Review of Rock-A-Doodle (1991) by Jon T — 04 Oct 2008

Unlike predecessor ALL DOGS GO TO HEAVEN, Don Bluth's musical fable of an Elvis-singing rooster, Chanticleer, isn't overly depressing, but ROCK-A-DOODLE still emerges as a low point on the animator's resume.

For starters, the plot is riddled with so many holes that one can almost drive a truck through them--for instance, if Chanticleer can rise the sun with his crow, then why does it come up without him one day, and subsequently disappear in favor of neverending rain? Matters are not helped by the use of narration provided by Phil Harris (who voices one of the characters in the film); while he does a decent job, the problem is that he narrates CONSTANTLY, even going so far as to drown out several of the musical numbers.

Where ROCK-A-DOODLE really falls apart, though, is in its attempts to provide a live-action thread involving a boy named Edmond (who spends most of the movie transformed into a white kitten, whining about how he can't do ANYTHING) to bookend the story--unlike WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT, the live-action sequences (and the thread) are tacked-on and are totally unnecessary.

Alas, Bluth's output would only decline into worse territory (although some might argue that ANASTASIA, and to a lesser extent THUMBELINA, were of considerably higher merit than many of his subsequent features).