A dog dreaming of becoming a samurai overcomes many obstacles in a land inhabited by cats, which close their border to the canine race. He defies expectations and rallies the inhabitants of a threatened village by coming to their aid.
Posted at 12:30 p.m.
The animation industry is in turmoil. Whereas Minions: The Rise of Gru and Lightyear are still in a good position in the charts, here comes, without fanfare, Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank (Fury on Legs: The Legend of Hank in French version), a comedy with a message of inclusion and openness to others.
The animated feature was originally called Blazing Samuraisince it is inspired by comedy Blazing Saddles (The sheriff is in jail), made in 1974 by Mel Brooks and has become a classic. The western parody wouldn’t pass the ramp today with its outrageous humor. But the narrative framework provides an interesting framework for an animated film. Lovers of Blazing Saddles (they’re legion) will recognize some iconic scenes from the movie that, changing the context, are entirely appropriate in a family movie. The scene where the dishes of ingested baked beans give rise to a festival of farts is one. The arrival of the new samurai, impatiently awaited by the population made up entirely of cats, who are disillusioned when they discover that their supposed savior is a dog, is another.
You don’t need to know the original version to appreciate the animated film, directed by Rob Minkoff and Mark Koetsier, where a shameless leader, the cat Ika Chu (voiced by Ricky Gervais), wants to scare the residents of a village, in order to appropriate their territory for personal ends. His machiavellian plan fails when his emissary, the dog Hank (voiced by Michael Cera), takes his role as samurai seriously and makes allies. In particular, he wins the support of the disillusioned samurai Jimbo, who takes him under his wing. Samuel L. Jackson gives his voice and a lot of panache to this tasty feline. The computer animation, rich in visual gags, was produced in part in Quebec by the Cinesite Montreal studio, in collaboration with Aniventure.
Parents will appreciate the added layer of humor, which directly alludes to the conventions governing animated martial arts movies. Under a comic veneer, the creators promote values such as perseverance, courage and acceptance of others. Cats thus adopt certain behaviors specific to dogs to get by. There is also an underlying note of feminism. The animated film, notably presented by Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies, could have a sequel, announced Jimbo at the end of the credits. This too is part of the usual way of doing things.
Indoors
Animation
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank (VF: Fury on Legs: The Legend of Hank)
Rob Minkoff and Mark Koetsier
Voice of Michael Cera, Ricky Gervais and Samuel L. Jackson
1:37 a.m.