Red Dog (film) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Red Dog |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Kriv Stenders |
| Produced by | Julie Ryan Nelson Woss |
| Written by | Daniel Taplitz |
| Starring |
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| Music by | Cezary Skubiszewski |
| Cinematography | Geoffrey Hall |
| Editing by | Jill Bilcock |
| Studio | Woss Group Film Productions Screen Australia Endymion Films Essential Entertainment ScreenWest The South Australian Film Corporation |
| Distributed by | Roadshow Film Distributors |
| Release date(s) | 4 August 2011 (Australia) |
| Running time | 92 minutes |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $A8.5 million |
| Money made | A$21 million |
Red Dog is a super popular Australian family movie from 2011. It's a comedy-drama that tells the amazing true story of a famous dog named Red Dog. The movie stars a dog named Koko as Red Dog, along with actors like Josh Lucas and Rachael Taylor. The story is based on a book by Louis de Bernières and the real-life adventures of Red Dog in Western Australia.
The film was a big hit! It won many awards, including Best Film at the AACTA Awards in Australia. It first came out in cinemas on August 4, 2011.
Later, a prequel movie called Red Dog: True Blue was made in 2016. There's also a documentary from 2019 called Koko: A Red Dog Story, which is all about the dog who played Red Dog.
Contents
The Story of Red Dog
The movie's story begins in 1979 in a mining town called Dampier, Western Australia. A man named Thomas arrives late one night. He brings a statue of William Dampier to the town. When he goes into the local pub, he sees some men trying to help a very sick dog. They are sad because they think they might have to put the dog to sleep.
The men tell Thomas that the dog's name is Red Dog. They start telling him all about Red Dog's incredible life.
Red Dog's Adventures
Red Dog first arrived in Dampier in 1971. He quickly became friends with many of the miners working for Hamersley Iron. Everyone loved Red Dog. He was a dog for the whole town, but he didn't really have one owner.
Then, an American bus driver named John Grant came to town. Red Dog chose John to be his master. John started dating Nancy, who worked as a secretary. After two years, John asked Nancy to marry him.
On the night they got engaged, John told Red Dog to wait for him. The next morning, John had a motorcycle accident and sadly died.
Red Dog Searches for John
After John's death, Nancy and the miners were so sad that they forgot about Red Dog for a few days. They found him still waiting where John had told him to stay.
Red Dog waited for three weeks. Then, he decided to go look for John. He searched everywhere John used to go in Dampier. When he couldn't find him, Red Dog traveled all over the Pilbara region of Australia. He went from Perth all the way to Darwin! Some people even said he took a ship to Japan to find John.
Eventually, Red Dog became very sad and decided to return to Dampier. He found Nancy at her caravan park. She was so happy to see him!
New Friends and a Statue
The people who ran the caravan park didn't allow dogs. They even threatened to shoot Red Dog. But Nancy and John's friends from Hamersley Iron stood up for Red Dog. The park caretakers left, leaving their cat, Red Cat, behind.
Red Dog and Red Cat had a big fight at first. But they soon became friends, even though they still had their disagreements sometimes.
Back in the present day, one of the miners, Jocko, suggested something. He said the town should have a statue of Red Dog instead of William Dampier. He felt Red Dog truly represented their town.
As everyone celebrated, Red Dog quietly left the bar. People soon realized he was gone and started looking for him. They found him lying peacefully at John's grave. He had passed away.
One year later, Thomas returned to Dampier. He brought a new puppy for Nancy, a new "Red Dog." The town then unveiled a beautiful statue of Red Dog, which you can still see there today.
Meet the Cast
Here are some of the main actors and the characters they played in Red Dog:
- Koko as Red Dog
- Josh Lucas as John Grant
- Rachael Taylor as Nancy Grey
- John Batchelor as Peeto
- Noah Taylor as Jack Collins
- Keisha Castle-Hughes as Rosa
- Luke Ford as Thomas
Special Appearances
Some famous people made short appearances in the movie:
- Bill Hunter as Jumbo Smelt
- The band The Snowdroppers played music
- Louis de Bernières, who wrote the book the movie is based on, appeared as a gas station worker.
The Real Red Dog
The movie Red Dog is based on a real dog! The actual Red Dog was a Kelpie and cattle dog mix. He lived from about 1971 to November 21, 1979. He was famous for traveling all over the Pilbara region in Western Australia.
There is a statue of him in Dampier. This was one of the towns he often visited. Red Dog was born in a town called Paraburdoo. People knew him by many names, like Bluey, Tally Ho, and Dog of the Northwest.
After Red Dog died in 1979, many stories and poems were written about him. These stories inspired the book Red Dog by Louis de Bernières, which the movie is based on. There's even a club for four-wheel-drive vehicles named after him!
More Red Dog Stories
The success of Red Dog led to more stories about the famous dog.
A Musical Show
In 2012, it was announced that Red Dog would become a stage musical! An Australian theatre producer named John Frost and the movie's producer, Nelson Woss, worked together on this project.
Prequel and Spin-off Films
- A prequel movie, Red Dog: True Blue, was filmed in 2015 and released on December 26, 2016. This film shows Red Dog's younger days and explores the history of the Pilbara region. Since the original dog, Koko, had passed away, a new dog played Red Dog in this movie.
- A documentary called Koko: A Red Dog Story came out in 2019. This film tells the life story of Koko, the amazing dog who played Red Dog in the first movie.
Images for kids
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Theatrical release poster
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Left to right: Arthur Angel, John Batchelor, Kriv Stenders, Nelson Woss and Daniel Taplitz at the AACTA Awards in 2012.
See also
In Spanish: Red Dog para niños
