DVD Corner

Rover Dangerfield Blu-ray Review

There’s a reason “Rover Dangerfield” gets no respect. 

Once upon a time there was a musical animated feature about a talking cartoon dog based on comedian and actor Rodney Dangerfield. If that doesn’t sound like the 80’s and 90’s, I don’t know what does. 

The story of 1991’s “Rover Dangerfield” begins in 1991 where the titular dog is living it up in Las Vegas with his owner Connie (a showgirl). After Rover accidentally messes up a deal for Connie’s dirtbag boyfriend Rocky, Rocky dumps Rover in the Hoover Dam. Rover manages to survive and winds up on a farm. Despite falling for a fellow dog (Daisy), Rover has trouble fitting in at the farm, but maybe just maybe he can find his place there.

Directed by Bob Seeley and Jim George and written by Rodney Dangerfield, “Rover Dangerfield” is a real oddity. Originally, it was envisioned as an R-Rated movie which would have made sense given that Rodney Dangerfield was a very adult comedian. Instead, ‘Rover’ turned into a G rated fish out of water movie and it suffers for it. There are shades of the edgier movie that could have been, but it turned out to be a forgettable family friendly animated feature filled with lame dog jokes, Dangerfield singing (it’s as bad as it sounds), and a pedestrian and predictable plot and love story.This will always be a case of what could have been. Still, you have to admire the risk and the fact that this movie was made at all. It certainly would not be made in today’s cinematic world.

The lone highlight by far is the colorful animation by Hyperion. The Las Vegas sequences, the character models, and the detailed landscapes are gorgeous and make you yearn for the days of hand drawn animation.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 1.85:1 1080p. How does it look? Warner Archive gives the film a top notch hi-def transfer. 

Audio Track: 2.0 DTS-HD MA. How does it sound? Viewers can expect a nice clean audio track. Now you can hear Dangerfield singing in even better audio quality (make of that as you will).

Extras include the original theatrical trailer, a song selection option, and 2 “Merrie Melodies” cartoons (“Dog Daze” and “Dog Collared”).

January 18, 2024 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Animated Film, Rodney Dangerfield, Rover Dangerfield Blu-ray Review, Warner Archive