This makeweight, narratively haphazard digimation synthesises Kung Fu Panda and School of Rock, without going to the expense of hiring Jack Black. Guitar-toting Tibetan mastiff Bodi’s protection of a mountain sheep community proceeds via riffs and lifts: a furry Zootropolis-like menagerie, a robot knock-off of Wall-E and a Poundland reduction of the Sing songbook. (A few seconds of Foo Fighters and – unexpectedly – Radiohead is all we get.)
Going solo with shaky material, ex-Pixar man Ash Brannon (Toy Story 2) composes the odd amusing sight gag, but homogenises his notionally eastern backdrop terribly: compared with the artistry of last year’s Kubo and the Two Strings, Rock Dog is like the hastily assembled toy in a Happy Meal.
