Pound Puppies and the Legend of Big Paw

Carolco Pictures
Company type	Private
Industry	Film production
Founded	1976
Fate	Defunct
Headquarters	United States
Products	Films, including Pound Puppies and the Legend of Big Paw (1988)

Pound Puppies and the Legend of Big Paw is a 1988 American animated musical adventure film inspired by the Tonka toy collection and the Hanna-Barbera TV series sharing its title. Under the direction of Pierre DeCelles, the movie features voice performances by Brennan Howard, B.J. Ward, and Tony Longo. This film stands as the sole animated feature created by Carolco Pictures and represents the first animated release distributed by TriStar Pictures.

This production signaled the conclusion of the late 1980s trend where theatrical animated films served as promotional vehicles for prominent toy franchises, a common practice in that decade's US animation scene. The movie was a considerable commercial disappointment, earning only $586,938 against a $6 million budget, and it was met with unfavorable critiques from both reviewers and viewers.

Plot

Whopper narrates to his niece and nephew the tale behind Puppy Power—the special ability allowing humans to communicate with Pound Puppies and Purries.

In 950 AD, Arthur and his dog Digalot discover a stone containing Excalibur alongside the enchanted Bone of Scone; extracting these artifacts grants them mutual understanding. Sir McNasty, a Black Knight present at Arthur’s coronation, schemes to dominate the world by capturing the Bone, which is protected by the giant Big Paw.

Fast-forward to the 1950s, where the Bone of Scone is exhibited in a museum located in an unnamed American city. Pound owners Tammy and Jeff organize an adoption event celebrating its thousand-year anniversary. Marvin McNasty, descendant of Sir McNasty, arrives with plans to adopt puppies but secretly intends to use his Mean Machine to convert them into guard dogs, steal the Bone, and assemble a canine army for global conquest.

Whopper alerts his companions; however, Cooler—the Pound Puppies’ leader and descendant of Digalot—dismisses him due to Whopper’s reputation for exaggerations. When McNasty’s henchmen shatter the Bone during a theft attempt, Puppy Power disappears.

Whopper retains one fragment but is abducted alongside Collette by McNasty’s forces who seize their half of the Bone. Cooler spearheads a rescue operation; after multiple captures and escapes aided by Purries and Big Paw, they confront McNasty.

Captured puppies are turned into guard dogs except Cooler, who evades transformation by disguising himself as a Purry since McNasty suffers from cat allergies. Big Paw returns with Cooler to reclaim both the pound and museum where villains reassemble the Bone, restoring Puppy Power. The puppies revert when hearing "I love you."

McNasty tries to flee but is converted into a benevolent individual by his own Mean Machine. Big Paw and Nose Marie secure the Bone of Scone.

At the museum, Whopper introduces Big Paw to his niece and nephew, confirming Big Paw’s existence to skeptics.

Pound Puppies and Pound Purries

Brennan Howard voices Cooler, a Beagle who leads the Pound Puppies in unraveling the mystery surrounding the Bone of Scone. Cooler is directly descended from Digalot.
- Howard also provides the voice for Digalot, Cooler's ancestor owned by King Arthur, who extracts the Bone of Scone during the Dark Ages segment.
- Ashley Hall supplies Cooler's singing vocals.
Ruth Buzzi portrays Nose Marie, a Bloodhound with an exceptional sense of smell.
Hal Rayle voices Howler, an inventive Jack Russell Terrier who spreads news about "puppynapping" through his "Grapevine".
- Rayle also voices Reflex, a mix between a Schnoodle and an Old English Sheepdog, who becomes lovesick when bells ring and assists in restoring other Puppies.
- Frank Welker provides Howler's howling sounds.
B. J. Ward plays Whopper, a mischievous Golden Retriever Pupling involved in adventures with Marvin McNasty; as an adult, he narrates Puppy Power to his niece and nephew.
Nancy Cartwright acts as Bright Eyes, a spirited Cavalier King Charles Spaniel cheerleader active during the Adoption Bazaar.
Cathy Cavadini voices Collette, an American Cocker Spaniel mother of six Puplings; she is kidnapped along with Whopper by McNasty, prompting their rescue.
Greg Berg plays Beamer, a carefree Scottish Terrier.
Susan Silo portrays Florence, an Australian Cattle Dog nurse assisting with Collette's Puplings' birth.
Tony Longo voices Big Paw, a mix between a Newfoundland and an Old English Sheepdog, guardian of the Bone of Scone; introduced as a lonely stray puppy.
- Mark Vieha provides Big Paw's singing voice.
Frank Welker and Cathy Cavadini perform as Hairball and Charlamange, members of the Pound Purries.

