Hidden Kiwi Gems: Footrot Flats, The Movie
Comic strips in newspapers have been often rooted in pop culture due to their ubiquitous appearance across newspapers, making them seen by just about anyone, especially during the period between the 80’s and 90’s when television was beginning to walk.
“Peanuts”, “Calvin and Hobbes” and “Garfield” are classic American icons, and the legendary and ever-controversial one-panel gags from Gary Larson’s “The Far Side” have gained worldwide recognition (for better or worse).
In the land of the long white cloud, however, nothing screams New Zealand quite like “Footrot Flats”, by Murray Ball.
I used to devour these strips as a kid in the form of books since they were never printed in local papers where I lived. The misadventures and everyday life of the Border Collie “Dog” and his farmer/owner Wal showcase in true and honest fashion the down and dirty rural world in late 80’s Aoteroa, in surprising and true to life detail and research rivaling a Tom Clancy novel.
In fact, the strip was so heart-warming and endearing to the people of New Zealand, that it eventually resulted in a full feature-length animated film in 1986. “Footrot Flat’s: The Dog’s Tail Tale”.
Having watched it the other day for the first time in eons, does it still hold up today?
Well, for a country like New Zealand to pump out an animated film like this, it was a big deal at the time, bordering on ground-breaking. Our little country doesn’t always hit the mark when it comes to tv media but when it does, it sticks in our memories and our culture like the ear tag on a cow.
Every Kiwi was already well-acquainted with the beloved strip, so increasing exposure and popularity became immediate. Additionally, the story and direction were handled largely by the creator Murray Ball himself, so the scale for success and remaining true to the source material was already set in stone like a picket fence post.
The animation itself, while certainly not perfect, you can tell is done with a great deal of love and passion to make something great, recapturing with flair the rugged and cartoony style of Murray Ball.
The voice acting is rather on point too, I never felt any voice felt out of place and the choice of Peter Rowley as Dog almost didn’t happen as he was last to audition. He fits the role of the rambunctious canine quite well.
And need I mention the late great Billy T. James lends his voice to the cast as well.
All the characters you know from the strip take the spotlight at least once, certainly Dog and Wal and Cooch, nephew Pongo and neighbourhood friend Rangi, Aunt Dolly, pig dog Major and the Murphy’s, along with their dogs and croc pigs, stir up trouble as usual. And Dog’s promiscuous and heated relationship with farmer Cooch’s bitch Jess also sets up a heroic damsel in distress rescue mission. The hard knuckle, fierce and unstoppable, whopping great unit of a tomcat, Horse, also gets his well-deserved appearance.
Speaking of the plot, it’s certainly no Dead Man’s Chest, but all the good makings for a decent plot are there. The Murphy’s setting to steal Cooch’s prize buck lays down the groundwork for conflict, and Wal gets itchy to do well at his next rugby match since an All Black selector will be in attendance seeking out new talent.
A date between Wal and his lady friend Cheeky Hobson goes comically wrong as Dog seeks (as always) a means to jeopardize it all and save Wal from “that pampered up, evil, wicked harlot”.
The climax of Dog and Horse rescuing both poor Jess and Cooch’s stag from the clutches of the Murphy’s has the dog and cat fighting off the croc pigs while a nasty storm sends the local farmland into a flood.
For this movie, I’d say it’s the right kind of story for characters like these.
Dave Dobbyn and other great Kiwi voices carry the song lineup throughout, topping NZ music charts for weeks and weeks with the legendary Kiwi ballad “Slice of Heaven” and nostalgic love tune “You Oughta be in Love”.
And this doesn’t even mention all the awards the movie snatched that year for animation and music respectively.
Overall, I’d say this movie is a humble and entertaining watch, though I think you would enjoy it a lot more if you have previous knowledge of the strip and the characters as a whole.
I think this movie was definitely made to appeal to the fans and just about all Kiwis who live and breathe the rural life, and I reckon it did that with flying colours. And really, that’s all it needed to do and that’s why it still remains in our zeitgeist long after the strip finished and still after Mr. Murray Ball left this world for the Slice of Heaven in the sky.
For all Kiwi’s reading, definitely check it out when you can.
But if you’re on other shores, perhaps read up on some homework with the strips instead, and get ready for the biggest and most intimately accurate lens on what New Zealand is all about.
Thank you for reading and have a beautiful day!
Daniel
