Doggie March

Doggie March is a 1963 film American drama Japanese movie released in Dec 13, 1963. It follows over a Akita dog named rock who, after losing his mother to an evil tiger, he goes on an adventure to avenge her death, meeting new and old companions along the way, eventually finding a love of his own. The film was released in English theaters in an English dub on December 15, 1989, and again in Japan on November 16, 1990. While the film had received positive reviews in Japan, it’s English dubbing received mixed reviews.

## Plot

In a  forest leaves, a dog named rock, an Akita dog living with his beloved mother in a cabin. His friends are the forest animals, which he goes to visit every day. he is very close to his mother and goes with her. One day, they go to help the owner fix the tractor, and after they fail, his mother teaches him how to hunt. However, a tiger named killer appears and gets rid of his mother, eating her. Rock is distraught by this, and after losing the cabin and ending up poverty, rock, decides to go find killer in order to avenge him for causing his mother’s death, bidding farewell to the forest animals.

Rock  eventually meets  a dog named Mimi on the first course of the journey. Mimi doesn’t like him and constantly brushes him off, but after rock saves her from a wolf, she begins to respect him and know him better. They eventually come across an old rabbit named Flam, who reluctantly allows them to stay the night with his family in a burrow, as they will leave first thing in the morning.

The next morning, Rock and Mimi  eventually continue the journey. As they reached the city, they encounter a group of karate dogs named the blueprints. The leader of the blueprints, Karashi, listens to the story of rock and allows him to know that he once encountered killer, and they both had a fight. This led to him getting a scar on his eye, and eventually, killer had promised that he would be back. He decides to teach rock how to defeat killer by himself.

Killer  and his bumbly fox assistant, Akamimi, eventually reached the city. Rock, Mimi, and the karate dogs discovered that they are headed towards a Bayou to look for a diamond. While trying to find a shortcut to the Bayou, they encounter an eagle that leads them to the destination they are looking for. During this process, Rocky bonds with Mimi.

Meanwhiel, Killer captures a small otter named Jacob, and take him to his place. He schedules him to find the diamond to bring it to him. After crash, landing in the Bayou, thanks to some fireworks, rock, Mimi, and the blueprints group encounter a kindly badger who revealed to them that he had once moved in the swamps. Rock and Mimi sneak into the abandoned boat and are chased by alligators, but they managed to hide and find the otter, setting him free. They decide to go find the diamond themselves.

The next morning, they arrive at the Devils eye pirates cave, which feels in when the tide comes. They find the diamond encased in a pirate skull, unfortunately, it is tightly sealed. As the cave is starting to flood, rock uses a sword in order to pop it open, freeing the diamond. They eventually escape with a rope, bringing the diamond to Akamimi.

Killer  encounters rock and challenges him to a dual.  However, rock loses the dual, and his placed into a barrel at sea, rescued by a little girl who adopts him. Mimi goes to find him, encountering him with the little girl. However, they are soon chased by Killer and his tribe, and are cornered at a rock ledge. Mimi jumps off the diving into the water, and rock, after some hesitance, follows as well. Killer, upon seeing some air bubbles, believes them dead and leaves, while the little girl mourns her two pets. However, a while out playing in the field and admiring flowers, she encounters rock, and Mimi, having held their breath and swam all the way into the lake, much to her relief and joy.

Eventually, the little girl moves with her family, and they are left behind. Rock and Mimi escaped and encounter Jacob,  a dimwitted crow. Jerome is freed when a cat named Dragon attacks, and he eventually repay Rocky and Mimi by saving them and taking them to a safe place away from the cat.  He says that his son,  Timothy, is very ill, needs some medicine to be cured. They go to me an old grumpy mouse named Mr. Jenner, who makes a potion and create some medicine for Timothy, but they lose the medicine after accidentally awakening dragon. Timothy dies, and Jerome angrily accuses them for having caused Timothy’s death. Rock, now understanding what it feels like after losing his mother, goes upstairs to where Timothy lays and sings a lullaby his mother used to sing to him, reviving Timothy, and awakening him, much to Jerome’s gratitude.

Killer goes frustrated in Akamimi for his countless fails and abandoned him in the sewer. Akamimi later and counters, an elephant and gets injured when he is slammed into a tree. The blueprints encounter the forced animals and after learning what he did their home, decide to get revenge. Rick and Mimi find the tribe with Akamimi, who tell them that killer has gone too far. Rock goes angry, but Mimi and animals calm him down by getting into a group hug.

