Hot Dog

Like last year, I went to a special showing of the Oscar-nominated animated short films. However, unlike last year, in addition to the nominees, several "commended films" were also shown. HOT DOG by Bill Plympton was one of these commended films.

This short is about a dog who is desperate to become a fire dog--even though he's not a dalmatian. However, try as he might, either the dumb firemen are too preoccupied to notice when he does good or the dog screws up and makes everything a lot worse.

If I had never seen GUIDE DOG and GUARD DOG, I think I would have liked HOT DOG even more. However, the same silly and very accident-prone mutt is in each of the films and I liked the previous two films even more--especially because they ended up being much more violent and weird than HOT DOG--thinks you've come to expect from the films of Bill Plympton!! Still, it's enjoyable and fun--with the typical colored pencil art you'd expect.

Hot Dog (2008)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Third film in Plympton's wonderful series has our hero canine wanting to join the fire department. They turn him down but he hops a ride with them to a building that is on fire where he gets a shot to prove himself but of course nothing goes right. This is another great little gem from Plympton that once again features that wonderful looking animation and most importantly has an intelligent and clever story to tell. This third film isn't nearly as violent as the previous two, although we do get one good, dirty joke when the dog is trying to put a small fire out but can't find any water so he must use his urine to try and put it out. Another wonderful job is when the firemen have saved a woman but keep her bouncing on the device just so they can look up her dress. The animation this time out is also a lot darker than the previous two films but it's still quite beautiful to look at.

Bill Plympton's small, nondescript dog is wandering through town and spots a poster recruiting for the fire department; there's a noble dog in the poster, and he rushes into the station to join up.... and immediately winds up at a fire.

Plympton's dog is, well, all too human, as it starts out a buffoon, and then briefly and deservedly becomes a hero; but buffoons remain buffoons at the end, and that's what happens here in a very funny way.

Such a captivating little story of a dog. I probably wouldn't believe anyone who might tell how good this short movie is. Each action packed up with fun, tension and wonder. It is a good example of story telling.