooster and frame it as an allegory about the life of Elvis, AND make it an apocalyptic battle of good vs. evil involving magic and animal transformation. But that's how you know at least an individual mind came up with it. And when most animated movies today seem so predictable and unremarkable they came off an assembly line, I'd honestly welcome a nice, unique mess of a movie like this one. I'd rather live with the worst of Don Bluth than the best of Illumination.
I thought this movie was a fever dream when I was younger until in my teens I did a deep dive into the huge catalog of records, movies, comics, shows with a comedy rockabilly band I had liked since I was a kid, Vazelina Bilopphøggers (1979-2022, their last concert is available on RUclips) for the film I had seen in either kindergarten or primary school was a norwegian-dubbed version of Rock-A-Doodle where Vazelina Bilopphøggers (Vazelina Carwreckers) had some of the voices
The vocalist from 1981 to 2006, Viggo Sandvik had the voice for Chanticleer
Guitarist/Accordionist/Singer Eldar Vågan was Patou
Saxophonist/Organist/Accordionist/Singer Jan Einar Johnsen was Snipes
And the drummer and carwrecker Arnulf Paulsen was Stuey
Vazelina Bilopphøggers started out as a joke at a christmas party at Arnulf Paulsen's wreckyard in 1979, but the joke quickly took over when guitarist Eldar Vågan entered the band in a national competition which resulted in them getting a record deal (although they didn't win), the single record and the album sold very well in Norway which led to them choosing to continue even though half the band quit after 1 year which resulted in Viggo Sandvik joined the band in 1981 and the success continued and they were literally everywhere in the 80's and 90's
The film was not a success in Norway either, but the album was
THANK YOU! Finally, somebody who recognizes fine art.
I think this movie is actually pretty good it would have been even better if they explained why it ride without him that one time
Rock a doodle is one of guilty pleasures
Bluth's independent Irish studio produced five feature films, the animated portion of The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera for Universal Studios, various commercials and finished work on Dragon's Lair Ii all between 1988-1995.
Considering the level of animation they were striving for, and all of the problems they had with partner studios and their financers - it's pretty astonishing the films turned out as well as they did!
Bluth doesn't get nearly enough credit!
Thank you for making this video, I completely agree. And frankly, I'll even take a Troll in Central Park over most of today's animated movies (that's just how much I miss traditional animation).
it is weird but I quite enjoy the animation because it's a freaking Don Bluth I wish this movie was longer than maybe an hour 1 30 minutes or an hour 1 40 minutes
@@erainmartinez8175 The problem with Troll in Central Park is that Don Bluth was making three films in one year.
Yes, AND (I haven't seen a Troll in Central Park but) I'd rather watch original, pretty trash over trash sequel/prequel/remakes, any day!
@@erainmartinez8175 It needed at least ten more minutes at the start, so we can at least get to know Chanticleer properly before he goes into his self-imposed exile, and probably a few more minutes sprinkled throughout to explain or show things we only get told about.
I remember seeing this movie in theaters as a very small child. Or rather, I remember the initial live action scene, the scene of the main kid turning into a cat, and his death during the climax. I remember being terrified but _unlike_ Land Before Time and An American Tail (two of my favorite movies to that point) none of the rest of it stuck with me.
The songs are good...when I can hear them! I haven't seen it in a while, but I remember some of the songs being drowned out by people talking over them.
I want a remastered album of don's movie soundtracks
All of them
I found a version of the song Goldy and King sing and it's not perfect but it's still quite lovely. It's ashame they talked over it.
@@GrandCorsair couldn't agree more ✌
@@joshhacker8503 I mean, Patoo’s narration was a response from test audiences but, I agree.
@@pennysanchez7656 I feel like the later Don Bluth films suffer from studio interference???
Sly Cooper 2 music during the part about urban landscapes. Nice touch
As a kid, this was by far my favorite movie!
Also along with this movie I love the Sly Cooper music in the background
Honestly i really like Rock-a-Doodle, i grew up with it and loved it as a kid. Even as an adult sure i can point out a few things that are either inconsistent or don't work (or get caught up with the voice of the magpie being the same guy who voices Mandark from Dexter's lab), but i still sit tight and enjoy the ride with a little more insight and broader view of it all. I won't ever understand why it gets so much hate when it tells the story that it does so well. Sure perhaps the general narrative it tells is touched on in a slightly more grandiose manner in the 1994 film "The PageMaster" slightly better in some respects, but it really is a great story told through the eyes of someone who was in the story and in a way that leaves you wondering "was this all just a fever dream in the mind of an ill child, or did this really happen" by the end of it. No matter which is the case i still to this day adore this movie and hold a great deal of nostalgia for it.
