Sunday, April 21, 2013

New Releases in Straight-to-DVD Dog Movies

Indulge your movie dog impulse buys with spring pre-orders for upcoming DVDs:

 
This newest Bailey sequel even has its own FaceBook page.


 




And a word of caution:
 
Don't be fooled into thinking this darling Australian Shepherd pup plays the lead in another new canine family film this spring. Despite the unrelated new cover art, this is the same The Duke from 1999 about a Black and Tan Coonhound, which has been out on DVD for years:
 

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Reel Dogs in Art Week 4

More than comedy, tragedy or danger, journeys home or lost dogs, dog movies reinforce something we already know: human beings have no greater friend and companion than the dog.

These three beautiful portraits show us heroes of modern canine films. Dogs who work for us, believe in us, love us, and never give up on us.


Fly and Rex became canine celebrities when Babe (1995) was the first major motion picture to allow animals to speak with anthropomorphic mouth movements using CGI. These Border Collie heroes, painted by Chicamiau, not only put in a 40+ hour week for their farmer, they shape the destiny of a little pig who longs to grow up and be just like them.


In 1987, Japan’s most famous dog, Hachikō, a cream Akita, was immortalized with a beautiful film paying tribute to the dog who waited for his dead guardian to return to their meeting point at Shibuya Station. For ten years.

In 2009 Hollywood released a new adaptation of the Hachikō story with Hachi: A Dog's Tale. In this portrait by Cederin, Hachikō waits through the winter.


Another true story, Red Dog (2011) is an Australian film celebrating the life of a Kelpie who traveled Western Australia in search of the one man he had claimed as his own. BooYeh here captures the spirit of this rugged traveler and the red desert he called home. See a Reel Dogs review of Red Dog here

The artwork above is published here by kind permission of the artists; Chicamiau, Cederin, and BooYeh of deviantART.

Thanks for following along with Reel Dogs’ Art Weeks!