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‘paws of fury: the legend of hank’: film review.

A hapless canine is recruited to protect a village of hostile cats in this animated reimagining of 'Blazing Saddles' voiced by Samuel L. Jackson, Michelle Yeoh, Michael Cera and Ricky Gervais.

By Frank Scheck

Frank Scheck

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Richard Pryor would no doubt have been amused, or possibly chagrined, to see his name on the writing credits for Paramount’s new animated kiddie film. In case you’re wondering how someone who’s long dead is still managing to crank out screenplays, it’s because Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank, whose original title was Blazing Samurai, is an extremely loose reimagining of Mel Brooks ’ 1974 classic comedy Blazing Saddles , for which Pryor received a writing credit. Not that any of this will matter to the extremely young target audience, except to prove that vulgar humor will score laughs regardless of whether it’s the R or PG-rated variety.

Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank

Release date : Friday, July 15

Cast : Michael Cera, Ricky Gervais, Mel Brooks, George Takei, Aasif Mandvi, Gabriel Iglesias, Djimon Hounsou, Michelle Yeoh, Kylie Kuioka, Cathy Shim, Samuel L. Jackson

Directors : Rob Minkoff, Mark Koetsier, Chris Bailey

Screenwriters : Ed Stone, Nate Hopper, Mel Books, Norman Steinberg, Andrew Bergman, Richard Pryor, Alan Uger

Hank, voiced by Michael Cera , is a hapless dog who finds himself recruited to protect the cat village of Kakamucho (them’s the jokes, folks) from being destroyed by the evil feline Ika Chu ( Ricky Gervais , playing only slight less villainous than when he’s hosting the Golden Globes). That Hank is a canine doesn’t sit well with the townspeople — sorry, townscats — especially when he turns out to be a samurai without any actual fighting skills. So he reluctantly turns to Jimbo ( Samuel L. Jackson ), a samurai who’s seen better days, to train him for the inevitable battle with Ika Chu’s minions.

Cue the inevitable training scene montage which leads to one of the film’s many tired meta-gags. “Hey, this is the training montage, isn’t it?” Hank asks, in one of numerous moments in which the characters demonstrate that they know they’re in a silly film. Later, another helpfully informs us, “This movie is only 85 minutes long, not including end credits,” which will at least help parents time their children’s bathroom breaks.

The screenplay, credited to the five original Blazing Saddles writers as well as Ed Stone and Nate Hopper, is relentlessly silly but only intermittently funny. The homages to its inspiration are liberally peppered throughout, from a similarly styled theme song to a massively sized bad guy (Djimon Hounsou) punching a horse. Of course, the little ones will more notice this film’s resemblance to the Kung Fu Panda franchise, but, as animated movies prove time and again, familiarity is only an asset.

Adult chaperones will possibly get a kick out of the many pop culture-themed gags, including jokes about West Side Story , Mamma Mia! and, of course, Cats (the screenwriters are clearly musical theater lovers), as well as more esoteric references to such things as Art Spiegelman’s classic graphic novel Maus .

There’s plenty of star talent in the voice cast, including George Takei, Michelle Yeoh , and Assif Mandvi and Gabriel Iglesias as a wisecracking duo. Brooks delivers his one-liners with the same gusto, albeit raspier-voiced, that he’s always exhibited, and Jackson once again proves that his charisma and comic timing translate perfectly to animated form. Far less attention has been paid to the computer animation, which, with the exception of some vividly rendered flashback scenes, is visually undistinguished.

Full credits

Production companies: Nickelodeon Movies, Align, Aniventure, HB Wink Animation, GFM Animation, Flying Tigers Entertainment, Cinesite Distributor: Paramount Pictures Cast: Michael Cera, Ricky Gervais, Mel Brooks, George Takei, Aasif Mandvi, Gabriel Iglesias, Djimon Hounsou, Michelle Yeoh, Kylie Kuioka, Cathy Shim, Samuel L. Jackson Directors: Rob Minkoff, Mark Koetsier, Chris Bailey Screenwriters: Ed Stone, Nate Hopper, Mel Books, Norman Steinberg, Andrew Bergman, Richard Pryor, Alan Uger Producers: Rob Minkoff, Adam Nagle, Peter Nagle, Guy Collins, Yair Landau, Susan Purcell Executive producers: Adrian Politowski, Alex Schwartz, Ben White, Reginald Hudlin, Wang Zhongjun, Wang Zhonglei, Mel Brooks Editor: Michael Andrews Production designers: Kevin Conran, Kevin Dart Composer: Bear McCreary Casting: Debra Zane

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‘Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank’ Review: A Tail of Two Samurai

Michael Cera and Samuel L. Jackson lend their voices to this unlikely animated adaptation of Mel Brooks’s “Blazing Saddles.”

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paws of fury the legend of hank movie review

By Claire Shaffer

Michael Cera stars as an anthropomorphic dog, who is in training to be a samurai, and Samuel L. Jackson plays his washed-up feline mentor in Paramount’s latest animated family flick, “Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank.” The film sounds like standard CGI family fare, until you learn that the movie, originally titled “Blazing Samurai,” is a PG adaptation of Mel Brooks’s 1974 satire of Western films and race relations, “Blazing Saddles.”

Sure enough, the basic story elements of “Blazing Saddles” are all here — only now, rather than an evil railroad baron employing an unwitting Black prisoner to be the sheriff of a racist town, a conniving cat (Ricky Gervais) convinces Hank, a lost beagle, to become the samurai for a village with a prejudice against canines. (Brooks even reprises his “Blazing Saddles” role as the Governor, now reimagined as a geriatric shogun.) Many of the same slapstick jokes and gags from Brooks’s film are referenced, too, though they have been retooled to remove any outdated references or obscenity. Some quips, however, still slip under the radar: At one point, Jackson’s character, the retired samurai Jimbo, refers to a group of village invaders as “N.W.A. — Ninjas With Attitude.”

Despite its risqué origins, “Paws of Fury” manages to dish out lighthearted fun, swashbuckling action and surface-level messaging about following your dreams, though not every joke lands. The anachronistic sight gags in “Blazing Saddles” don’t work as well in the hyperreal world of a children’s cartoon, where the sight of a dog and a cat in kimonos attending a bottle-service nightclub circa 2009 isn’t as absurd as it would be in live action. Still, if watching those same characters sword-fight around the bowl of an enormous jade toilet sounds like fun to you or your children, this may be the movie of the summer for you.

Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank Rated PG. Running time: 1 hour 37 minutes. In theaters.

‘Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank’ Review: It’s ‘Blazing Saddles’ Meets ‘Kung Fu Panda,’ Minus the Laughs and the Fun

Michael Cera voices the overly mild canine hero of an animated comedy based — but why? — on Mel Brooks's 1974 classic.

By Owen Gleiberman

Owen Gleiberman

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PAWS OF FURY: THE LEGEND OF HANK, Hank (voice: Michael Cera), 2022. © Paramount Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

It’s not every day that you get to see Richard Pryor listed as one of the screenwriters of a new movie. That’s because Pryor died in 2005. But when I saw his name credited among the seven writers of “ Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank ,” it gave me an unreasonable jolt of optimism. If you’re wondering what Pryor’s name is doing on a computer-animated comedy about a samurai canine, it’s because the script is credited to Ed Stone and Nate Hopper — and also to Mel Brooks, Norman Steinberg, Andrew Bergman, Alan Uger, and Pryor, who were the five screenwriters of “ Blazing Saddles ,” the landmark Mel Brooks Western comedy that came out in 1974.

“Paws of Fury” was originally entitled “Blazing Samurai,” because it recycles (sort of) the premise of “Blazing Saddles,” a movie Brooks originally wanted to make with Pryor as its star. He was set to play a railroad worker who becomes the first Black sheriff of Rock Ridge — all as part of a scheme by the attorney general to cause chaos in the town, so that he can take it over (a new railroad is going to make the place worth millions). But Warner Bros. didn’t want the sly-eyed Pryor, who could fire off one-liners like bullets from a Gatling gun, to star in a comedy about the Wild West’s first Black sheriff. The executives knew he was box office, but thought that he was too dangerous. (The studio claimed that his history of drug arrests made Pryor uninsurable, an excuse belied by his subsequent vast career as a Hollywood superstar.) So they went instead for the safe, genial Cleavon Little (who, it should be said, did a fine job).

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Hank, of course, will ultimately win over the feline residents of Kakamucho (in addition to learning to wield a samurai sword with slashing finesse). That counts, I guess, as a lesson about prejudice, but it’s not one that’s especially stirring or noteworthy or funny. “Paws of Fury” is an efficient yet underimagined animated fable that barely musters the flavor of a cliché Western comedy. Mel Brooks, who is one of the film’s executive producers, has a voice role — he’s the Shogun, who says things like “There’s no business like Shogun business.” One wants to cut the great Mel, who’s 96, some slack, but that’s a line your grandfather probably wouldn’t have laughed at, and too much of the humor in “Paws of Fury” is like that. The jokes get coughed up and sit there, like furballs on the carpet.

For all the “Blazing Saddles”-in-kiddie-drag hype, the more obvious source “Paws of Fury” borrows from is “Kung Fu Panda” and its two sequels. But those movies are powered by Jack Black’s whirligig enthusiasm and suburban-couch-potato sweetness (his Po is the rare animated hero, like Buzz Lightyear, who’s awesome and ridiculous at the same moment). They’re high-flying action comedies with a fast and stinging wit. Michael Cera can be a stinging nerd himself, but in “Paws of Fury” he voices Hank with a stubbornly mild and sheepish personality. At one point, after he has commenced his fight training with Jimbo ( Samuel L. Jackson ), his tuxedo cat sensei and general task master, Hank enjoys a moment of overinflated ego, where he starts babbling about how he’s a master samurai now — and as preposterous as that is, it’s a delusion he wears well. That could have been a way to play the character: as the Good Dog Who Would Be Badass. But Cera soon snaps back to his unprepossessing sideline-geek personality, leaving “Paws of Fury” as a kiddie cartoon in search of a center.