And while the kid who played Edmund was definitely just that a kid, having him legitimately and honestly playing it the way you'd expect of a child makes it feel more legitimate, more self-aware and contained. Furthering that end of the film curiosity of whether or not it was all just a fever dream in his head. There're so many franchises out there where the kid goes into a dream-like world and suddenly is changed and with that change comes a different actor or actress voicing their dream self. Having it be the same kid really made it feel a little more engaging, because sure the kid was clearly not a trained actor (there were some really good child actors who gave standout performances), but the honesty of it and the sincerity he was able to convey just kept you grounded and not taken too far into the surrealness of the animated 2/3 of the film where he's a cat. There's just something about having a kid just playing the part in such an honest way and not an acting way that makes it feel a little more authentic on the whole.
The narration is probably the only significant point of contention for me as an adult. As a kid i had no issue with it overall i was used to movies with that aimed at my age group, and even some television programs. However, as an adult it was mostly unnecessary and with my changes in music taste having the songs which i loved as a kid but liked even more as an adult being spoken over did irritate me on a rewatch after growing up and showing the film to my kid brother.
My unpopular Don Bluth opinion is that An American Tail: Fievel Goes West is a worthy sequel to the original and a good movie. Yes, he had nothing to do with making it, and that's the primary reason most commonly cited for its dismissal.
Almost all of Don Bluth’s lesser known movies are on RUclips for free. I work at a preschool and we have movie day on Friday. My students favorite movies are rock a doodle and troll in Central Park.
I had to rewatch it. And there are a lot of symbolic tropes that are helpful guides for kids. There are more than one hero's journey, and they have to go down into the underworld in order to find their true selves - Edmund in his feverish trans and Chantic..chanteeclair (?) is submerged in the waters of chaos before finding his voice.
And in Swedish the voice actors did stellar job!
30 years later, still loved it.
I just think that this movie is just ok. Some things that you didn't mention in the video are that they had to, in addition to cutting the "Skunk Pie" scene, reanimate some scenes to avoid a PG rating. This caused the movie to be delayed from November 1990 to April 3, 1992 (It was actually released in late 1991 in the UK.), the same day that Beethoven was released. Also, the movie was supposed to have two directors. Don Bluth was supposed to only direct the animated scenes, while actor\director Victor French, who was known for playing Isaiah Edwards on Little House on the Prairie & Mark Gordon on Highway to Heaven, however Victor French died before filming began & Don Bluth took over directing the live action scenes. Also, due to the negative critical reception that this movie had, it ended up being Glen Campbells last movie.
Oh, NO not Beethoven! Poor Chanty didn't stand a chance 😿
Thank you for this video! Up until now, I only saw the negative reviews. Rock-A-Doodle is actually my favourite Don Bluth movie. And yes, I watched his other, more acclaimed works too.
i so agree with you.this is a fantastic movie,i will never understand why it was so hated.i saw it when i was25 and now im 50 and i still love it
I really liked the movie, but after looking up the original play I think they missed some opportunities, especially with the musical themes you mentioned. We have country, rock and operatic/classical songs, and the original play had a theme of cynicism and materialism vs authenticity and devotion to an ideal all with a focus on artistic inspiration and creativity. The play had the whole, missing his chance to crow thing happen near the end instead of at in the prologue, and had Chanticleer get over it rather quickly by realizing his crowing- his art- still has value and meaning ie waking people up to start the day.
So the Play had the themes of cynicism and materialism actively try to destroy authenticy belief in ideals, because they looked down on them and maybe felt threatened by people having that position compared to their view, We can translate this to modern values pretty easily, especially with the whole City's glitz, glamour and corruption, and the plotting of the aristocratic Owls. But then you could parallel the sun with the whole Artistic ideal thing. When he is in the city Chanticleer is basically only happy when he is performing, or when he falls in love, when he has his art, or a new ideal, and in the play goldie struggles with being second place behind Chanticleer's artistic ideals but eventually gets together with him anyway. So in the film we could have Goldie doubt the whole sun thing too, and hammer in the ideal/sun parrallel by giving a little more focus to Chanticleer's self perception as a fallen hero. One idea I really like comes from your Video on the Grand Duke- the idea that the DUKE was the one to make the sun come up to break Chanticleer's spirit- Here we can make it explitcit and another parrallel, have the duke try to break Chanticleer again by revealing that this is what he did, that Chanticleer's ideals and heroic actions are imatatable and reproducible, a comodity to the materialistic and cynical that they don't care for at all. But then retool the final crowing scene with Chanticleer's heroic realization to make it a bit more clear and then you get the message of not only others being able to produce the same sort of artistry, or embody the same sort of ideal doesn't remove the value of your art, or the ideal being expressed, but being overly cynical and materialistic does, because those values can't stand up to honest art and heroism, like the Duke basically evaporates into a powerless weakling when struck by the rising sun's light.
