Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank

This animated action comedy movie was released on July 15, 2022, and is now available to stream online.

RATING: PG

LENGTH: 1 hour 38 minutes

MOVIE REVIEW MOM GRADE: B+

IN A NUTSHELL:

A hard-on-his-luck hound dog finds himself in a town full of cats who need a hero to defend them from a ruthless villain’s evil plot to wipe their village off the map. With help from a reluctant teacher to train him, the determined underdog must assume the role of town samurai and team up with the villagers to save the day. The only problem… the villagers are cats who hate dogs.

THINGS I LIKED:

The fantastic voice talents include Michael Cera, Samuel L. Jackson, Ricky Gervais, George Takei, Aasif Mandvi, Gabriel Iglesias, Djimon Hounsou, and Michelle Yeoh.
The movie also includes the voice and talents of the legendary Mel Brooks. He’s also one of the Executive Producers. In fact, the original movie was going to be a remake of his popular movie Blazing Saddles by calling this one Blazing Samurai, giving the writers of that movie screen credits in this one. Ultimately, it was decided to make this one more family-friendly. Adults will get a kick out of all his adult humor which will mostly fly over the heads of kids.
There were so many laugh-out-loud moments for me. The visual gags are just as hilarious as the spoken ones.
Bear McCreary offers some fun, original music.
The animation is gorgeous to look at with some truly stunning landscapes and impressive details.
When characters break the 4th wall, I’m always amused. Maybe I shouldn’t be, but I am. The movie definitely has an awareness of itself.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

The story feels like a blend/rip-off of several movies at the same time, such as Kung Fu Panda and even The Three Amigos.
Some visual jokes fly by so fast that I wanted to hit pause many times just so I had enough time to soak in everything on the screen. That being said, not all of the jokes land.
It’s pretty doggone predictable.
Some of the jokes are dated and inappropriate for a kid’s movie.
For me, I quickly started losing interest in the tedious story in Act 1 but something happened and I really enjoyed Acts 2 & 3.
The name of the town “Kakamucho” sounds VERY Mel Brooks. In Spanish, it means “a lot of poop.”

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Lots of fart jokes, as expected.
Some of the adult humor is quite…adult.
Animated violence

THEMES:

Persistence
Taking action on goals
Friendship
Working together
Prejudice
Power
Believing in yourself
Supporting others
Hard work

FUNNY LINES:

* “There’s no business like Shogun business.” – The Shogun

“Are you sure I’m ready to defend an entire town? Maybe I should start out as a mall samurai?” – Hank
“Dog gammit! What kind of a world do we live in where good and upright citizens can’t be counted on to kill someone just because they look different?!” – Ika Chu
“I had to cross impassable seas, unclimbable mountains, and really nasty midtown traffic.” – Hank
“The cuteness is strong with this one.” – Jimbo
“You should know that I am a highly trained, mostly trained warrior, skilled in the ways of karate and swordplay, as well as musical theater.” – Hank
“Remember, fear is only in your mind!” – Jimbo “And a little bit in my kimono.” – Hank
“What the mother father cocker spaniel is going on here?!” – Jimbo

INTERESTING LINES:

* “We are all the same. Look different on the outside, but we can choose for ourselves what our insides look like.” – Sumo

“It is not so important what you do, as it is important that you do something.” – Jimbo
“You must control your fear or fear will control you.” – Jimbo
“I can ‘make’ you a pizza but I cannot make you into anything. That power is only within yourself.” – Jimbo
“In battle, as in life, a samurai strives to maintain his balance and always defeats strength with smart.” – Jimbo