''Monster Mutt'' is a 2010 American
independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
comedy film
A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...
directed by
Todd Tucker
Todd Nathaniel Tucker (born 1979) is an American academic, political scientist, and political commentator who is director of governance studies at the Roosevelt Institute, where he specializes in the study of trade agreements and international la ...
and written by
Timothy Dolan
Timothy Michael Dolan (born February 6, 1950) is an American cardinal of the Catholic Church. He is the tenth and current Archbishop of New York, having been appointed by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009.
Dolan served as the president of the United S ...
. It had a limited theatrical release in 2010, and a
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
release in 2011. The film stars Rhiannon Leigh Wryn,
Bart Johnson,
Billy Unger
William Brent Unger (born October 15, 1995) is an American actor. He is known for playing Chase on the Disney XD series ''Lab Rats'' and '' Lab Rats: Elite Force''. Credited as Billy Unger before 2016, starting with ''Lab Rats: Elite Force'', h ...
, and
Bob Gibson
Robert Gibson (born Pack Robert Gibson; November 9, 1935October 2, 2020) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals (1959–1975). Nicknamed "Gibby" and "Hoot" ( ...
,
and a larger-than-life
animatronic puppet of the "Monster Mutt".
Plot
The family dog, Max, is kidnapped by Sirus Caldwell (
Zack Ward
Zacharias Ward (born August 31, 1970) is a Canadian actor.
Early life
Ward was born on August 31, 1970, in Toronto, Ontario, the son of actress Pam Hyatt.
Career
He is best known for his character Dave Scovil (Titus's stoner half-brother) on the ...
) to be used as a product test subject. Max escapes but the new super energy drink he had been testing turns him into Monster Mutt (Bob Gibson). The Taylor family children, Ashley (
Rhiannon Leigh Wryn
Rhiannon Wryn (formerly credited as Rhiannon Leigh Wryn) is an American actress. She had lead roles in the 2007 film ''The Last Mimzy'' and the 2010 film ''Monster Mutt''. She was nominated for both a Saturn Award and a Young Artist Award for he ...
) and Zach (
Billy Unger
William Brent Unger (born October 15, 1995) is an American actor. He is known for playing Chase on the Disney XD series ''Lab Rats'' and '' Lab Rats: Elite Force''. Credited as Billy Unger before 2016, starting with ''Lab Rats: Elite Force'', h ...
) join up with the scientist responsible for his transformation, Dr. Victor Lloyd (
Brian Stepanek
Brian Patrick Stepanek (born February 6, 1971) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Arwin Hawkhauser on the Disney Channel Original Series ''The Suite Life of Zack & Cody'' and Brian on ''Brian O'Brian''. He was also a Sector Seve ...
), to find a cure and return Max to normal.
Cast
*
Rhiannon Leigh Wryn
Rhiannon Wryn (formerly credited as Rhiannon Leigh Wryn) is an American actress. She had lead roles in the 2007 film ''The Last Mimzy'' and the 2010 film ''Monster Mutt''. She was nominated for both a Saturn Award and a Young Artist Award for he ...
as Ashley Taylor
*
Bart Johnson as Jeff Taylor
*
Billy Unger
William Brent Unger (born October 15, 1995) is an American actor. He is known for playing Chase on the Disney XD series ''Lab Rats'' and '' Lab Rats: Elite Force''. Credited as Billy Unger before 2016, starting with ''Lab Rats: Elite Force'', h ...
as Zack Taylor
* Bob Gibson as Monster Mutt
*
Zack Ward
Zacharias Ward (born August 31, 1970) is a Canadian actor.
Early life
Ward was born on August 31, 1970, in Toronto, Ontario, the son of actress Pam Hyatt.
Career
He is best known for his character Dave Scovil (Titus's stoner half-brother) on the ...
as Sirus Caldwell
*
Brian Stepanek
Brian Patrick Stepanek (born February 6, 1971) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Arwin Hawkhauser on the Disney Channel Original Series ''The Suite Life of Zack & Cody'' and Brian on ''Brian O'Brian''. He was also a Sector Seve ...
as Dr. Victor Lloyd
*
Mindy Sterling
Mindy Lee Sterling (born July 11, 1953) is an American television, film and voice actress. She portrayed Frau Farbissina in the ''Austin Powers'' film series and starred in the web series ''Con Man'', the latter of which earned her a Primetime ...
as Helen
*
Juliet Landau
Juliet Rose Landau is an American actress, director, producer, and ballerina best known for her role as Drusilla on ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and its spinoff show ''Angel'', the latter appearance earning her a Saturn Award nomination. She ...
as Natalya
*
Alastair Mackenzie
Alastair Mackenzie (born 8 February 1970) is a Scottish actor from Perth.