Some of the other voice actors are better, like Jackson, who makes his lines pop with addled glee, and Ricky Gervais, who voices the villainous Ika Chu with an upside-down logic reminiscent of Russell Brand, or Djimon Hounsou as Sumo, the giant ginger cat warrior who, beneath that wall of fur, is as innocent as, yes, a pussycat. But “Paws of Fury” never figures out how to make the fighting itself a comic spectacle. The movie has three directors — Rob Minkoff, who co-directed “The Lion King” and went on to make the overly slapstick rambunctious “Stuart Little” films, plus Chris Bailey and Mark Koetsier, neither of whom has made a feature before — and apart from the too-many-cooks factor, you get the feeling that the whole premise of this project was that the script, with its “Blazing Saddles” mystique, would somehow power it. But sorry, those fumes faded out across the decades.

Reviewed at AMC Lincoln Square, July 12, 2022. MPAA Rating: PG. Running time: 97 MIN.

Production: A Paramount Pictures release of a Nickeloden Movies, Align Aniventure presentation, in association with HB Wink Animation, GFM Animation, Aniventure, Cinesite, of a Flying Tigers Entertainment production. Producers: Rob Minkoff, Adam Nagle, Peter Nagle, Guy Collins, Yair Landau, Susan Purcell. Executive producers: Adrian Politowski, Alex Schwartz, Ben White, Reginald Hudlin, Wang Zhongjun, Wang Zhonglei, Mel Brooks.
Crew: Directors: Rob Minkoff, Mark Koetsier, Chris Bailey. Screenplay: Ed Stone, Nate Hopper, Mel Brooks, Norman Steinberg, Andrew Bergman, Richard Pryor, Alan Uger. Editor: Mike Andrews. Music: Bear McCreary.
With: Michael Cera, Samuel L. Jackson, Ricky Gervais, Mel Brooks, Michelle Yeoh, Kylie Kuioka, George Takei, Gabriel Iglesias, Aasif Mandvi, Djimon Hounsou.

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Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank Reviews

It’s riddled with fart jokes and sophomoric humor, while also having witty lines that you need to pay attention to catch. It’s this strange in between that makes this movie memorable and forgettable at the same time.

Full Review | Original Score: C | Jan 5, 2023

If you love terrible puns, a bevy of Mel Brooks-related references, and samurais crossing swords, you could do far worse than "Paws of Fury."

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Oct 18, 2022

There’s arguably enough action, visual, verbal and scatological gags to keep the kids entertained.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Sep 29, 2022

Paws of Fury offers the usual lukewarm accept-people-for-their-hearts-not-their-looks kid-flick platitudes.

Full Review | Aug 31, 2022

If Blazing Saddles confronted racial stereotypes by making a black sheriff police a white town, Paws of Fury tones down its satirical edge and irreverence for a neutered and declawed interspecies lark.

Full Review | Aug 29, 2022

Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank tries to be a self-aware animated action movie, but ends up being cheesy, slow, and a bit boring.

Full Review | Original Score: 1/5 | Aug 17, 2022

The film's uncreative script ends up burying its attempt to be a fresh and purposeful film. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | Aug 12, 2022

Brooks' biggest legacy is his interest in seeking the purest form of comedy, and he's the artist behind this movie that befits him. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Aug 11, 2022

The script is cool and incredibly simple. Though perhaps not always extremely funny. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Aug 11, 2022

The fair thing to do is to regard this not with contempt that it exists, but with amazement that it survived to be released. Though I think you could temper that amazement with a little bit of contempt.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Aug 5, 2022

“Paws of Fury” isn’t blazing hot, but ultimately, it should prove warm enough for younger audiences.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Aug 4, 2022

Swapping the Western for Chambara and in tune with the times of Twitter, this little gem sieved through the cartoon genre appeals to an older audience with a few homages and tops it off with Brooks' Shogun... [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 3, 2022

Although the film has its high points... and provokes a few isolated laughs...the film is a musketeer. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Aug 2, 2022

Loosely based on Blazing Saddles, the film suffers from an unimaginative screenplay and is too derivative.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | Jul 30, 2022

While the nonstop flurry of jokes don't all hit the mark, there's enough madcap silliness to keep the audience entertained.

Full Review | Original Score: 3 | Jul 27, 2022

This pretty much winds itself down to a whole bunch of fart jokes.

Full Review | Jul 22, 2022

No fewer than seven screenwriters are credited on this tiresome Kung Fu Panda rip-off... Characters are stereotypical and the lazy approach to Asian culture offensive.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Jul 22, 2022

Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank takes the 1974 classic comedy and turns it into an unappealingly bland kids flick.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/10 | Jul 22, 2022

Paws of Fury is precisely as inane as its premise makes it sound – think Kung Fu Panda, but blander – though it has been cobbled together with a certain honest doltishness that tends to play well with its young target audience.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Jul 21, 2022

It's clear that the makers had an aim to make the movie stand out from typical kiddie fare, and they succeed, generally.

Full Review | Jul 21, 2022

Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank (2022)

User Reviews
Good animation (stylistic, no errors) that might not be "hyper-realistic" like films nowadays, but will stand the test of time (even the music used was stuff popular from earlier years, not new pop songs that might die out in a year).
Great storyline. Literally Blazing Saddles for about 50% of it, and with some adaptation for young audiences. No huge stray from the original (like rapping squirrels or a hard pushed agenda).
Stayed true to the jokes, 4th-wall breaks, moral values, and light-heartedness of the original. Plus a pretty awesome cast.

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Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank - Review

Dogs and cats, fighting together...mass hysteria.

Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank arrives in theaters on Friday, July 15.

Relentlessly committed to the bit, Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank, for all intents and purposes, is a Mel Brooks movie. Not an actual one, written and directed by comedy legend Brooks, but one that emulates Brooks' style, tone, and gags while also referencing Brooks' own movies. To clarify, Brooks himself is involved with Paws of Fury, as the voice of the Shogun, and the movie itself is more or less a reworked version of Blazing Saddles (it was even titled Blazing Samurai at one point in its development), so this is the closest thing you'll get to an actual Mel Brooks film here in 2022, for better or worse.

Paws of Fury is a touch clumsy, a bit hacky, and not exactly an animated treat for the eyes. The story is tired and many of the jokes fall flat. All that aside, it's still good for a chuckle or two if not only because Mel Brooks' entire M.O. is to throw a hundred jokes at the wall in the hope 30 of them will stick. So the humor here, in this simple story of a hapless dog, Hank (Michael Cera), being made the protector of a cat village, is literally forced through the lens of Brooks as if every potential guffaw was born of a "What would Mel do?" philosophy.

This all makes for an extremely oddball project, where the target audience -- namely kids -- remain wholly unaware of the Brooks-ian layers as they view an animated adventure created by people seemingly out to only amuse themselves by honoring their comedy idol. This also happens to be Paws of Fury's lone saving grace, as it does, in the end, help differentiate it from something that could have been a run-of-the-mill celebrity-stuffed cartoon calamity. It doesn't help it soar but it stops it from sinking.

Cera's wide-eyed pooch is fast-tracked into samurai status by a scheming local cat lord (Ricky Gervais, naturally venomous) who wants Hank to fail and plots to have the local villagers vacate because the town is an eyesore. Samuel L. Jackson plays Jimbo, a disgraced aging samurai who reluctantly mentors Hank, in the same way Blazing Saddles' "Jim" (Gene Wilder) helps Cleavon Little's Bart.

Even the racism Bart encounters in Blazing Saddles as a Black sheriff is handled here, masked behind the cats' presumed hatred of dogs. Throw in an homage to the iconic fart scene and there's not much of Blazing Saddles that doesn't get reconfigured in this ridiculous reskin.

Paws of Fury's bizarre existence and inspired goofiness allows it to eke out a soft victory.

George Takei, Michelle Yeoh, Djimon Hounsou, Gabriel Iglesias, and the already mentioned Brooks round out the famous voice cast, throwing themselves whole-heartedly into this strange brew from directors Rob Minkoff (Stuart Little 1 & 2) and Mark Koetsier. Puns and sight gags bob in and out of jokes both current and out of touch, landing frequently enough to keep things amusing. Make no mistake though, there are some true groaners in here, as this is the type of film to have Takei say "Oh myyyy" not once, but twice .

Ever since Shrek, many animated films have filled their ranks with celebrity voices and pop-culture references. The goal was to entertain the children with the colors and grown ups, who many wrongly assume don't want to watch an animated film, with the jokes. Over time, the gags grew increasingly further and further away from being grounded in the story itself, as if two separate films were struggling to coexist. Paws of Fury feels like the final evolutionary stage of this. It's almost like this film was created as a Mel Brooks primer for parents whose kids aren't at all interested in watching the movies their folks grew up with.

Paws of Fury's bizarre existence and inspired goofiness allows it to eke out a soft victory in the crowded realm of derivative animation. The hero's journey aspect is rote and the meta elements are exhausting but there's a glow behind it all that shines as a reverent beacon for Mel Brooks in what might be the last of this particular type of film. If an outside trip to see a feature-length cartoon is in your near future, and you find yourself wanting to remain Minion-free , then Paws of Fury isn't the worst alternative.

The Verdict

Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank is a crass cyclone of jokes and japes that lovingly (also strangely) presents itself as a Mel Brooks movie remake, with Brooks' blessing and participation. This unique quality helps distinguish the project, even though the gags will elicit more eye-rolls than laughs. It's the kind of film where most celebrity voicers will reference themselves and their own past works in a free-for-all of meta mayhem.

Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank

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DVD & Streaming

Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank

Animation , Comedy , Kids

Content Caution

In Theaters

July 15, 2022
Michael Cera as Hank; Ricky Gervais as Ika Chu; Samuel L. Jackson as Jimbo; Mel Brooks as The Shogun; Djimon Hounsou as Sumo; Michelle Yeoh as Yuki; Kylie Kuioka as Emiko; Gabriel Iglesias as Chuck; George Takei as Ohga

Home Release Date

October 18, 2022
Mark Koetsier; Rob Minkoff; Chris Bailey

Distributor

Paramount Pictures

Movie Review

As anyone in the kingdom will tell you, cats are the chosen and enlightened ones of all animal kind. In fact, in all the land, they are the only animal to be found.

Well … almost.

There actually is one canine mongrel in Lord Ika Chu’s dungeons right now. But the mighty feline lord is unconcerned with such trivial vagaries.

All Ika Chu truly cares about is making his kingdom, his castle, as resplendent and wonderful as any in the land. He’s imported only the best mice to chase, the finest couches to claw and ruin. Why Ika Chu even built a king-sized bathroom with a gigantic working toilet. (He calls it the super bowl.)

Perhaps when the Shogun sees all that Ika Chu has accomplished, he’ll look upon him with favor and name him as successor to the shogunate. But there is one small unsightly problem: Just outside his castle grounds sits the ugly little village of Kakamucho. If the Shogun were to visit and perchance spot this eyesore, it would immediately diminish Ika Chu’s status. But what to do?

Then a most beautiful idea hits his catty brain.

Kakamucho needs a new samurai protector. So Ika Chu will send the dog in his prison. What did it call itself? Yes, yes, Hank ! That’s it. The cats of the town will, of course, ferociously hate this Hank. They’ll hate the idea of Hank. They may even kill him if luck prevails. Then all of Ika Chu’s problems will be dealt with: The townspeople will be lawfully arrested, the town emptied and cleared, and the mongrel eliminated.

It’s good to be such a brilliant cat.

It’s good to be king.

And it will be good to be Shogun!

Positive Elements

It turns out that Hank wants to be a samurai. That’s why he traveled to this cat domain. He was always bullied as a pup. But a cat samurai once saved him, and he longs to be just as heroic and good. Of course, that’s a tall bill to fill with the dog-loathing residents of Kakamucho. With effort, outside help and personal sacrifice, however, he learns that he can earn the cats’ trust and pull together the strength of the community. Paws of Fury promotes a strong anti-prejudice message. Early on, for instance, cats guarding Hank mention that they always hated dogs, but they’re not completely sure why. “My dad always hated dogs. That’s good enough for me,” one intones. Another notes, “It just feels right to hate, ya’ know?” Those feelings are initially mirrored by the village cats. But after they spend some time with Hank, those attitudes begin to change. At first, though, only the kittens of the town call for others to trust Hank. None do. But a former samurai, Jimbo, agrees to help. He declares, however, that he can’t teach a dog to be a cat. “I can only teach a dog to be a better dog.” So, he uses Hanks own abilities—his heightened senses of smell and hearing—to help him improve. Hank is bumbling and untalented—even after being trained by Jimbo—but he tries to help and protect (especially after one big failure of trust on his part). The villagers see that valiant effort. And in small groups they secretly say thank you until everyone accepts Hank as one of their own. The townspeople work together to save innocent lives that are put in danger.

Spiritual Elements

Sexual content.

After many of his schemes and tricks fail, Ika Chu exploits Hank’s desire for fame and pulls him away to a Kitten Club. There, he’s celebrated by female cats who caress his arms and kiss his cheeks a bit suggestively.

Violent Content

At the beginning of the film, a cartoon narrative tells and shows us the brief story of a fabled Samurai. It declares that the famed fighter’s “nunchucks could pluck out an eye!” And in the swirling cartoony mix, a villain’s eyeball bounces free. That intro sets the stage for all the thumping and bumping cartoony violence to come. Hank takes the brunt of much of that pummeling as he gets whacked in the face by pans, fists and lots of solid scenery. He falls off cliffs; slams into rock walls and trees; and ducks fiery arrows and throwing stars. And while battling a huge cat named Sumo, he’s swatted around a room and ends up being flattened by the huge cat’s meteoric leap—ending up wedged in the cat’s backside. There are also huge battles against baddies sent to burn Kakamucho to the ground, and in one instance they almost succeed. People swing swords on and off horse back. Villagers are beaten and pinned to walls (by their clothes). An old woman is picked up by large bad guys who use her as a boxing speed bag. Sumo wades through a crowd of scores of soldiers sending them flying in groups. He picks up a nearby cat and uses him like nunchucks. And at one point, an embattled Jimbo sends his friends off to safety as he stands behind to face some hundred surrounding soldiers. Jimbo also tells a story of once mistaking someone’s surprise party for an ambush. “I not only ruined the biggest night of his life,” Jimbo bemoans. “I spayed and neutered his in-laws.” A flood nearly sweeps away and drowns a group of children (before they’re saved).

Crude or Profane Language

The strongest crudity here is a winking exclamation of “Dogda–it!” Single uses of “doggonit,” “oh my god,” “idiot,” “he’s a labradork” and “butt” show up as well. And while not strictly profane, the movie plays on actor Samuel L. Jackson’s reputation for spitting the f-word in multiple R-rated films. At one point he blurts out: “What the mother-father-cocker-spaniel’s going on here?”

Drug and Alcohol Content

Jimbo obviously has a drinking problem of sorts, though the substance in question isn’t alcohol. After a past failure, he took to drinking liquid catnip—we see him brew the concoction—and it perpetually numbs his senses until he finally puts it aside. Hank is taken to a Club by Ika Chu and we see other cats drink what appears to be that same catnip brew.

Other Negative Elements

There’s quite a lot of potty humor in the story mix. Some bits are very visual, such as a flood caused by a giant overflowing toilet and troops of men lighting their explosive flatulence. Other gags involve verbal allusions, such as when Jimbo tells Hank, “Fear is only in your mind,” and then Hank replies: “And a little bit in my kimono.”

Mel Brooks. That name may not ring any bells for the young audience this film aims at—or perhaps some of their Millennial parents, for that matter. But the cinematic DNA of this 96-year-old comedian/actor/director/producer, who plays the Shogun, spreads all over this animated offering. In fact, Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank feels very much like a kid’s movie remake of Brooks’ classic, Blazing Saddles. (Only with cats, dogs and toilet gags toned down for the elementary school set.) Now, that statement could have some older adults sitting up and thinking: “Oh, my.” But fear not, this is a cuter version of that ofttimes raunchy ‘70s comedy. Yeah, there’s still lots of cheesy, self-aware puns and gaseous potty humor lights up the darkened skies, but the winks and elbowed-ribs are more sanitized and kid-friendly to be sure. Paws of Fury is fun and funny. And if you can endure the gassy giggles and winking comments, there are even some nice lessons about embracing people different from ourselves—even if they do wag their tail rather than purr.

After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.

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Paws of fury: the legend of hank.

Common Sense Says
Parents Say 7 Reviews
Kids Say 18 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

Familiar adventure centers rude humor, slapstick violence.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 7+?

Ika Chu sends waves of assassins, ninjas, and fighters to terrorize the villager

Catnip extract is depicted as an addictive substance like alcohol, and Jimbo act

Sumo-wrestling cat's butt cheeks are visible. Accidental cat nudity. A joking "y

Insult language includes "morons," "imbeciles," "selfish idiot," "suck," "brainl

Reference to Mentos. Off-screen merchandise tie-ins to apparel, toys, games, and

Any Positive Content?

Promotes tolerance, acceptance, teamwork, empathy, and courage for the greater g

Hank is brave and willing to learn. Jimbo is willing to take Hank under his tute

Although the movie is about cats and (one) dog, the story has parallels about hu

Violence & Scariness

Ika Chu sends waves of assassins, ninjas, and fighters to terrorize the villagers and threaten Hank. Homes are destroyed, and cats are injured. Big martial arts-style fights involve characters using weapons; a climactic battle sequence involves an overflowing giant toilet. Flashback to what starts as a menacing scene full of potential threats but ends up being a party. Comment about how a samurai accidentally spayed and neutered his boss's in-laws. Threats about how "curiosity kills cats."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Catnip extract is depicted as an addictive substance like alcohol, and Jimbo acts high/drunk on it and is shown overindulging in it more than once. It becomes a plot point: Jimbo hits the catnip too hard when he feels like a failure. Other adult characters drink what look like martinis and other drinks at a club.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Sumo-wrestling cat's butt cheeks are visible. Accidental cat nudity. A joking "you look hot." A quick kiss at a nightclub/party.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Insult language includes "morons," "imbeciles," "selfish idiot," "suck," "brainless," "washed-up loser," "dimwit," "pre-diabetic who drinks too much," and one in-joke about Samuel L. Jackson's characters' infamy for strong language when Jimbo says "mother cocker spaniel." Potty humor involving "cut the cheese," farting, burping, and a giant toilet (the "super bowl"). Hurtful "No Dogs Allowed" sign. Although never referenced as such, the town's name sounds like "poops a lot" in Spanish.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Reference to Mentos. Off-screen merchandise tie-ins to apparel, toys, games, and more.

Positive Messages

Promotes tolerance, acceptance, teamwork, empathy, and courage for the greater good, as well as redemption, forgiveness, and moving forward after a mistake. The village learns to trust an outsider, work together, and defend themselves despite the odds.

