Flanders no Inu

Title:Flanders no Inu
The Dog of Flanders
フランダースの犬
Overall:Rent
Keywords: , , , ,
Notables: R1 License - Pioneer (Defunct)
TANGE Sakura
Nello is a young poor boy who lives only with his grandfather and has a passion for art. He is friends with Aloise, who comes from a wealthy background and supports him in his artwork. They find and befriend a young beaten dog and name it Patrasche, who becomes a loyal companion to Nello. Despite the hard work and difficult times that Nello must face, he strives to become an artist like the talented Peter Paul Rubens.
(Summary Courtesy of Anime News Network)


103 minute film adaptation of Marie Louisa de la Ramee's 1872 novel released in Japan on March 15, 1997.
Licensed by Pioneer.
OverallArtAnimationCharacter Design MusicSeries StoryEpisode StoryReviewer
Rent 8 7 6 8 8 Ggultra2764 [series:2740#1552]
If you're looking for a faithful adaptation of Dog of Flanders that doesn't sugarcoat or tone down things like many live-action adaptations have done, then this animated film will be for you. This anime faithfully follows the tragic and cruel life of Nello and his dog Patrasche as the boy tries to maintain a positive outlook on things despite one cruel event after another happening to him. Several events occur with the boy throughout the movie that serve to worsen his impoverished situation further and push his outlook on living to the limits from confronting Patrasche's former abusive owner to worrying for the health of his grandfather to dealing with the father of his close friend Alois trying to prevent the two from being together due to their differing social classes. The movie is believable in depicting the harsh reality of Nello's time period, showing the large divide between social classes and the daily struggles faced by the peasant class. Nello's case shows the worst that could happen with the impoverished during that time, as any hopeful moment that comes upon him is ripped apart by the harshness of reality and leads up to the movie's tragic ending that could have been preventable considering a few events that come up towards the movie's climax.

The animation for the film is on the simple side, but does well to compliment the movie's mix of joyful and tragic moments that Nello faces, with some nice use of CG animation to enhance the drama of the film's tragic ending. The soundtrack for Dog of Flanders consists of light musical pieces and classical music accompany the movie's light and serious moments to great effect here and a ballad that accompanies the film's credits.

If you choose to try tracking Dog of Flanders down via legal means, do be warned that it isn't so easy to acquire since it's been over a decade since the film's release stateside. Pioneer released the film subbed and uncut on VHS in 1999, followed up with an English dub-only release on DVD in 2000 that was edited to remove scenes considered objectionable or slow-moving. Otherwise, this is a worthwhile animated film for families to look into that is one of the more faithful adaptations of the 19th century novel that you will come across.

Last updated Sunday, June 16 2013. Created Sunday, June 16 2013.

Other Sites
NameURL
Dog of Flanders Buried Treasure Article http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/buried-treasure/2008-03-06/the-dog-of-flanders
Old Anime News Network article covering Dog of Flanders.

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