Doggy Poo

Winner of the 2003 Best Pilot Prize at the Tokyo International Anime Fair, filmmaker Oh-Sung Kwon's Doggy Poo (which, being a Korean film, is not, strictly speaking, “Japanese anime”) is unquestionably the only animated religious parable out there featuring a dog turd in a starring role. Based on Jung-Seang Kwon's picture book of the same name, the claymation (at least I hope it's clay) adaptation opens with a dog depositing the title character on the side of the road, after which “Doggy Poo” whimpers and cries over his lowly station while wondering about God's purpose in creating him (he is later assured in a somewhat syntactically tortured double negative that “God has not created you for no reason”). In between bouts of tears, Doggy Poo is visited by an anthropomorphic lump of soil, a leaf, a chicken, and a dandelion sprout (who reveals poo's higher calling as fertilizer). Very nicely animated, this is a peculiar--to say the least--children's/novelty film that will find favor among those viewers with a high glucose tolerance for forlorn and lachrymose excrement (which brings new meaning to the term ‘whiny little shit'). Presented in English-subtitled Korean and English-dubbed versions, Doggy Poo debuts on DVD with a couple of notable extras, including a 24-minute “making of” and a full-length storyboard version of the film. Rated 3-up (with a rather contradictory “parental discretion advised” warning printed right next to the rating), a scene with the scared and miserable windblown leaf is a little too intense for very young viewers, making this more appropriate for viewers aged six and up (who will, of course, be put off by the baby-voiced poo, but might still love the concept). Optional. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)