The Tibetan Dog – Review

The Tibetan Dog is based on a classic Chinese tale and lively animated by Japanese studio Madhouse. The story follows Tenzing who, after the death of his mother, leaves the city to live with his father in the Tibetan prairie. Life is difficult at first, till the day the young boy witnesses a fight between some Tibetan guard dogs and a golden-haired stranger to the pack. Madhouse founder Maruyama travelled Tibet for this project in an effort to accurately portray the culture. Directed by Masayuki Kojima with character designs drawn by Monster mangaka Naoki Urasawa and adapted by Shigeru Fujita.

Wow, I wish there were more movies like this nowadays, this type of a movie is a really hard find. It had a great story line, many morals that impact us everyday, and alot of action. It had many emotional parts that if you like crying or love movies that hit your heart then I completely recommend this movie. The other thing that grabbed me was that this movie actually spends time developing both story and its characters, and it does an incredible job at that. The film captures certain interpretations of the evils that men would do, for ambition, greed and loyalty. The dog, also plays a significant role in the film, as he proves to be the catalyst for the characters allegiance. The characters themselves convey their archetypes well, without being overly obvious. The cliche factor is evident, but luckily it doesn’t detract from your enjoyment of the film.

This is where the story hits a great twist. I won’t reveal anymore, but I will say that this movie should be seen by all who have a love for action and wandering no name type movies. Heck it should be seen by everyone who wants an excellent movie experience. I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen as things unfolded and the climax was extremely satisfying. I don’t feel an urge to clap at any movie, but this movie took care of that. Although the story line is not particularly new or innovative (a young boy of destiny must be protected by a dog), The Tibetan Dog really encapsulates why this type of story is such a classic. Both the young boy and the traveling dog are wonderfully characterized, and their developing relationship as the two come to depend on each other is beautiful to behold. I, of course, watched the Japanese version and being the anime snob that I am, didn’t have a problem with subtitles. The text didn’t fly from the screen as soon as it was said and gave the viewer enough to read what was happening and watch what else was happening.

The animation is breath taking, especially the final scenes of the movie which made me jump out of my seat with excitement. OK, that might be a slight exaggeration, but Madhouse studio still knocked this one out of the park. The music is really what made the movie to me. Every peice is played at the right moment of the movie, and would bring tears to your eyes. It’s well worth the money, good story line and for a change, the story does end quite decently, it doesn’t just let you hang there wondering what the hell happened or will happen. The perfect all around film to bring you and your loved ones too…highly recommended!