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Rock - a - Doodle
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(c) 1991
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"Rock-a-Doodle"opening title song (PLAYS IMMEDIATELY)
(Non-streamlined version - Real Audio 182K)
Rock-A-Doodle tells a version of the Chanticleer story (I think thats a story of a rooster who is tricked by a fox, using the rooster's vanity as a weapon. I'm not sure what the fox ultimately did in the story, but knowing fairy tales its got to be something pretty horrible!!) - partly in live-action, partly animation, and is the first - and currently only - Don Bluth film to use this approach, although Anastasia shows obvious signs in places of being rotoscoped (a live action source used as a reference - a live actor is used and key scenes from the live-action reference are traced to make the animated character's motion appear more lifelike.), as does 'Thumbelina'.
The film tells the story of Chanticleer, a rock and roll singing rooster, who's job on the farm he lives on is to wake up the sun.
The film opens with Edmund, at this point a human boy, being told a story at bedtime of how the rooster Chanticleer defeated The Duke, an evil spell-casting owl (who hates rock and roll!), who lives in the dark and wants the whole world to be in perpetual darkness. Chanticleer battles The Duke in the story, but spends so much time fighting that he forgets to crow.
The sun begins to rise anyway, even without Chanticleer to wake it, and this humiliates the rooster. All his fellow animals stop believing that he's doing anything important on the farm - the sun will rise without him. Chanticleer leaves home, and heads off for a new life in the big city.
The sun notices that Chanticleer isn't there anymore however, and without his crowing the sun disappears from the sky.
The live action continues as Edmund's brothers and father come into his room to talk to his mother about the heavy storm raging outside. Edmund's father and brothers have to rescue and protect as much of their farm as possible, and Edmund wants to help, but is told he isn't big enough yet.
Edmund isn't put off, however, and when everyone leaves his room he opens his window and shouts into the driving rain for Chanticleer, so that he can crow and wake up the sun, driving the storm away. Edmund's calls are answered - unfortunately by The Duke! The storm turns out to be part of the Duke's plan to engulf the world in darkness, and he's not going to allow Edmund to spoil it. The Duke casts a spell on Edmund, turning him into a kitten! Edmund, as an animal, is eventually able to talk other animals on the farm, including Patou (the narrator of the story), a dog who is always trying to learn how to tie the laces on his shoes! (Yes - it IS wierd!), into helping him go to the city and ask Chanticleer to come back.
The animals eventually find Chanticleer singing on stage in the city, but Chanticleer, no longer believing he has anything to do with making the sun rise, doesn't want to go back.
He has found his place in the city and won't leave...
This has got to be one of the wierdest ideas for a film Don Bluth ever had! (Hmmm... maybe with the exception of 'A Troll in Central Park'!) One thing that sticks in my mind is something I heard said in the cinema queue between a mother and her daughter... 'Whats this film about mum?' - 'Its about a rooster who's good at drawing!' - I liked that! It did show, though, how under-publicised Bluth's films have been, which has really been a waste. I'll bet most children know the principle characters in a new Disney film at least a month before they get to see it! The same aught to be true for a Bluth film.
Above picture from "Aaron's Don Bluth Megalopolis"
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This page was created Friday 15 May 1998