Positive Role Models

Hank is brave and willing to learn. Jimbo is willing to take Hank under his tutelage as a samurai in training. Emiko is a brave young cat who wants to help defend her town.

Diverse Representations

Although the movie is about cats and (one) dog, the story has parallels about humans from different cultures or countries who experience discrimination when they are in the minority in a new place. Plays into clichés related to samurai and ninja culture.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Parents need to know that Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank is an animated comic adventure loosely based on Mel Brooks' 1974 comedy Blazing Saddles . Hank (voiced by Michael Cera ) is a dog who wants nothing more than to become a samurai, even though that honor is always bestowed upon cats. He ends up assigned to defend an all-cat village and convinces a retired samurai named Jimbo ( Samuel L. Jackson ) to become his mentor. The adventure is mostly appropriate for families with younger kids but does include lots of martial arts-based cartoon violence -- some of it with weapons. There's also rude/potty humor (jokes about flatulence, burping, butts, spay and neutering) and insult language ("idiot," "imbecile," "dimwits," "suck," etc.). One line, "mother cocker spaniel," sounds a bit like Jackson's infamous cursing. Catnip is depicted as an addictive substance that can be abused, and a major character is portrayed as being dependent on it. Although the movie isn't educational in nature, its themes encourage courage, empathy, and teamwork, as well as tolerance and acceptance. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Parent and Kid Reviews

Parents say (7)
Kids say (18)

Based on 7 parent reviews

Generic, shallow kung-fu trope factory

Family film stays clean and makes you laugh, what's the story.

PAWS OF FURY: THE LEGEND OF HANK takes place in an animated universe reminiscent of Japan during the age of the samurai. Hank (voiced by Michael Cera ) is a dog who naively travels to an all-cat village, where nefarious ruling cat Ika Chu ( Ricky Gervais ) assigns Hank to be the new samurai of Kakamucho. Ika Chu's hope is that Hank's ineptitude will cause the destruction of the town. Unbeknownst to Ika Chu, the town is home to the retired, once-great samurai Jimbo ( Samuel L. Jackson ), who agrees to train Hank to pass a series of tests of cat-like agility to prove that he's got what it takes to be a samurai (an honor typically bestowed on cats, not dogs). The townsfolk are initially unwelcoming, but eventually they warm to Hank. Young Emiko (Kylie Kuioka) even hopes that she, too, can become a samurai. But will Hank's newfound skills be enough to defeat Ika Chu? An announced visit from the shogun ( Mel Brooks ) gives Hank a small window to be good enough to successfully defend Kakamucho.

Is It Any Good?

Recognizable story themes and plot points make this a decent comedic adventure. But it's not as memorable as similar movies like Kung Fu Panda or Rango . Cera's familiar voice is ideally cast to play the well-meaning but slightly bumbling Hank, who has to work hard to transform into a samurai. Jackson is also a selling point as the curmudgeonly -- and clearly troubled -- former samurai who's willing to train newbie Hank. Gervais sounds villainous most of the time, so he's more than believable as a narcissistic cat ruler with evil plans and an obsession with a giant toilet bowl.

The screenplay by Ed Stone and Nate Hopper is based on Blazing Saddles , but that's likely to be lost in translation for the movie's young target audience. Most of the jokes rely on bathroom humor, which seems over the top here even for a kid-oriented film. A few of the gags land, but there's only so much laughter to be had from a fart joke. What is funny is that the filmmakers were able to include a small role for nonagenarian Brooks, whom it's legitimately delightful to hear as the shogun. And kids will particularly enjoy the younger cats, who, like Hank, aspire to be samurai protectors of their village. Directors Rob Minkoff, Mark Koetsier, and Chris Bailey haven't created anything truly original here (not only is the movie Saddles- inspired, but it's also incredibly reminiscent of Kung Fu Panda ), but that doesn't mean it won't entertain kids for an hour and a half. Paws of Fury is fine, but it's just not as singular and special as Hank.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the samurai violence in Paws of Fury . How does the violence here compare to what you've seen in similar movies? Does animated violence have more or less impact than realistic violence?

What makes Hank different from the other characters in the movie? What do the townsfolk learn from Hank, and what does he learn from them and from Jimbo?

Which characters do you consider role models ? How do they demonstrate courage , empathy , and teamwork ? Why are those important character strengths?

Discuss the movie's recurring references to catnip. How does Jimbo's catnip reliance mirror substance use/abuse ? Is that appropriate in a kids' movie?

Movie Details

In theaters : July 15, 2022
On DVD or streaming : August 16, 2022
Cast : Michael Cera , Samuel L. Jackson , Ricky Gervais
Directors : Mark Koetsier , Rob Minkoff , Chris Bailey
Inclusion Information : Black actors
Studio : Paramount Pictures
Genre : Family and Kids
Topics : Sports and Martial Arts , Cats, Dogs, and Mice , Friendship
Character Strengths : Courage , Empathy , Teamwork
Run time : 97 minutes
MPAA rating : PG
MPAA explanation : action, violence, rude and suggestive humor, and some language
Last updated : February 22, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

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Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank Review: A Meta Treat

By Jonathan Sim

Ten production companies, two distributors, and three directors unite to bring a new animated martial arts comedy to life. Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank is set in a land filled with cats. We follow a dog named Hank (Michael Cera) who has been tasked with protecting this land as their new samurai. What appeared to be simply a rip-off of Kung Fu Panda with dogs and samurai instead of pandas and Dragon Warriors has surprisingly ended up as a fun adventure that stands on its own thanks to its well-written screenplay and a great sense of humor.

The trailers for this film advertised two significant aspects of the movie that make it work and separate Paws of Fury from the rest. The first is the meta nature of the writing, which is the greatest asset Paws of Fury has to offer. This movie breaks the fourth wall in a manner similar to The Emperor’s New Groove , with some of the most outrageous jokes to arrive in a children’s movie this year. If you thought the Bond-style opening credits of Minions: The Rise of Gru was the most ridiculous meta-reference of a 2022 animated summer film, buckle up for a consistent series of gags that would make Deadpool proud.

Beyond the self-aware nature of the film, there are many surprisingly funny jokes with deceptively sharp writing that made me laugh even louder than the children in the theater. The comedy pops in this movie in a way that not every animated film can pull off, and part of this boils down to how this project was realized. Originally titled Blazing Samurai , this movie is loosely based on the 1974 film Blazing Saddles , directed by Mel Brooks. Brooks portrays the Shogun in this movie, and many of Brooks’ fourth wall breaks and parodical sensibilities shine through in this film.

The story is admittedly formulaic. Paws of Fury follows Hank, a dog who wants to be a samurai. Unfortunately, he doesn’t quite get the opportunity to be developed as a character before his call to action. Still, once he is put in charge of protecting a town of cats, he enlists the help of once-great samurai Jimbo (Samuel L. Jackson) to train him. We’ve seen this story. I know it, you know it, and the filmmakers know it. That’s why a giant shining arrow reading “Once Great Samurai” falls from the ceiling, pointed at Jimbo. The writers knew this was a cliché story and instead of playing it straight, they simply had a fun time telling it.

Besides the meta-comedy, the marketing also advertised another aspect of the film, which may bring more adults into the seats: the stacked cast. Cera and Jackson are the two leading players, and they both crank their celebrity personas to the max as this mismatched duo in two wonderful performances. The film’s antagonist is Ika Chu, portrayed by Ricky Gervais, who lends his perfectly sarcastic voice to the role. A star-studded cast that includes George Takei, Gabriel Iglesias, Djimon Hounsou, and Michelle Yeoh is a significant selling point for the film, and they all do an excellent job in their roles.

Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank is not top-tier cinema. It’s not at the level of other 2022 animated films like Marcel the Shell with Shoes On or Lightyear , nor will it reach the meme-ability of Morbius or Minions: The Rise of Gru . Instead, this is a short, breezy movie that only runs for 85 minutes without credits, according to the characters in the film. You can also expect some of the loudest laughs of the year. Even if the movie can feel a little too derivative with its Kronk rip-off and predictable story, it’s a harmless piece of entertainment that delivers everything the trailers promised.

SCORE : 8/10

As ComingSoon’s review policy explains, a score of 8 equates to “Great.” While there are a few minor issues, this score means that the art succeeds at its goal and leaves a memorable impact.

Disclosure: The critic attended a press screening for ComingSoon’s Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank review.

Jonathan Sim is a film critic and filmmaker born and raised in New York City. He has met/interviewed some of the leading figures in Hollywood, including Christopher Nolan, Zendaya, Liam Neeson, and Denis Villeneueve. He also works as a screenwriter, director, and producer on independent short films.

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Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank (2022) Review

A DATED, CONVENTIONAL, AND WEAK

Animated tale.

Remakes are a dime a dozen in today’s cinematic landscape of Hollywood, with the idea of revamping, reworking, and reimagining old ideas into new ones being commonplace in today’s world. Rather than breathing new life into something or creating something a bit more original, the idea of adapting an old property into a new medium has become the “bread and butter” for Tinseltown over the past few decades, with many studios retreading and recycling such narratives for a new audience / generation to experience. The end result can be a little bit mixed, with some projects being favored by offering updated nuances to the current stage of the world, utilizing the latest technology of filmmaking, and new and ambitious acting talents to step in the roles. Such feature films that are prime examples of this are 1941’s The Maltese Falcon , 1995’s Heat , 2001’s Ocean’s Eleven , 2011’s True Grit , Planet of the Apes trilogy (2011-2017), 2017’s IT , and 2018’s A Star is Born just to name a few. However, the same can be said about the opposite, with remake endeavors being sloppy, half-baked, and just downright terrible constructs. Examples of these types of movies can be found in 1998’s Psycho , 2006’s Wicker Man , 2011’s Arthur , 2012’s Total Recall , 2015’s Point Break , 2016’s Ben-Hur , 2017’s The Mummy , and many others. Now, Paramount Pictures (as well as Nickelodeon Movies) and directors Rob Minkoff, Mark Koetsier, and Chris Bailey offer up the latest remake with the animated film Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank . Does this reimagining of the classic Blazing Saddles film find merit within its undertaking or is it just a shallow cartoon attempt?

