A lonely British man well into his 50s recalls his 16 year relationship with a dog he affectionately refers to as the Alsatian bitch. Rescuing the animal at 18 months from an abusive and confining home, the man describes his trials raising the loving but rambunctious dog in stark and humorous detail. As he grows more and more fond of the creature, he determines to make it as happy as possible by finding it a mate, another effort which causes him more and more consternation. "My Dog Tulip" is a touching and delightfully offbeat animated film based on the book by J.R. Ackerley. Made by Paul and Sandra Fierlinger, the film is the first to be hand drawn by paperless computer equipment, and the end result is a lovely design comparable to the work of Sylvain Chomet (
The Triplets of Belleville,
The Illusionist). Ackerley's words have such poetry to them and they are spoken with such grace by Christopher Plummer who supplies his voice. Lynn Redgrave does nice voicework as well in what would be her last role as his demanding sister. "My Dog Tulip" is a touching film that shows both the range and power of animation.