I like the film and a lot of these values and themes can be found there if you look for them, but it could be improved with some editing and focus. For example Godie in the film is basically a combination of the Golden Phesant and the Nightingale in the play, being the love interest that is used by the villians to manipulate the hero, and the artist that not only is what actually distracts Chanticleer from the dawn until it is too late and an artistic mirror respectively. Maybe a scene and song showing her as an artistic foil and complement to Chanticleer before they become romantically entangled, and have her providing some support in the finale. Then you have her arc fleshed out by having music mirror her progression to the honest and artistic ideal Chanticleer is going back too- like have her start with a pop love song, then her more honest love song with chanticleer, then some heroic country lyrics in the finale inspiring Chantecleer to finally crow- maybe a bit of a group thing- or just heroic encouragement with the side characters to inspire him as they stand up the duke and then have her join in with the country number in the pre credits scene to the same effect.
I honestly don’t mind a troll in Central Park. I mean it’s definitely not a great movie and I’m not calling it good by any means but it certainly had an interesting concept behind it. I like the two child characters and the villains were extremely wacky too! Especially the female troll is all characters.
Rock A Doodle Is Also One Of My Most Favourite Don Bluth’s Movie Sure Its Not At Dark As Other Don Bluth’s Movies But Its Still Very Enjoyable And Hilarious Though I Wish They Would Have Given Hunch A Character Development And A Redemption (I Love Hunch He’s Adorable 🥰 So Thats My Main Reason Why I Want Him To Get A Character Development) But If It Did Happened
Here’s What I Pictured What Would Hunch’s Redemption Would Be Like
After Rescuin Chantacleer The Grand Duke Gets Angry At His Nephew After Continually Failin Him And Scarthes Him By The Wing (Showing Blood) Before Kickin Him Of The Cliff Unable To Fly Hunch Falls Down To A Fast Flowin River And After Accidentally Gettin His Leg Stuck On A Rope Hunch Trys His Best To Get Out As He’s Running Out Of Air After He Finally Gets Out He Looses All Consciousness And Faints On A Log And Edmond Decides To Save Him Even After The Scrawny Owl Tried To Kill Him And Manges To Save Him When The Poor Owl Nearly Drowned To His Death
And Thats When Hunch Will Start Goin Through A Character Development And Redemption And Save His New And True Friends.
The Sly Cooper team caught me off gaurd. But, I like. Good stuff
I grew up with this movie and I love it.
I love Rock-a-Doodle, one of Bluth's better works. Sadly, it being underrated is due to it being the start of Bluth's dark age. Nearly everything wrong can be blamed on executive meddling. The skunk pie scene was cut due to most domestic child abuse at the time happened in the kitchen with baking instruments and given how Judith Barsi died, Bluth was quick to cut it. Patio's narration came from executives underestimating the kids' comprehension and the live action parts were due to Roger Rabbit's success and this wasn't the only film hurt by Roger's influence. These delayed the film causing it to compete with Beauty and the Beast and American Tail 2, a bit ironic given his past connections to both Disney and Amblin.
Everyone has at least one film they enjoyed in spite of the critical reception.
Mine being The Nut Job movies.
I really need to find another dutch dvd copy of this movie
Love this movie since I was young and I'm 31 years old now and still love it my favorite characters are the Duke and hunch not much of a surprise huh
I agree Rock A Doodle is far from Don Bluth's worst, Thumbelina and A Troll In Central Park are much worse, yes it has problems but it's decent overall, most of the songs are alright save for "They're Running Out of Batteries" and "The Bouncers Song", those two are pretty corny and cheesy, the characters and voice actors are alright, some people like to criticize the child actor who played Edmund, he did ok he was a little kid so of course he's not the best actor in the cast.
The OG Thumnail is Terrifying
Always good to see positive reviews of Bluth films. I always defend him, but this is unfortunately his weakest film.
Had Bluth been able to stick with his original script, it could have worked. Clearly, the film has a dual narrative - one story follows Chanticleer and his adventures in the entertainment industry, while the other follows Edmond and the other barnyard animals searching for Chanticleer.
Goldcrest was the studio that produced this and All Dogs Go To Heaven. Unfortunately, the former film was a financial disappointment so they forced Bluth to focus on Edmond and the other animals on their search to find Chanticleer. Edmond's story obviously was the weaker of the two narratives.
However, there are other story problems. It's never made explicitly clear whether or not Chanticleer actually causes the sun to rise or not. Also, the live action story doesn't connect very well with the animated one. Edmond isn't on some special quest for knowledge, to prove his courage, or to find some magical macguffin that will transport him home. He's really just there to help the other animals get Chanticleer back to make the sun rise again.