In feudal Japanese land that is ruled by cats, the warmongering Lord Ika Chu (Ricky Gervais) is looking to expand his dominion and looking to be named the successor to the current Shogun (Mel Brooks), with the villainous feline targeting a nearby settlement village to wipe out. Instead of declaring war on the people, Ika Chu finds Hank (Michael Cera), a hapless dog that wonder into the kingdom who is looking become a samurai warrior, and appoints the canine as the new village samurai leader of the community, helping to weaken their morale and defenses, which will allow Ika take what he wants without much interference. Inexperience and untrained, Hank isn’t sure what to do with the current situation, looking for help from wayward sensei Jimbo (Samuel L. Jackson), a once mighty samurai who’s step down from the passion of heroism, reluctant to help the young dog and his aspiration to become a samurai hero. Agreeing to train the feeble dog, Jimbo introduces the young hopeful to hard work and intensive swordplay combat, becoming attached to his apprentices during the process. However, peace is soon shattered by Ika Chu’s evil plans, which require Hank to use his training and defend his new home and its inhabitants.

THE GOOD / THE BAD

It goes without saying that remakes are still the rage in currently Hollywood. It’s sad truth, but almost has been integrated into the mainstream cinematic endeavors for the past several decades, with most studios producing one or two (or even more) remakes and reimagines of older movies and ideas rather than creating new ones. It’s a staple for the industry (well, for that matter many industries out there) by relying heavily on what has worked in the past and somewhat “updating it” for a new viewing experience with a new audience to appreciate its production. As I stated above, some of these endeavors have proven to be effective, with some of my personal favorites being 2018’s A Star is Born , IT , 2011’s True Grit , 2016’s The Magnificent Seven , and 2021’s Dune just to name a few. Yet, at the same time, I feel that Hollywood becomes to complacent with the whole remake idea and sometimes “banks” too much on the whole nostalgia trip and just creates a bland and forgettable feature film revamps or just simply shallow reskins projects. This is most apparently found in 2014’s Robocop , 2015’s Terminator: Gensyis , 2016’s Ben-Hur , and 2017’s The Mummy , which (to me) are quite “blah”. Thus, in the end, the saying that “Hollywood is running out of ideas” is kind of laughable understatement these days, with remakes still ever present in today’s movie landscape more than ever and, while can be either good or bad.

Naturally, this brings me back around to talking about Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank , a 2022 animated feature film and the latest movie project to utilize the remake mechanic for the presentation. To be honest, I really didn’t hear much about this movie for quite some time, despite the film having a very long and disastrous production, which started back in 2010. Back then, the feature was titled Blazing Samurai (a play on words from the 1974 film Blazing Saddles) was originally going to be created by Sony Pictures Animation, but never fully materializes, with the project seeing different exchanges of studios, productions companies, producers, writers, directors, and so on and so forth. Thus, it goes without saying that Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank went through development hell. This was even further realized when the movies originally release date back 2017 was delayed several times, including when the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak occurred, before it settled on a firm date of July 15 th , 2022. I think I first remember hearing about only a few months ago when I caught the film’s movie trailer during one of the “coming attractions” previews when I went to go see Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness . Judging from the preview alone, the movie didn’t look that particular interesting, with the standard “run-of-the-mill” animated endeavor. Nothing to get super excited about. That being said, I knew that the movie was going to be long in the movie theaters that much, especially being released as the same time as Where the Crawdads Sing as well as Jordan Peele’s Nope releasing the following week. Thus, I decided to check the movie out…. even though I sort of had low expectations for it. I waited a little bit to collective my thoughts about the film as well as playing “catch up” with a few several non-movie review things that needed to be taking care of. Now, I finally have the time to share my thoughts on the film. And what did I think of it? Well, it’s kind of what I expected….and that’s not a good thing. Despite its voice talents and its playful “cats and dogs” satire, Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank is a very generic and middling animated endeavor that really never finds its footing to stand on its own merits; merely wallowing in forgetful material and a predictable nature throughout. There are some moments that I liked in the film, but those are few and far between….and I think that most will feel the same way.

Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank is directed by Rob Minkoff, Mark Koetsier, and Chris Bailey; a trio of filmmaking talent with various background, with Minkoff known for his directing The Lion King , Forbidden Kingdom , and Mr. Peabody & Sherman , Koetsier as a story artist animator for Kung Fu Panda , Big Hero 6, and Tarzan , and Bailey as an animation supervisor for Shrek 2 , Quest for Camelot , and The Little Mermaid . With most of them working on animated projects throughout their career, the combined efforts made by Minkoff, Koetsier, and Bailey seem like a suitable choice to helm an animated motion picture endeavor, with the results bearing fruit in a few areas. As to be expected, the movie itself (as mentioned above) is a cartoon remake that is loosely adapted of Mel Brook’s 1974 cult classic Blazing Saddles. It’s quite simple and straightforward to see the similarities right from the get-go, especially since the film’s angle and its comedic antics arise from the same style of that of Mel Brooks himself, which is probably what the trio of directors wanted to emulate in this movie. From that point, I think that the film itself makes a good mark by projecting the similar comedic style of Brooks’s work, with The Legend of Hank acting cartoon-ish animated background. This result is something a bit of a mixed bag (more on that below), but, for what it’s worth, the movie does find a particular swagger about it by not taking itself too seriously and almost acting like an animated satire of Brooks’s Blazing Saddles …. problems and all. This, of course, leads into the film’s self-awareness of itself, which can be quite amusing at times, with the directors toiling around with this notion several times in the film. It’s not the quintessential or newly creative idea to be placed in cartoon movie, but it is indeed a welcomed one…for better or worse. In addition, the movie, while it does move pretty fast, does offer the classic thematic message of tolerance, racism, and believing in oneself that can be extrapolated from the zany antics of its colorful characters and be understood in the various age ranges of the viewers (both young and old). Again, it’s a familiar message to be learning, but it’s a appreciated one, especially in today’s world, with The Legend of Hank displaying those themes with a kid-friendly touch that’s both easily accessible and to digest fundamentally.

In a side positive note, I do like how the movie utilizes the various different type of cats throughout the movie. Rather than just rendering a stereotypical andromorphic feline-like characteristics, the movie presents several different type of cats in and around the film, including a Tuxedo cat, a Somali cat, a British Shorthair cat, a Manx cat, a Calico cat, a Tabby cat, and a Persian cat just to name a few. It might be just a small positive, I do like the attention to detail and not just the filmmakers rendering a generic cat-like beings as the film’s cast.

The film’s presentation is bit mudded at times and not exactly the best, but, for what it’s worth, it works for the movie needs. As mentioned, I do like the whole Japanese feudal setting, with the various aesthetics and nuances of the culture being utilized for the main backdrop setting throughout the entire film. Thus, I do have to give the filmmakers their credit for making this cultural representation. That being said, the animation is a bit mixed. Yes, the character designs for the film are very expressive, especially in the facial features, but the movie’s animation looks a little bit dated. It’s not completely terrible, but it’s glaring notion of what 2017 animation would look like (and not on the same level as high caliber animation studio like Disney or Pixar) in comparison to today’s cartoon motion pictures. Thus, one can tell that there is significant difference. That being said, the film’s animation style makes the most of what it can be done, especially within its nuances and motifs of Asian cultures. It’s not steeped in the culture, but its décor and designs are good. Thus, I would have to give some credit to the film’s art direction team as well as the production design team for their efforts on the project. Lastly, the movie’s score, which was composed by Bear McCreary, is actually pretty good and deliver some great melodic and kid-friendly music to accompany the feature’s narrative and various scenes….be it action or dialogue dramatics.

Unfortunately, The Legend of Hank isn’t as great as the movie makes it out to be, with many glaring problems and criticisms throughout the entire viewing experience. How so? Well, for starters, the film itself is utterly predictable and conventional right down to the letter….and that’s not a good thing. The overall formulaic narrative and nuances that make up the feature’s story might’ve worked for a Saturday morning cartoon variety of the 90s era or even an early 2000s feature film, but not for a movie release in 2022 animated motion endeavor. The result is something that really doesn’t work properly, and it clearly shows in the movie, with contrite plot and haphazardly put together story. Yes, I do get it that the movie itself takes its inspiration from Blazing Saddles , with the project being clear representation of the 1974 Mel Brooks film is ever present, yet all it still quite predictable with really no surprises or twists. And yes…. I do understand that it is a kids’ movie, so I wasn’t expecting anything grand, but The Legend of Hank just utterly lacks originality. Even looking at its premise, there just a blandness to all and plays everything very straightforward and no real creative juices beyond its “cat and dogs” premise in a feudal Japan setting.

Perhaps the fault lies within the film’s trio of directors, with the phrase “too many cooks in the kitchen” come to mind quite frequently while watching this movie. It just seems like a mesh-mash of ideas and directions from the trio of directors, with the collection of the three of them trying to make sense of what the story wants to tell. The end result is just a messy production that has a lot of stuff that they want to say, but never comes together in a very cohesive way. Naturally, the try to poke fun of its own self-awareness, which can be fun, but I think that the directors go a little bit overboard with such tactics. There’s very little technical ingenuity employed by the directors of The Legend of Hank, which makes the whole endeavor quite bland and formulaic to the touch. Another problem that the trio directors make with the movie is how everything moves real fast. A good pace in the movie is always appreciated, but I felt that everything in this animated tale moved way too fast and sort of “skipped over” certain particular character / scene moments that could’ve been pivotal to the story. Thus, the movie itself feels like there are huge chunks of subplots and character development pieces that are missing from the final cut….and it’s quite noticeable. It’s the classic animated movie that might’ve worked if it was released years ago, but the film just comes off as a weak and uninteresting endeavor.