Humans

George Rose portrays Marvin McNasty, the antagonist descended from Sir McNasty, who aims to dominate the world using the Bone; he has a cat allergy.
- Rose also lends his voice to Sir McNasty, an evil knight featured in the Dark Ages segment.
Wayne Scherzer and Frank Welker provide voices for Lumpy and Bones, the bumbling henchmen working for McNasty.
Janice Kawaye and Joey Dedio voice Tammy and Jeff, two teenagers responsible for running the Puppies' Pound and Adoption Bazaar.
James Swodec voices King Arthur, who famously draws Excalibur from the stone in the Dark Ages portion of the story.

Music

The soundtrack was overseen by Steve Tyrell, featuring an original score composed by Richard Kosinski, Sam Winans, Bill Reichenbach Jr., Ashley Hall, and Bob Mann. The six musical pieces, influenced by hit songs and classics from the 1950s onward, were created by Ashley Hall and Tyrell, with lyrics by Stephanie Tyrell. Recording took place at Tyrell-Mann and Tempo Recording Studios located in Los Angeles.

Title	Inspired By	Performer(s)	Duration
"At the Pound"	"At the Hop"	Ashley Hall
"Now That You're Here"	N/A	Cathy Cavadini
"The King of Everything"	"Riot in Cell Block Number 9"	George Rose	1:56
"All in Your Mind"	"Who Do You Love?"	Ashley Hall
"I'm a Puppy Too"	"Duke of Earl"	Mark Vieha
"Puppy Power's Back"	"Jailhouse Rock"	Cast

Production

Pound Puppies and the Legend of Big Paw was a collaborative production between Carolco Pictures, Atlantic/Kushner-Locke, and The Maltese Companies. Funding was provided by Tonka, which originally owned the Pound Puppies franchise, while distribution was handled by TriStar Pictures. Pierre DeCelles directed the film and also contributed as art director and storyboard artist.

The production spanned five and a half months beginning in fall 1987. The first two and a half months were dedicated to developing layouts and storyboards; the remaining time focused on animation, background artwork, and filming. The overseas animation work was completed by Taiwanese studios Wang Film Productions and Cuckoo's Nest Studio, both recognized for their contributions to various children's animated programs.

This movie introduced fresh animation styles and character designs that differed from those of the Hanna-Barbera series, marking a departure from that continuity. New characters included Pound Puppies Collette, Beamer, Reflex; Pound Purries Hairball and Charlamange; as well as teenagers Tammy and Jeff, who replaced the younger character Holly from previous iterations.

Release

During its short theatrical engagement, The Legend of Big Paw was primarily shown during matinee screenings and earned just US$586,938 at the box office. It stands as Carolco's only family-oriented film and was TriStar's sole animated release until The Trumpet of the Swan debuted in 2001. The movie was among the last animated features of the 1980s based on established toy franchises, following other titles such as Care Bears, My Little Pony, and Transformers.

Reception

The film was met with predominantly unfavorable critiques. Variety labeled it as "uninspiring and heavily derivative." Compared to other contemporaneous Disney productions, The Sacramento Bee deemed it "poorly executed," while the San Francisco Chronicle assigned it an "empty chair" rating. Although the Detroit Free Press described the movie as "tedious and lacking originality," it did acknowledge the quality of its musical numbers.

Martha Baker of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch took issue with the film’s excessive saccharinity, observing that even very young viewers found it difficult to stay interested.

Animation specialist Jerry Beck, in The Animated Movie Guide, awarded the film just one star out of four, calling it a "mixed package" artistically: the backgrounds showed creativity, but the character animation appeared lifeless, a flaw somewhat obscured by rapid editing. Both Beck and The Philadelphia Inquirer emphasized the movie’s obvious role as a marketing vehicle for toys, a common trend in late 1980s animation.

Home media

Pound Puppies and the Legend of Big Paw was initially distributed on VHS by Family Home Entertainment on September 14, 1989. Later, Lionsgate released a region 1 DVD version on October 24, 2006. Additionally, the film was broadcast on the Disney Channel throughout the early to mid-1990s, which helped maintain its visibility beyond its theatrical run.

External links