Rock-a-Doodle

Directed by Don Bluth

Now that Beauty and the beast has become the first animated film to nominated for an Academy Award, a slew of cartoons will undoubtedly be produced for motion picture release within the next year. The first in this series comes from An American Tale creator Don Bluth. Unfortunately, Rock-a-Doodle tries to capitalize on Disney's success without matching its standard.

Like Beauty and the Beast, Rock-a-Doodle borrows from an older literary source, Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. Edmond, a normal 1950s farm boy, drifts to sleep as his mother reads to him from an abridged version of the 13th century classic--undoubtedly a staple in barnyards across the nation. Understandably disoriented, the boy imagines himself into the body of a whiny kitten on the trail of modernized Chanticleer, Chaucer's rooster who makes the morning sun.

But things awry. Chanticleer has forgotten to crow, and somehow the sun has risen any way. Ridiculed by his barnyard friends, the frustrated fowl voyages to "The city" in search of a higher fame and fortune. He aspires to be a singer.

Meanwhile, at the farm, a flood threatens Edmond's home and the boy/kitten thinks bringing Chanticleer back is the way to stop the rain. So he embarks on a grand voyage to the city, encounters the newly famed Chanticleer's villainous agent, vanquishes the forces of evil and lives happily ever after.

It is bad enough that the Rock-a-Doodle shames Chaucer with its unnecessary modern twists and stupid screenplay. Chaucer's rooster would never cluck some of Bluth's bird's lines. "I've got a hole in my heart so big,:" the modern day Chanticleer drawls, "you could drive a John Deere tractor through it." Not the stuff of poets.

But what's more. the characters annoy the viewer to the point of nausea. Chanticleer comes across as a fowl impersonation of Elvis Presley. Even his nickname is "The King". There is a ditzy Betty Boop love interest, and there is the smutty agent--the movie's only redeeming aspect--with voice hilariously rendered by Sorrell Booke, better known as "Boss Hogg" on the "Dukes of Hazzard." The writer even flirts with political correctness when he includes a pseudo feminist mouse.

Although most of the film sticks to animation, Bluth attempts to incorporate a few scenes a la who Framed Roger Rabbit? where he integrates the cartoon characters with real-life images. But when compared to some of the technical animation wonders of the past few years (including Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and The Little Mermaid), Rock-a-Doodle is remarkably dull.

The cartoon is a musical , but the soundtrack lacks luster. Even Glen Campbell's voice cannot redeem the tuneless, beatless songs. The grade of animation is maybe one step above Saturday morning cartoons but nowhere near the vivid imagery of Beauty and the beast.

Rock-a-Doodle is definitely not a Disney flick--it reeks of Don Bluth. Don't expect this one to garner any Oscar nominations.