However, as in all Bluth films, there is great character design, animation and voice acting. Chanticleer, Goldie and the magpie character are all visually stunning. Bluth was beginning to rip off himself with some of the characters. We get another Owl, mouse and cat. Personality wise, many of the barnyard characters evoke earlier Bluth ones.
Chanticleer, Goldie and Sorrell Booke's fox are the most interesting personalities but their story takes a back seat to the rest.
This is genuinely one of my favorite kid movies and I can still watch it as an adult. Even better than the Secrets of NIMH - which I should have given more remembrance to at the beginning of 2020. Predictive or what?
'Rock-A-Doodle' is nowhere near as bad as they say - I've certainly seen much worse. Friends of mine owned the VHS when I was a kid, and I watched it a few times with them. It's not a masterpiece; it could definitely use a little tightening in some places and a little loosening in others, but it has a great villain and a lot of classic Bluth stuff that sticks in your head. It's certainly not one of the worst kid's movies ever made, as some seem to think it is.
The one thing about the movie that I genuinely DO hate, though? Snipes the magpie. Snipes has to be the single most obnoxious supporting character I've ever seen. He has NO redeeming values whatsoever - he's rude, loudmouthed, panicky, self-centered, puts the other heroes in danger more than once, and is just so thoroughly useless that there is basically no reason he's there. I'm OK with comic relief characters when they pull their weight, but Snipes not only doesn't pull his, he isn't even funny. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of the movie's detractors would have gone much easier on it if it weren't for that damned magpie.
Quite honestly, I prefer Troll in Central Park over The Pebble and the Penguin. I know people hate TCP, but it's a cute movie and has a valuable message to the film. Besides, even if it is the "worst" Don Bluth film, there are other theatrically released animated films that are far worst than that. That's my unpopular opinion on a Don Bluth film.
Rock a doodle was a masterpiece
AniMatt definitely has his head up his ass when calling this garbage. I love this movie ^^
I adore this movie! It's basically my go-to comfort movie! That being said, It's sad that it had to go through so many edits before release. Fuck the Snyder Cut, give me the Bluth Cut!
Wait, the Dragon's Lair movie they announced isn't going to be animated?! That just ruins the whole thing for me.
Edit. I think the sun was coming up because it was expecting the crow. After realizing it wasn't happening it went "back to sleep" as Patoo puts it.
The movie was great, finally glad to find someone else that agrees.
I think the Nostalgia critic's review didn't help. And it's a shame I really liked that movie as a kid and actually I still like it
Same Here!
@@joshuagonzalez4183 Don Bluth said that the reason why Phil Harris dog narrates though out the film, is because of test audience was confused by the story. Maybe the test audience was really young kids????? Cause I don't think the plot is complicated. If the Secret of Nimh had test audience then the story would be ruined.
This is my boyfriend’s favorite movie and it’s actually thanks to him I watched and loved it
Still love pebble and the penguin tho…Tim curry just crushing it
Love that u r shining light on rock a doodle too!
I really like Don Bluth either wonderful animator he’s my favorite
I friggin' love this movie! I don't care what anyone says! Its too fun, beautifully animated and one of the last roles with ol' papa bear himself Phil Harris( Baloo)...playing the Dog, Pattoo! Plus who doesn't love The Grand Duke!!!!❤
I don’t understand the hate for this movie either
I think it's just too weird for a lot of people, and a lot more kid-friendly.
I honestly enjoyed the movie. I wasnt around when it came out but my mom had a DVD of it and I always enjoyed it. Along with All Dogs go to Heavan.
Same here
@@jeremyusreevu237 Don Bluth said that the reason why Phil Harris dog narrates though out the film, is because of test audience was confused by the story. Maybe the test audience was really young kids????? Cause I don't think the plot is complicated. If the Secret of Nimh had test audience then the story would be ruined.
This is also Eddie Deezen s first roll
I looooooved it as a kid. Saw it 100 times
He sounds just like the Jo Blo guy.
Before I watched it, I thought it was gonna be terrible. When I finally did see it (on RUclips), I thought... "Hey! This isn't that bad!"
Yeah, at first the live-action scenes threw me off... until they tied it together with the animated part of the story. So at least they didn't make Edmond a completely pointless character and instead got him involved by turning him into the most Don Bluth-esk kitten I've ever seen. Overall, it was still pretty weird, but hey! Still better than, say... A Troll in Central Park.
This man talks facts
Here, here.
dude this movie is a mess. The narrator literally narrates shit that the viewer can find out for themselves. He even talks over songs. I've seen baby cartoons like Bluey that treat the audience less like babies. Watch a better Don Bluth film
I love this movie, yeah it’s weird but I still love it lol it’s such a fun movie
I love the movie. But I can write a better story for it.
Oh man, please do the Oblongs
I own that movie on DVD!!!
Don't you mean Rock-a-"Doddle"? :P
XD
I love it