Another big problem that lies with The Legend of Hank is in the overall story narrative presentation of the feature’s script, which is quite vanilla and conventional to the touch….in a very middling way. Basically, the script, which was penned by Ed Stone, Nate Hopper, Mel Brooks, Norman Steinberg, Andrew Bergman, Richard Pryor, and Alan Uger follows the same suite as the directors, which makes for a bland and uneven narrative throughout the entire film. Of course, the movie follows the similar path of that of Blazing Saddles , which can be fun, but never really follows through on taking advantage of its source material, which makes The Legend of Hank feels half-baked. The story, while clearly taking cues from Blazing Saddles , feels pretty “meh” and never really goes anywhere; following a very familiar path and never deviating from it with a cookie cutter outline that never truly colors outside the lines. This means the script handling is quite conventional and flat. Even the comedic jokes and gags gets a bit old and stale; feeling outdated in today’s world. It’s like the writers just took the bare bones necessity of the 1974 film and just gave it a mediocre narrative window dressing, which makes The Legend of Hank’s writing (story, dialogue, character, etc.) underdeveloped and just forgettable.

The cast in The Legend of Hank is sort of mixed bag as the vocal talents provided for these animated characters are definitely recognizable (with very distinct dialects and voices), yet some of them feel clunky in how they are presented, which results in them being a tad lackluster and almost “phoned in” at times. Plus, it doesn’t help that most of the characters in the movie are (for lack of better word) rather generic and underwhelming throughout the movie. This is clearly represented in the film’s main trio of characters, who are the feature’s main heroes and villain of the tale…. namely Hank, Jimbo, and Ika Chu and who are voiced by actors Michael Cera, Samuel L. Jackson, and Ricky Gervais respectfully. For the most part, all three are perfectly fine in their individual voices, yet are weighed down by either lazy writing or just conventional storytelling manners to make their animated characters more well-rounded rather than just simply constructs. First off, Cera, who is known for his roles in Superbad , Juno , and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World , is perfectly fine in the role of Hank, with the actor utilizing his signature trademark vocal performance of being nervous, twitchy, and hesitant unsureness that’s suitable for the character. Thus, Cera is a match for Hank’s voice. That being said, the character is quite flat and generic, with Hank being a very straight-forward construct that goes from the classic “zero to hero” narrative arc and that’s really not much to it. Of course, Cera does what he can with material given to him, yet it ends up being quite shallow, which makes the character of Hank rather bland and forgettable.

I would probably say that Jackson gets the most fun out of his time spent on The Legend of Hank , with his character of Jimbo being the type of construct character that Jackson is typical of playing. What do I mean? Well, he’s basically Jackson, but just in cat form, with his loud, sarcastic, and deadpan remarks that the actor has been customary of playing. It definitely works and probably is the best character of the entire movie, with Jimbo being the most memorable of the bunch. The problem is that (much like the other characters), the movie presents such a bland and too contrived character that has been done and redone many times before. If the story added new material to the character by changing things from the stereotypical old master trainer that harbors a dark past and teaches a new and inexperienced hopeful. Still, for better or worse, I felt that Jackson’s Jimbo, despite being generic and formulaic to the letter, was the most fun and enjoyable character of the feature.

As for Gervais, who is known for his roles in The Office , Extras , and Muppets Most Wanted , it’s a tossup for me. Like the rest of the cast, I think Gervais kind of pulls it off with his iteration of Ika Chu by showcasing his smug and smarmy attitude, with just the right amount arrogant and obnoxious bravado. Of course, the problem is that the character of Ika Chu is rather a weak bad guy, especially his overall villainy, which is kind of off-putting and vaguely menacing. Again, the movie doesn’t take itself too seriously, with its overall tone and visual aesthetics, but the script isn’t really trying hard to make the character new or creatively original. Plus, the likeability of Ika Chu depends on what you think of Geravis himself, with some being happy with the choice and other dismissive. It’s really a tossup. To me, the character is just Geravis being himself, but nothing about Ika Chu seems quite memorable, which is disappointing. Thus, in the end, I feel like the character is just a throwaway main villain and just merely played for laughs.

The rest of the cast, including comedian / actor Gabriel Iglesias ( The Book of Life and The Nut Job ) as Chuck, actor George Takei ( Star Trek and Supah Ninjas ) as Ika Chu’s loyal side-kick warrior Ohga, actress Kylie Kuioka ( Better Nate Than Ever and Harom ) as Emiko, actress Michelle Yeoh ( Crazy Rich Asians and Everything Everywhere All at Once ) as Emiko’s mother Yuki, actor Djimon Hounsou ( Gladiator and Blood Diamond ) as a giant and dim-witted, yet philosophical warrior named Sumo, actor Aasif Mandvi ( Million Dollar Arm and The Internship ) as Ichiro, and actress Cathy Shim ( The Sun is Also a Star and Samurai Daycare ) as the grand dame of Kakmucho known as Little Mama, round out the rest of the remaining characters in the movie, which are roughly the supporting players of the story. While the acting involved is solid in these roles, they are mostly underutilized in the movie, which renders them quite flat and generic…. even though most are just side characters. This is even more disappointing to several characters like Iglesias and Yeoh, whose respective characters could’ve been easily expanded upon and had more screen-time. Hounsou, Takei, and Brooks get to have a few memorable moments with their characters, but (again) it could’ve been some much better if the characters themselves were better shaped and managed rather than just “cookie cutter” caricatures that are walking tropes that we (the viewers) have seeing time and time again.

FINAL THOUGHTS

To prove his worth and to save the community from Ika Chu’s evil plan, Hank must prove himself worthy of taking the name of samurai in the movie Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank . Directors Rob Minkoff, Mark Koetsier, and Chris Bailey’s latest film takes an animated adaptation look into 1974’s Blazing Saddles ; following a similar narrative through the cartoon usage of cats and dogs to the frame the story in rambunctious setting of feudal Japan and the code of being a samurai. Although the movie finds it’s a fundamental message and has a few good acting talents, the majority of the feature is just a shallow presentation, including a lazy direction, a weak premise, an even weaker writing, and bland “cookie cutter” characters. Personally, I didn’t particularly care for this movie. It wasn’t completely deplorable, but the movie itself was just too conventional and too middling to make heads or tails of it. I did like some of the voice talents, but that’s pretty much it. Again, if this cartoon feature was released maybe back in the late 90s / early 2000s era, it might’ve found better success with moviegoers and critics. Sadly, it is not. Thus, my recommendation for this endeavor is a passable “skip it” as there are plenty of other animated pictures out there that are worth seeing than this particular one. There’s just no really rush to see this. Just wait for it to come to TV or to a streaming platform for a lukewarm viewing experience. In the end, Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank , while trying to be reimagine Blazing Saddles as a kid-friendly animated feature, just ends up being a bland and too pretentious cartoon endeavor that never rises the occasion and wallows in forgettable middling mediocrity.

2.4 Out of 5 (Skip It)

Released on: july 15th, 2022, reviewed on: august 16th, 2022.

Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank is 97 minutes long and is rated PG for action, violence, rude, and suggestive humor, and some language

Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank

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Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank actually has sort of a fascinating backstory that spans over a decade of development and many, many different production companies. Originally called Blazing Samurai , the film was envisioned as the animated story of a Black samurai protecting an Asian village. That eventually shifted into a story of a dog samurai in a world full of cats, with a story loosely based on Mel Brooks ’ classic parody Blazing Saddles . This is all to say that reading about the wild production of Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank is far more interesting than the finished product has to offer, a humorless, exhausting 85 minutes of nonstop puns, stereotypes, fart jokes and ancient pop culture references.

Set in a feudal Japan-inspired land occupied solely by cats, Ika Chu (voiced by Ricky Gervais ) decides to expand his massive palace. In order to do so, he must get rid of the nearby village of Kakamucho. Ika Chu tries to get the villagers to leave by sending thugs to Kakamucho, but when the villagers demand that a new samurai be assigned to the town in order to protect them, Ika Chu sends them the dog prisoner, Hank ( Michael Cera ). To help prepare for the onslaught of Ika Chu’s thugs, Hank trains with the catnip-drunk samurai Jimbo ( Samuel L. Jackson ) to become the samurai that the town needs.

Let’s go ahead and get the positive out of the way, since there’s so little of it. Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank does at least occasionally touch on the idea of judging someone simply because of what they look like. There are some poignant lines here and there, as when one cat mentions that he doesn’t know why he hates dogs, just that he knows his father did, and it just feels natural to hate dogs. Of course, the screenplay by Ed Stone and Nate Hopper can’t delve into this idea in the same way that Blazing Saddles did, but the fact that it at least tries to somewhat is admirable.

RELATED: 'Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank' Featurette Highlights Michael Cera and Samuel L. Jackson

But beyond this attempt to state a message about not judging a book by its cover that we’ve seen in countless animated films, Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank is an absolute mess. The attempts at humor are excruciating, as the film’s primary attempt at jokes come in the form of eye-roll-worthy puns about cats and dogs. Amongst those wall-to-wall puns are exhausted entertainment references (one character tries to distract another by stating “I am your father”), the expected poop and fart jokes, and tired and offensive Asian clichés. Is there a giant cat named Sumo? Of course there is. And yes, of course, the villain Ika Chu sounds like the popular Pokémon character.