They  encounter killer and confront him, getting into a fight. Killer demands that Akamimi kills Rock,  but he refuses. Angers, the tiger throws him against a  wooden board and starts attacking. The dogs and other dogs that rocket rally against him, and during the fight, Mimi is knocked unconscious. Rock tells  the animals to take care of Mimi and fights killer on top of the speeding roller coaster. Killer falls off the roller coaster and tricks rock into helping him, throwing him off, but he luckily lands safely in the sand. Killer  laughs over his victory, but the roller coaster screeches and he falls  to his death. As it begins to rain, rock, struggles upward,  awakens Mimi, and celebration, the dogs march down the street.

## Characters

- Rock (voiced by an actor in Japan and an English actor in US dubbing) - an Akita dog.  The main character of the movie, he’s shown to be a skilled little playful Akita puppy. He is also very close to his mother and has a playful friendship with the forest animals.  when he loses his mother to kill her, a tiger when they are learning to hunt one day, he begins to cry and mourns her. Last, he goes to get his revenge, bonding with Mimi after encountering her while marching into the forest to defeat her. He’s shown to deeply care for Mimi and will feel enraged if somebody tries to harm her. He also is very wary towards strangers, and shown to have a fear of water, though he conquers it when he dives into the water to escape killer. He also has the habit of holding his breath underwater, as he shown, gasping where he and Mimi surface from the water. At the end of the film, he feels proud that he had finally avenged his mother.
- Mimi (voiced by a Japanese actor and later by an English voice actress in the US dubbing) - Rock’s  best friend.  She is shown to be very affectionate towards the rock and even teases him, though he playfully just chuckles and goes along with it. When she first met Rock, she didn’t like him jealous of him, but after rock saved her from a wolf by fighting off the wolf, she started bonding with him and getting to know him better. Also, she loves to eat berries. She is shown to be afraid of killer, and tries to protect a rock before killer could pounce on him, showing that she cares for him the same way that rock cares for Mimi. When Mimi was knocked unconscious, rock was then shocked, and when he tried to wake her up, he glared at killer furiously for trying to hurt her. She smiled at the ending of the film when rock nudged her by waking her up and when they were marching down the street in celebration.
- Karashi - a German Shepherd that is the leader of the blueprint karate dogs. He is very stern and stoic, and his ears rarely move when he sees rock. However, he is shown to be very caring towards the blueprints, when they fall into the Bayou water after falling out of the eagle as he seen trying to grab each and every one of them to make sure they don’t get hurt. He also has a fear of the devil’s cave, despite his usual nature.   In the English dubbing, his stern nature was toned down, and he’s shown to care for rock, having a fatherly relationship towards each other.
- The blueprints dogs - The group that trains rock to fight killer. They are known for having good karate. At the end of the film and an opening credits, they are showing marching.
- Killer - an evil Bengal tiger. After having gotten rid of rock’s mother, he’s shown to live in a cave, constantly bemoaning. He has a bumble and clumsy, fox assistant. He’s shown to want the diamond and goes to great measures to get it. When he gets furious, he has shown to gravel furiously. He’s shown to fall from the roller coaster, while laughing, thinking that rock had died from the fall and let out a roar when he falls down to the ground.
- Flam - a very old grumpy rabbit. He’s shown to be very snappish and live with his family of rabbits, his wife, and 20 rabbit children. He owns a burrow deep down to the ground and hates visitors, but is shown to be reluctant when he welcomes in rock and Mimi to stay with him for a while the rain clears. His burrow is very wide and damp, but it provides enough room for rock. He speaks with a Germany accent.
- Badger - one that lives in the swamp. When rock and everyone else falls into the Bayou, he’s shown to help them.
- Jacob - a crow that is dimwitted but nice. He has a very sick son named Timothy that needs to get well. He owns a small barriage in a log. he has shown to get very angry after rock and Mimi failed to deliver the medicine so they can heal his son, as he believed it was the only hope for him to heal, and it’s shown to scold rock for wasting time. However, he gets gratitude when his son is revived, and he apologizes for getting mad at them, and in turn, joins them in the final battle by pecking killer in the eye.
- Akamimi - a fox  companion of killer. He is very bumble and humble, and they shown to be way nicer. He shown to be very close to killer despite his bumbling way, and he gets hurt all the time, like having things fall on him, stumbling, and crashing into things. When killer leaves him, he’s shown crime silently with tears streaming down his face. Near at the ending of the film, finally having enough of the way his boss treats him, he says no to his commands to kill Rock, despite getting an injury after he slammed into a tree by a furious killer. Near the end, he showed to recover by standing up and running off, to find his own destiny.
- Rock’s mother - a very close mother to rock. She loves him dearly and  loves to play with him. She is also very wise while teaching him how to hunt. Rock is showing to be heartbroken when his mother is gone by killer. She tells rock to go and save himself, even giving him a nudge and saying that she loves him.  She can be seen proudly in spirit form, knowing that her son had finally avenged her death, and he had honored her legacy.
- Timothy - Jacob’s sick son.  He’s shown to be coughing and sneezing all the time, first shown when he is laying in a bed, being fed soup by Jacob, though he accidentally spilled the soup all over himself when he is stirring it for him. Jacob cares for his son Timothy very much and is heartbroken when he dies. After rock sings a lullaby his mother used to sing him, this revives Timothy, and he briefly gasps when waking up.
- Forest animals - Rock’s  companions. They love rock and are very playful towards him. When he says goodbye to him, they are sad. However, he assures that he will return.  They are to be very sympathetic after his cabin, taken away and end up in poverty.

