Because I Insist on Authenticity
Well-meaning friends have begun to ask me if I am excited about the new Underdog movie. I get a little self-righteous when asked, and I'm sorry if I'm inadvertently insulting anyone. It's just that Underdog has been my hero for as long as I can remember, and it is hard for me to watch him suffer exploitation.
The answer is "no." The Disney release by the name of "Underdog" isn't an Underdog movie. It is a live-action film with a real live doggie. From what I can tell, they've changed the premise: there's no super energy pill. No, no. Underdog becomes a superhero by a freak accident in a lab. Blah, blah, haven't we heard this one before? Hulk, Spiderman? Anyone?
I guess they had to make these changes - you can't turn a real dog into a shoeshine boy. And a shoeshine boy would have to wear pants. Kids today just expect greater creativity from their villains. Tying a woman to the railroad tracks is beyond old school. And you know the Jerry Faldwells of the world would swear that the super energy pill is some kind of illicit drug. It's a VITAMIN, kids.
In my purist little world, Underdog ceased production in 1974, when not coincidentally, Wally Cox, provider of the voice, died. Underdog lives in syndication, on DVDs, and as a mute Macy's Day Parade balloon.
So let Disney call this travesty what they may. I'm not seeing it, and I don't care if it grosses $5 trillion and wins 90 Academy Awards. It isn't groovy and it isn't animated, and it is therefore, certainly not my Underdog.
posted by Michelle @ 10:32 PM
3 Comments
3 Comments:
"is it groovy" is one of the first questions I ask myself before making most decisions: doing my taxes, interviewing new hires, buying groceries, etc. So I can totally agree with your logic.
But you've lost me on the pug thing. That's bordering on scary.
Oh come on, it's just a movie. I mean, yes, if we are talking about a great book that gets butchered when moved to the big screen, a little righteous indignation is in order. But this is Underdog. Underdog. A poorly drawn, even more poorly written cartoon that had two plots. Granted, this is one more plot than the A-Team and Knight Rider combined, but still, I cannot imagine the Underdog movie could possible be worse than the cartoon.
You know, I've been meaning to ask you about this since I saw the first commercial. Absolutely disgraceful.
First of all, the doggie looks nothing LIKE Underdog, nor does Sweet Polly. Riff Raff is a Rottweiller??
Besides taking away the whole "pill to power" thing, the worst for me is that, judging by the commercials, they've turned Underdog into a smartass! That's the whole point of the show! Underdog was, well, an underdog.
And I disagree with "it's just a movie." I don't care if it wasn't the best-made cartoon out there. He's an icon to those of us of "an age," and screwing around with him is an unpardonable offense.
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