Early life
He was born in Trinafour, near Perth, and educated at Westbourne House School and Glenalmond College in Perthshire.
Mackenzie left home at the age of 1 ...
as Monty
*
John Kassir
John Kassir (born October 24, 1957) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his work as the voice of the Cryptkeeper in HBO's ''Tales from the Crypt'' franchise. He is also known for his role as Ralph in the off-Broadway show ''Reef ...
as Pet Shop Pete
*
Kim Fields
Kim Victoria Fields-Morgan ( Fields, formerly Freeman; born May 12, 1969) is an American actress and director. Fields is best known for her roles as Dorothy "Tootie" Ramsey on the NBC sitcom '' The Facts of Life'' (1979–1988), and as Regine Hu ...
as Valerie Williams
*
China Anderson as Nicole Williams
*
Jacqueline Pinol as Tawni Martinez
*
Destin Bigsby as Charlie
Production
Filmed entirely within the
Santa Clarita Valley
The Santa Clarita Valley (SCV) is part of the upper watershed of the Santa Clara River in Southern California. The valley was part of the Rancho San Francisco Mexican land grant. Located in Los Angeles County, its main population center is th ...
,
director
Todd Tucker
Todd Nathaniel Tucker (born 1979) is an American academic, political scientist, and political commentator who is director of governance studies at the Roosevelt Institute, where he specializes in the study of trade agreements and international la ...
and producer Harvey Lowry created the film as their first feature film together.
Known primarily for their makeup and special effects work in Hollywood, the two decided to use their skills for film production of ''Monster Mutt''. Tucker was inspired to write the film's story by having watched
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...
’s ''
Gremlins
''Gremlins'' is a 1984 American black comedy horror film directed by Joe Dante, written by Chris Columbus, and starring Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, Hoyt Axton, Polly Holliday, and Frances Lee McCain, with Howie Mandel providing the voice of ...
'' and ''
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' when he was younger.
The two men kept the budget purposely low, in hopes of maximizing profit.
Designed and built by academy award-winning Drac Studios,
the character of ''Monster Mutt'' is a larger-than-life animatronic puppet requiring five people to control its movements.
Soundtrack
Scott A. Johnson of
Dread Central
Dread Central is an American website founded in 2006 that is dedicated to horror news, interviews, and reviews. It covers horror films, comics, novels, and toys. Dread Central has won the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award for Best Website f ...
wrote that the film soundtrack, as composed and conducted by
Chris Walden
Chris Walden (born October 10, 1966 in Hamburg, West Germany) is a German composer, arranger, and conductor living in the U.S. He leads the Chris Walden Big Band, and was nominated seven times for a Grammy Award.
He has written big band and or ...
, was performed by
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
n
Philharmonic Orchestra
An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families.
There are typically four main sections of instruments:
* bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, ...
, and "contains everything one would expect from a movie aimed at kids around ten years old." Johnson stated that the soundtrack's failure was "in its lack of through-line and 'signature' sound'", but that the tracks did what they were supposed to do, in that it "takes the film, amplifies its emotions, and does so in a way that is kid-friendly."
Soundtrack Geek wrote that the soundtrack of the Monster Mutt film was released to show Walden's skill as a composer. They wrote that as the trailer "looks horrifying from an adult perspective, but more fun for the kids", the film is one that an adult might not otherwise see "unless you have children between the age of 5 and 10". In their review of the soundtrack, they wrote of the composer, "Emmy Award winner Chris Walden has been stuck in TV movie land since the early nighties, but now he has a chance to shine in a proper movie." Tracksounds wrote that the soundtrack for Monster Mutt "captures all the different genres in a kid flick – and them some", and that it was "an unexpected pleasure to listen to". They also wrote that this is "another instance of wishing we could see what the composer can do with a bigger budget or bigger screen". Sci-fi-online wrote that "Chris Walden's score for Monster Mutt is about a million times better than the low budget movie ... that it accompanies", and it is otherwise "a great score which is unfortunately not helped by being associated with a mediocre kids film".
