Join us this for 2006's "Underdog". This week we talk terrible theme song updates, Inspector Gadget vibes, Science - Disney style, "Dr" Crazy Tyrion Lannister, and why a good dog never remembers the bad boy scent. Does this movie have us running around the park or are we destined to be put down?
Storyline : A Beagle must use his newly-bestowed superpowers to defend Capitol City from mad scientist Simon Barsinister.
Director: Frederik Du Chau
Writers: Adam Rifkin, Joe Piscatella, Craig A. Williams, W. Watts Biggers
Stars: Jason Lee, Peter Dinklage, Jim Belushi, Patrick Warburton & Amy Adams
Awards: Nominated : Young Artist Awards to Alec Neuberger and Taylor Momsen
Film Budget: $25,000,000
Cumulative Worldwide Gross : $65,270,477
Why does modern Disney like to make these terrible credit remixes?
There's No Need to Fear - Fun Facts are Here!
Another reference to the original cartoon: the name "Shoeshine" refers to Underdog's secret identity as the shoeshine boy.
When Underdog flies Polly over the city and gets a doggy bag of food for their dinner, it's taken from a couple outside Tony's Restaurant, which is the Italian restaurant in Disney's beloved dog movie "Lady & the Tramp." When they sit down to eat the spaghetti Underdog pushes a big meatball over to Polly, as Tramp did for Lady.
"Bar Sinister" is a heraldic term - a bar slanting to the left on a coat of arms signifying "bastard".
General Mills breakfast cereal products are seen in the Unger household. The Underdog (1964) cartoon series was created by General Mills' ad agency to help promote their products.
References to the original cartoon series include:
Secret identity as "humble and lovable Shoeshine Boy"
love interest "Sweet Polly Purebred"
speaking in rhyme
causing significant property damage during rescues
pill as source of super powers
changing into costume in exploding phone booth
explaining to crowd that he is "not plane, nor bird, nor even frog, just little old me: Underdog".