## Soundtrack

- Opening - 0:50
- Rock introduction - 1:30
- Tractor fixing/time to hunt - 4:00
- Tragedy - 5:40
- Rock leaves - 6:40
- Meeting Mimi/Wolf attack/Rabbit shelter - 6:07
- Going to the city - 1:40
- blueprint dogs - 2:00
- Training montage - 1:30
- I got to have the diamond!/Akamimi, what’s wrong? - 3:20
- Just a grumpy old lion - 0:50
- When I am with you (sung by a female voice actress of Mimi) - 4:00
- Great big balls of fire!/Mayday - 2:40
- Organ/crocodile chase - 1:20
- Freeing the otter - 2:04
- In the black hole/the devils eye/tide’s coming in! - 3:28
- Stakeout dual - 1:40
- Lost at sea/rock meets little girl 2:40
- Killer chases dogs 7:04
- Cat chase 1:50
- Meeting Mr. Jenner - 3:40
- Reviving Timothy (flying dreams) - 4:00
- Killer leaves Akakamimi - 2:05
- Elephant fight - 2:04
- Fighting the tiger 9:08
- Ending - 3:05
- Flying dreams (end credits version 1989) - 3:27

## Music score pieces for scenes

these are the scenes for  the heartwarming, epic, dramatic, and tearjerking scenes.

The opening starts out with rock as a puppy playing with his mother and playfully with the forest, animals animals, and sleeping by her during the night.

After his mother failed to fix the tractor, his mother takes him out for a hunt.  soon enough, she is eaten by killer, the Bengal tiger, leaving rock distraught as he begins crying.

after losing his cabin, the forest, animals, feel sympathy for rock and trying to comfort him. When rock goes out to killer to get his revenge.

During the Wolf attack, blaring trumpets, intense music, and wolf howls can be seen when rock fight the wolf.  It is usual seen in shadows as they fight.

When staying with the rabbit, there is calm, violin music.

when they are leaving for the city, there is music to describe the city scene.

The training, montage features rock training to get rid of killer.

At the  I’ve got to have the diamond scene, there is solemn and serious music when killer is discussing his plans, such when Mimi says that killer is insane. However, it turns humorous when Akamimi is shouted in the face by killer, asking what is wrong.

during the crocodile organ scene, when rock and Mimi are blown about by the organ, there’s a scene where rock attempts to swim down to the ground, but it’s caught up in the air before he can do so. Also, Mexican music plays when rock and Mimi escape upstairs to free the otter.

The tides coming in scene is shown as dramatic. It’s slowly starts with solemn music as they are lower down by killer to get the diamond. Then, afterwards, there is sudden sharp music when the tide comes in. Also, when rock and Mimi are struggling, underwater, ominous music plays and again when the blueprint dogs are struggling for air. Eventually, dramatic music begins to play as a struggle to escape the devil cave before it is too late, being sucked into the whirlpool and being covered by the wave, and getting stuck underwater and dragged underneath.

Also,  when killer chases the dogs,  dramatic music plays as they try to escape. Also, climatic music plays when Mimi dives off the cliff into the water and disappears, and  again when rock jumps down into the water. Also, there is calm music when they surface and gasp and cough for air after being underwater for so long, before air bubbles start bubbling as they surface.

Also, sad music plays when the little girl leaves with her family to move, but it turns happy again when the dogs  and counter Jacob, who is feeding his son soup to recover.

Dramatic begins to when they encounter the cat in our chase, and scenes featuring the cat. Emotional music plays when they lose  the medicine and when Jacob calls them out, and calling out Rock as he doesn’t know what it feels like to lose someone important.

Also, when Rock is singing flying dreams,  his voice is shown to waver and break a few times.

The emotional music plays again when killer leaves the fox behind, and when his companion is starting to cry after being abandoned. Mexican music begins to play through the elephant fight.

Also, dramatic and climatic music plays during the fight for the tiger. Soon after,  marching music shown in the films trailer and opening plays during the end when they are marching to celebrate their victory.