The soundtrack contains:
# ''Main Title'' (02:40)
# ''Looking for Max'' (01:03)
# ''School Is Out'' (01:31)
# ''Max's Transformation'' (02:19)
# ''Dad Brought Pizza'' (01:59)
# ''Noise from the Backyard'' (03:04)
# ''Ashley and Dad'' (01:28)
# ''Surprise Visit in the Lab'' (02:18)
# ''The Boy with Ice Cream'' (01:55)
# ''Max in the Night'' (01:27)
# ''Anybody Out There'' (01:27)
# ''The Vacuum Cleaner'' (01:14)
# ''Water ''(02:40)
# ''The Garage Door'' (02:06)
# ''Broom Fight'' (01:24)
# ''Max at the Vet'' (02:53)
# ''Max Breaks Out'' (02:18)
# ''Max Is Hungry'' (03:02)
# ''Break in at the Vet'' (03:13)
# ''Fire Rescue'' (04:56)
# ''Lab Fight'' (05:27)
# ''Monster Puppy'' (03:30)
# ''Looking for Max'' (Reprise) (01:03)
Release
A trailer of the film was screened on January 10, 2010 at the
Santa Clarita Valley Film Festival, immediately preceding the festival's award ceremonies,
and was released theatrically in July 2010 with showings at locations such as the Laemmle's Sunset 5 theater in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
. The film was released on DVD on January 4, 2011.
Reception
Scott Foy of
Dread Central
Dread Central is an American website founded in 2006 that is dedicated to horror news, interviews, and reviews. It covers horror films, comics, novels, and toys. Dread Central has won the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award for Best Website f ...
wrote that there is a need for
family-friendly
A family-friendly product or service is one that is considered to be suitable for all members of an average family. Family-friendly restaurants are ones that provide service to families that have young children. Frequently, family-friendly produc ...
horror for kids and "that's where movies like Monster Mutt come in", despite the movie not actually containing any horror elements and being a lighthearted size-change comedy.
''Covering Media'' called the film "''
Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...
'' meets ''
Honey, I Blew Up the Kid
''Honey, I Blew Up the Kid'' is a 1992 American science fiction comedy family film, and the second installment of the ''Honey, I Shrunk the Kids'' film series. Directed by Randal Kleiser and released by Walt Disney Pictures, it stars Rick Moran ...
''", while also referring to the film as a "heartwarming comedy/adventure for the whole family".
''Krinein'' wrote that the film seemed designed for television and aimed at entertaining children on a Sunday afternoon, offering that this "unpretentious film manages to keep the attention of those willing to grant it." They also offered that considering its budget, and in making comparisons to ''
Howard the Duck
Howard the Duck is a fictional Character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Steve Gerber and artist Val Mayerik. Howard the Duck first appeared in ''Adventure into F ...
'' and ''
Harry and the Hendersons
''Harry and the Hendersons'' is a 1987 American fantasy comedy film directed and produced by William Dear and starring John Lithgow, Melinda Dillon, Don Ameche, David Suchet, Margaret Langrick, Joshua Rudoy, Lainie Kazan, and Kevin Peter Hall. ...
'', the film is quite funny.
The Dove Foundation
The Dove Foundation is an American non-profit organization based in Portland, Oregon, that issues film reviews, ratings and endorsements of movies that it considers suitable for family audiences, and that bases said reviews on Christian values.
D ...
praised the film, offering that actor
Brian Stepanek
Brian Patrick Stepanek (born February 6, 1971) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Arwin Hawkhauser on the Disney Channel Original Series ''The Suite Life of Zack & Cody'' and Brian on ''Brian O'Brian''. He was also a Sector Seve ...
did "a wonderful job as the bumbling doctor, who tries to make up for his mistake", and that with its "slapstick comedy, this film may be a family favorite. It is a movie that is wholesome and enjoyable for the entire family."
''
The Oklahoman
''The Oklahoman'' is the largest daily newspaper in Oklahoma, United States, and is the only regional daily that covers the Greater Oklahoma City area. The Alliance for Audited Media (formerly Audit Bureau Circulation) lists it as the 59th larges ...
'', in calling the film "the oddest DVD to appear on release lists", noted that the cast "features a well-scrubbed cast of actors from TV shows and films that younger viewers will know well."
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Monster Mutt
American science fiction comedy films
2010 films
2010s English-language films
Films about dogs
Puppet films
American independent films
Films about size change
2010s science fiction comedy films
2010 comedy films
2010 independent films
2010s American films