My Dog Tulip ****

A cartoon for adult dog lovers, "My Dog Tulip" is a 2D version of writer J.R. Ackerly's memoir of his long relationship with a German Shepherd (called "Alsatians" in post WWII England) who gave Ackerly the love and devotion he could not find elsewhere. Obviously a labor of love, this work is reportedly the first feature-length cartoon drawn on a tablet computer. The style suits the remembrance well, with detailed drawings for narrative, a simpler style for remembrances, and a stick figure style on yellow lined background for musings and conjectures. The attitudes depicted are from its time, fifties London, and some, regarding cleaning up after your pet, or breeding, may jar your 21st century sensibility. The narration by Christopher Plummer is especially fine.

Not rated (but be warned, this is not a children's program). 83 minutes. Paul Fierlinger - Director / Writer (screenplay) / Editor, Sandra Fierlinger - Director. / Writer (screenplay), J.R. Ackerley - Writer (novel), Howard Kaminsky - Producer, Frank Pellegrino - Producer, Norman Twain - Producer, John Avarese - Composer. Distributed by New Yorker Films.

Principal voices: Christopher Plummer, Lynn Redgrave, Isabella Rossellini.