Even a voice cast that includes Cera, Jackson, Michelle Yeoh , Djimon Hounsou , with Mel Brooks also essentially reprising his Blazing Saddles role, can’t save this animated monstrosity. Everyone sounds understandably bored throughout, and these voice performances can’t bring to life a script that is this hollow. You can almost hear the subtext of “I did this for the paycheck” under the delivery of every line.

Even more shocking is the impressive directing team behind this abomination. Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank is co-directed by Rob Minkoff (co-director of The Lion King ), Chris Bailey (director for Kim Possible and the underrated Clerks: The Animated Series ), and Mark Koetsier (story artist for Big Hero 6 , Kung Fu Panda , and How to Train Your Dragon ). With all this animation talent behind Paws of Fury , it’s shocking how ugly The Legend of Hank looks, almost like a cutscene from a PlayStation 3 game. Even though there are attempts through flashback scenes to try and add some visual flair to this story, the inherent blandness of the animation still peeks through.

Who knows what Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank could’ve been when it was originally envisioned over a decade ago, but what it ultimately became is a tiresome, tedious, and uninspired animated adaptation of a classic parody that doesn’t have any of the original’s comedic wit or bite. To put it in terms that Paws of Fury would understand, The Legend of Hank is a ruff experience that is absolutely pawful.

Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank is in theaters now.

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Movie review: ‘Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank’

Bathroom humor reaches new heights — make that depths — in “Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank” (Paramount), an animated martial-arts spoof with a most unlikely provenance.

Although kids are their target audience (the film flies a Nickelodeon Movies banner), directors Rob Minkoff, Mark Koetsier and Chris Bailey base their feature on the 1974 adult comedy “Blazing Saddles.”

In fact, Ed Stone and Nate Hopper share their screenwriting credit with the five original writers of “Blazing Saddles,” including its helmer, Mel Brooks, and the late Richard Pryor.

It’s a clever conceit that misses the mark, despite Brooks lending his raspy voice talent as Shogun, a wise leader. About the only recognizable elements of “Blazing Saddles” here are horses getting punched in the head and a veritable tsunami of flatulence gags.

The fish-out-of-water plot is mildly familiar, though set here in a swashbuckling world of swords and samurais. A warmongering Somali cat named Ika Chu (voice of Ricky Gervais), who worships a monumental jade toilet he calls his “Super Bowl,” hatches an evil plot to destroy a neighboring feline village called Kakamucho (really).

To undermine the village, Ika Chu picks the most unlikely candidate to be its samurai protector: a hapless, insecure beagle named Hank (voice of Michael Cera) — despite the fact that felines naturally hate canines. Once the cats discover Hank has no fighting skills, he’s relegated to the status of a dog’s dinner.

But Hank perseveres and embraces his destiny, beseeching a washed-up samurai, Jimbo (voice of Samuel L. Jackson), to train him in the sacred arts.

Jimbo, who would rather eat catnip all day, relents, sensing that Ika Chu is assembling an invading army, led by a Manx cat named Ohga (voice of George Takei). He dusts off his copy of “Samurai for Dummies” and gets to work.

“I can’t teach a dog to be a cat,” he says. “But I can teach a dog to be a better dog.”

“Paws of Fury” channels “Kung Fu Panda” and “The Karate Kid” as training begins and Jimbo casts pearls of wisdom like, “It’s not important what you do, so long as you do something.”

As the action barrels along to its climactic battle, the constant mayhem borders on the extreme — making what Road Runner did to Wile E. Coyote look like child’s play — and is thus too intense for younger viewers.

Regrettably, moreover, there’s always a potty joke lurking around the bend to offer “comic” relief.

“I want to leave my mark,” Hank says, tugging at his pants after winning a fight. “I had asparagus last night.”

The film contains intense cartoonish violence and rude scatological humor. The Catholic News Service classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association rating is PG — parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

— Joseph McAleer

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BABY REINDEER

‘Paws of Fury’ is an Animated Remake of ‘Blazing Saddles,’ Without the Laughs

Even with Mel Brooks involved, the movie fails to translate the classic comedy into a kids film but does feature a funny performance from Ricky Gervais.

Michael Cera as “Hank” and Samuel L. Jackson as “Jimbo” in 'Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank' from Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon Movies, Align, and Aniventure.

Opening in theaters on July 15th is the new animated movie ‘ Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank ,’ which is loosely based on Mel Brooks ’ classic comedy ‘ Blazing Saddles .’

The movie stars Michael Cera (‘ Superbad ’) as Hank, a troubled dog who is trained to be a samurai by his mentor, a cat named Jimbo ( Samuel L. Jackson ). Now, in order to protect a village of cats, Hank and Jimbo must battle with the evil Ika Chu ( Ricky Gervais ).

Co-directed by Rob Minkoff (‘ The Lion King ’), in addition to Cera, Jackson, and Gervais, the talented voice cast also includes George Takei , Gabriel Iglesias , Djimon Hounsou , Michelle Yeoh , Aasif Mandvi , Cathy Shim , and Kylie Kuioka .

The result is an uninspired animated movie that tries to recreate the best moments from ‘Blazing Saddles’ but never makes the jokes its own and relies too heavily on the original source material without building on the actual characters and their journey.

The film begins by introducing us to a young Hank (Cera), whose life is saved by a Samurai cat named Jimbo (Jackson). Years later, when a warmongering cat named Ika Chu (Gervais) threatens to destroy the peaceful cat village where Jimbo lives, Hank arrives to help. Unsure of his own abilities, Hank trains with Jimbo in the ways of the samurai to defeat Ika Chu and save the village.

(L to R) Gabriel Iglesias as “Chuck” and Aasif Mandvi as “Ichiro” in 'Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank' from Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon Movies, Align, and Aniventure.

Since the animated movie is loosely based on ‘Blazing Saddles,’ the plot points are about the same, following an outcast samurai who saves a small town, instead of an outcast cowboy.

Michael Cera basically plays the Cleavon Little role, with Samuel L. Jackson playing the Gene Wilder surrogate. Ricky Gervais’s Ika Chu stands-in for Harvey Korman , while Mel Brooks himself makes a voice appearance, playing a similar role to his part in the original, as the ruler of Kakamucho and Ika Chu’s boss.

But even the involvement of Mr. Brooks is not enough to make this movie work. Although, I did appreciate that the filmmakers included all of ‘Blazing Saddles’ original writers in the credits including Brooks, Andrew Bergman and Richard Pryor, giving them the credit they deserve for the original work.

For those that don’t know, ‘Blazing Saddles’ is one of the funniest movies ever made and included a now famous sequence of fart jokes. So, adapting it to an animated film for kids actually makes sense, but besides the flatulent humor, a lot of the movie’s jokes and character development lands flat and doesn’t inspire interest from the audience.

Of the cast, Ricky Gervais is clearly having the most fun and is really funny, adding a lot of his own public persona to the role. He plays the character as an ego-maniacal, insecure, know-it-all, not unlike his David Brent character from ‘The Office.’ Gervais is also a well-known cat lover in real life, which adds to the humor of his character as well.

(L to R) Ricky Gervais as "Ika Chu" and George Takei as "Ohga" in 'Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank' from Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon Movies, Align, and Aniventure.

Michael Cera has mastered his persona of playing a youthful, innocent, and naïve young man, which works well with the character of Hank. Cera’s performance certainly makes Hank lovable, but unfortunately the screenplay doesn’t allow enough time for the character to grow and mature.

His relationship with Jimbo is the most interesting, but again, the two characters are not given enough to do. The training sequences steal from ‘ Kill Bill ’ and ‘ Kung Fu Panda ,’ and don’t feel fresh or new. Samuel L. Jackson was great casting for Jimbo, but I would have liked the character to have a more pivotal role.

‘ Star Trek ’ legend George Takei is always a welcomed addition to any project, and hearing his voice in this movie was a nice surprise. Takei plays Ika Chu’s henchman Ohga, and has great chemistry playing off of Gervais. While his role is somewhat limited too, the filmmakers did find time to have him say his signature line, “Oh, my.”

Director Rob Minkoff is no stranger to animation having directed one of the greatest animated films of all-time, ‘The Lion King.’ But ‘Paws of Fury’ lacks any of the gravitas or character development of his past work, and even the animation itself leaves little to be desired.

In the end, ‘Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank’ is both a disappointment to ‘Blazing Saddles’ fans hoping for one last great movie from the mind of Mel Brooks, and also a disappointment to parents hoping to find a fun animated movie to take their kids to this summer.

(L to R) Kylie Kuioka as “Emiko” and Michelle Yeoh as “Yuki” in 'Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank' from Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon Movies, Align, and Aniventure.

Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank’ receives 1.5 out of 5 stars.

Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank

Jami Philbrick has worked in the entertainment industry for over 20 years and is currently the Editor-in-Chief of Moviefone.com. Formally, Philbrick was the Managing Editor of Relativity Media's iamROGUE.com, and a Senior Staff Reporter and Video Producer for Mtime, China's largest entertainment website. He has also written for Fandango, MovieWeb, and Comic Book Resources. Philbrick received the 2019 International Media Award at the 56th annual ICG Publicists Awards, and is a member of the Critics Choice Association. He has interviewed such talent as Tom Cruise, George Clooney, Dwayne Johnson, Scarlett Johansson, Angelina Jolie, Oprah Winfrey, Quentin Tarantino, and Stan Lee.

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Aniventure and Viva Pictures Drop ‘HITPIG!’ Trailer

Jason Sudeikis, Lilly Singh and Rainn Wilson lead an all-star cast in the all-new comedy adventure, animated by Cinesite, based on Pulitzer Prize-winning author Berkeley Breathed’s ‘Pete & Pickles’ that follows the world’s greatest animal tracker, aka bounty hunter pig, who returns lost pets to their owners, coming to U.S. theaters November 1.

