5.9 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
In order to defeat the Grand Duke of Owls, a young boy transformed into a cat teams up with a group of barnyard animals to find a rooster who can raise the sun.
Starring: Phil Harris (I), Glen Campbell, Eddie Deezen, Kathryn Holcomb, Toby Scott GangerFamily | 100% |
Animation | 90% |
Musical | 43% |
Fantasy | 23% |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
In the 1980s, everything was golden for director Don Bluth. Sure, a few creative setbacks, compromises, and challenges were encountered by the animation helmer, but he enjoyed a string of box office successes and industry triumphs along the way. Commanding “An American Tail,” “The Land Before Time” (a picture that inspired 13 sequels), “The Secret of NIMH,” and the “Dragon’s Lair” saga, Bluth certainly found his particular corner of artistry and worked like crazy to maintain some momentum to a career that, at one point, threatened Disney’s animated film dominance. The 1990s, however, were not very kind to Bluth and his vision, with 1991’s “Rock-A-Doodle” providing a taste of disasters and disappointments to come. While Bluth has some vision for this loose adaption of a turn-of-the-century play by Edmond Rostand, the production quickly slips out of his control, showcasing rather extreme storytelling disruptions and choppy editing, which overwhelms was appears to have been a fully conceived animation adventure with interesting live-action elements at one point during its development.
The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation for "Rock-A-Doodle" is perhaps a comfortable upgrade from the feature's DVD release, offering a slightly sharper, more filmic viewing experience to support Bluth's original vision. Technical limitations are displayed clearly, with dirt detected and some blurriness, which appears to be inherent to a movie that was rushed through production. Detail retains animation craft and busy backgrounds, while character expressions are lively. Colors are appealing without much in the way of age issues, coming through with bold primaries, finding emphasis on reds and yellows. Live-action sequences also retain a softer but bright palette, with more natural greenery and skintones. Delineation is acceptable.
The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix offers a compelling listening experience for "Rock-A-Doodle," finding soundtrack selections appealingly defined, with crisp percussion, rock guitars, and big vocals. Scoring efforts are also defined with decent instrumentation and position, supporting the action. Dialogue exchanges preserve performance idiosyncrasy, managing overlap and extreme reactions to peril without triggering distortion. Sound effects are comfortably pronounced, maintaining some order to screen chaos.
There are pleasures to be found in "Rock-A-Doodle," most notably Bluth's animation. While technical issues are present, character design and movement is compelling, offering his unique vision to help season a traditional adventure story, giving it periodic life. The soundtrack is appealing as well, with Campbell offering Chanticleer a commanding stage presence, spinning bouncy songs with his musical gifts. There's a good movie buried somewhere underneath the final cut of "Rock-A-Doodle," with positives occasionally peeking through messy editorial stitches, hinting that Bluth certainly didn't go into production with a mangled screenplay. His vision remains, but one has to work extra hard to find it.
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