First Look at "Guard Dog"

By: Andrew Bermudez

(Lego Studios; May 29, 2012)

     This Friday will be a big day for traditional animation, mainly because that day heralds in the releases of Gone Ice Fishin' and Guard Dog. "We are very excited about this Friday," said Lego Studios CEO Mark Matthew. "We have two great animated shorts that are all-new, which is a nice break from our recent From the Vaults re-releases." Until Friday rolls around, though, we would like to give you a first look at Guard Dog.

     Unlike the laborious schedule for the Gone Ice Fishin' production, Guard Dog was a much simpler film, made in only four months. "That's not to say that quality was put on the line," said Steve Brocko, head of the traditional animation department. "On the contrary, we made sure that this film looked its absolute best. It may not be long, but the quality of animation is still at its best."

     However, the character of Col. Bow Wow and the overall concept of the film were not the first in mind for this project. Originally, the film was going to be an animated film for Com 50, an old super spy character that was introduced to the online world recently. "However," said Steve Brocko. "A film of that scale would take hundreds of animators almost a year to make. We only had four months, so we had to go with something else." The second idea is this one you're reading about today, featuring guard dog Col. Bow Wow vs. thief Willie Swipe inside Dr. Leinad Laboratories. Here's an interesting fact: Leinad is Daniel, the voice actor for Johnny Thunder, spelled backwards.

Col. Bow Wow stands guard in this acrylic character design by Andrew Bermudez

      "Col. Bow Wow is an interesting character," said Steve Brocko. "While he's supposed to be a massive dog, his body shape is actually closer to a buffalo. Even his dog-like face is positioned on the body more in the manner of a buffalo. This really brings out his massive form, making him the perfect hero for our piece." When his character was being developed, his design almost literally spoke the essence of a guard dog, and the rest is animation history.

Concept art by Andrew Bermudez for the inside of Dr. Leinad Laboratories

     The next step was to give him something to guard. Writer Peter Samuel shared his experiences when he said, "At first, we were going to have him guard a vault in a bank, but that was too cliche. Jewelry stores were overdone as well, along with secret recipes. But one day, out of the blue, I just came up with the idea of a secret specimen vault in a lab. I just fell in love with the idea, and we all ran with it."

     However, for every hero there is a villain, and Col. Bow Wow needed someone to come into direct conflict with. "We kind of had the idea for Willie Swipe since day 1," recounts Steve Brocko. "He was a natural counterpart to Col. Bow Wow, since they are so different looking." Indeed, while Col. Bow Wow was big and bulky, Willie Swipe was tall and slender. They were even going to have a big fight, but due to time restrictions, it was reduced down to a cheesy banana peel gag. Then it was reduced again to its current version, which is being kept secret at the moment.

     "I feel that the finished product will be great," said Mark Matthew. "We have two very unique characters facing off in an unique environment. The film is highly detailed, is fun to watch, and is very funny." Be sure to watch it for yourself when it comes out June 1st.

     In other news, the previously-halted projects have now resumed development. The next Tales of the Adventurers will be released this weekend, Com 50 and 007 will return July 20th, Zoo Flight will wind its way in this summer, Mystery at Shady Acres will return August 17th, and Johnny Thunder and the Wisdom of the Ancients will be discovered summer 2014. Another short, but unique, film scheduled for this fall will be announced this Friday.
     Update: For an undisclosed reason, the name of the film was switched at the last minute from Guard Dog to Night Guard.