Footrot Flats: The Dog's Tale

A small town called Raupo in New Zealand. The farmer Wal Footrot deals with his land and with the rest of his life alongside his dog. He has to win over Cheeky Hobson, he has to look good at Saturday's rugby match, and he has a score to settle with the Murphys on the neighbouring farm. The one actually telling all of it, though, is the dog. Directed by Murray Ball, the film was adapted from Footrot Flats, the comic strip he drew himself and New Zealand's best loved one. It was the country's first feature-length animation, and when it opened in 1986 it took the biggest opening week the country had seen. The music is by Dave Dobbyn; Slice of Heaven, which came out of the film, became one of the best known songs in the region. The humour is rural, direct and not dressed up at all.