Aniventure and Viva Pictures announced the upcoming release of HITPIG! a new 3DCG comedy adventure based on The New York Times bestseller “Pete & Pickles” by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Berkeley Breathed. The feature film stars Jason Sudeikis as a clever bounty hunting pig who catches escaped animals and returns them to their owners. The movie hits U.S. theaters nationwide November 1.

The movie tells the story of the world’s greatest animal tracker, Hitpig (Sudeikis) who embarks on his biggest job yet: return a dancing elephant named Pickles (Lilly Singh) to a maniacal Vegas showman (Rainn Wilson), for a million bucks. The mission quickly escalates into a wild adventure around the world. When danger looms, it is up to Hitpig to save the day, but he can’t do it alone. He must realize that some things are more important than a paycheck and discovers the greatest bounty of all, friends.

Joining Sudeikis ( Ted Lasso , The Angry Birds Movie ), Singh ( The Muppets Mayhem , Riverdance: The Animated Adventure ) and Wilson ( The Office ) in the all-star voice cast are RuPaul ( RuPaul’s Drag Race ); rap artist Flavor Flav; comedian Hannah Gadsby ( Hannah Gadsby: Nanette ); pop star Anitta; Lorraine Ashbourne ( Bridgerton , The Crown ); Andy Serkis ( Planet of the Apes , Lord of the Rings ); Charlie Adler ( Transformers franchise); and Shelby Young ( Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga ).

Aniventure ( Animal Farm , Stitch Head ) produced HITPIG! with distribution by Viva Pictures ( The Amazing Maurice ) and animation by Cinesite ( The Addams Family 2 , Iwájú , Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem ). Cinzia Angelini ( Mila , Minions ) and David Feiss ( Cow & Chicken , Minions: The Rise of Gru ) direct, with Adam Nagle ( Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank , Cracké ), and Dave Rosenbaum ( Animal Farm , The Secret Life of Pets ) serving as producers. Isabella Summers of Florence & the Machine created the musical score, and Rosenbaum and Tyler Werrin ( The Lorax ) wrote the screenplay.

Viva Pictures CEO Victor Elizalde commented, "We are delighted to see indie animation continuing on its incredible growth trajectory at the theatrical level. With HITPIG! ’s witty humor, thrilling adventures, and a touching story about friendship and self-discovery, the title is a standout addition to our slate.”

“Viva Pictures has proven themselves to be one of the best and most efficient distributors of animated family films in the business,” said executive producer and Aniventure chief commercial officer Joe Della Rosa. “They have continued to believe in the importance of the theatrical experience for families, and we’re excited to be partnering with them on bringing HITPIG! to the big screen.”

Source: Aniventure

Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.

View the discussion thread.

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Paws Of Fury: The Legend Of Hank Movie Review
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank (2022)
Paws Of Fury: The Legend of Hank (review)
'Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank' Review: Mel Brooks for Tykes
Paws Of Fury: The Legend Of Hank review

COMMENTS

Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank
Advertise With Us. A down-on-his-luck hound 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 ...
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank Review
Verdict. Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank is a crass cyclone of jokes and japes that lovingly (also strangely) presents itself as a Mel Brooks movie remake, with Brooks' blessing and participation ...
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank (2022)
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank: Directed by Chris Bailey, Mark Koetsier, Rob Minkoff. With Michael Cera, Samuel L. Jackson, Ricky Gervais, Kylie Kuioka. Hank, a loveable dog with a head full of dreams about becoming a samurai, sets off in search of his destiny.
'Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank': Film Review
Rated PG, 1 hour 37 minutes. Hank, voiced by Michael Cera, is a hapless dog who finds himself recruited to protect the cat village of Kakamucho (them's the jokes, folks) from being destroyed by ...
'Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank' Review: A Tail of Two Samurai
July 14, 2022. Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank. Directed by Chris Bailey, Mark Koetsier, Rob Minkoff. Animation, Action, Comedy, Family. PG. 1h 37m. Find Tickets. When you purchase a ticket for ...
'Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank' Review: Needed More Laughs ...
'Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank' Review: It's 'Blazing Saddles' Meets 'Kung Fu Panda,' Minus the Laughs and the Fun Reviewed at AMC Lincoln Square, July 12, 2022. MPAA Rating: PG.
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank tries to be a self-aware animated action movie, but ends up being cheesy, slow, and a bit boring. Full Review | Original Score: 1/5 | Aug 17, 2022. The film's ...
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank
Hard-on-his-luck hound Hank (Michael Cera) finds himself in a town full of cats who need a hero to defend them from a ruthless villain's (Ricky Gervais) evil plot to wipe their village off the map. With help from a reluctant teacher (Samuel L. Jackson), our underdog must assume the role of town samurai and team up with the villagers to save the day. The only problem. . . cats hate dogs!
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank (2022)
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank is a new action comedy movie that will have you captivated from the beginning. With a star-studded cast, and a simple plot, the audience will be able to relate to the movie and enjoy the story. Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank is about a loveable dog named Hank (Michael Cera).
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank
The Verdict. Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank is a crass cyclone of jokes and japes that lovingly (also strangely) presents itself as a Mel Brooks movie remake, with Brooks' blessing and participation. This unique quality helps distinguish the project, even though the gags will elicit more eye-rolls than laughs.
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank
Movie Review. As anyone in the kingdom will tell you, cats are the chosen and enlightened ones of all animal kind. In fact, ... In fact, Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank feels very much like a kid's movie remake of Brooks' classic, Blazing Saddles. (Only with cats, dogs and toilet gags toned down for the elementary school set.) Now, that ...
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank Movie Review
Parents need to know that Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank is an animated comic adventure loosely based on Mel Brooks' 1974 comedy Blazing Saddles.Hank (voiced by Michael Cera) is a dog who wants nothing more than to become a samurai, even though that honor is always bestowed upon cats.He ends up assigned to defend an all-cat village and convinces a retired samurai named Jimbo (Samuel L ...
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank Review: A Meta Treat
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank Review: A Meta Treat. Ten production companies, two distributors, and three directors unite to bring a new animated martial arts comedy to life. Paws of Fury: The ...
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank (2022) Review
To prove his worth and to save the community from Ika Chu's evil plan, Hank must prove himself worthy of taking the name of samurai in the movie Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank.Directors Rob Minkoff, Mark Koetsier, and Chris Bailey's latest film takes an animated adaptation look into 1974's Blazing Saddles; following a similar narrative through the cartoon usage of cats and dogs to the ...
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank [Reviews]
All Reviews Editor's Choice Game Reviews Movie Reviews TV Show Reviews Tech Reviews. Discover. Videos. ... Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank curiously exists as a Mel Brooks movie remake, though ...
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank Review: Bad Dog. VERY Bad Dog
Even more shocking is the impressive directing team behind this abomination. Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank is co-directed by Rob Minkoff (co-director of The Lion King), Chris Bailey (director ...
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank Review
At first reluctant but eventually won over by the idea of brutally training Hank, Jimbo takes Hank under his tail and begins to train him to be a true samurai. Full of slapstick and adolescent humor, Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank is an animated re-tooling of Brooks' film Blazing Saddles seemingly mixed with elements of the Kung Fu Panda ...
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank is a 2022 animated martial arts comedy film directed by Rob Minkoff, Mark Koetsier and Chris Bailey (in Koetsier and Bailey's feature directorial debut). A loose remake of the 1974 live-action film Blazing Saddles, [b] [4] it stars the voices of Michael Cera, Ricky Gervais, George Takei, Gabriel Iglesias, Michelle Yeoh and Samuel L. Jackson with supporting ...
Movie review: 'Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank'
Movie review: 'Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank'. Bathroom humor reaches new heights — make that depths — in "Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank" (Paramount), an animated martial-arts spoof with a most unlikely provenance. Although kids are their target audience (the film flies a Nickelodeon Movies banner), directors Rob Minkoff, Mark ...
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank Summary and Synopsis
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank: plot summary, featured cast, reviews, articles, photos, and videos. Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank is a 2022 animated comedy about a dog named Hank, voiced by Michael Cera.
Movie Review: Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank is just straight-up fun, especially for adults. The pop culture references abound. From West Side Story, My Neighbor Totoro, and Godzilla to Star Wars, Jurassic ...
Movie Review: 'Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank'
The film begins by introducing us to a young Hank (Cera), whose life is saved by a Samurai cat named Jimbo (Jackson). Years later, when a warmongering cat named Ika Chu (Gervais) threatens to ...
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank
What if Blazing Saddles were a kids movie about a Dog who become a samurai in a village of cats? Well, lets find out how this turns out! Executive Produced...
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank
She scannane aittys voish y vlein 2022 ta bioghit lesh co-earrooder eh Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hanky. Va'n scannane stiurit ec Rob Minkoff, Mark Koetsier, as Chris Bailey. Ta'n scannane goaill stiagh gooyn Michael Cera, Ricky Gervais, Mel Brooks, George Takei, Aasif Mandvi, Gabriel Iglesias, Djimon Hounsou, Michelle Yeoh, as Samuel L. Jackson.
Aniventure and Viva Pictures Drop 'HITPIG!' Trailer
Aniventure and Viva Pictures announced the upcoming release of HITPIG! a new 3DCG comedy adventure based on The New York Times bestseller "Pete & Pickles" by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Berkeley Breathed. The feature film stars Jason Sudeikis as a clever bounty hunting pig who catches escaped animals and returns them to their owners. The movie hits U.S. theaters nationwide November 1.

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Reviewed at AMC Lincoln Square, July 12, 2022. MPAA Rating: PG. Running time: 97 MIN.

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