The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Joining forces with Spain’s Arcadia Motion Pictures, Capitan Arana and Pachacamac, Tangent Studio (the Canadian version of Pixar) is  feature Ozzy – a colourful animation with a loveable title character that will keep youngsters amused enough, but offers little for adults.

Ozzy is a delightfully cute beagle that enjoys a life of luxury with the Martin family. However, his life is soon turned upside down when the family decide to take a trip to Japan; a trip that he can’t go on. The Martins decide to check Ozzy in a most popular and elite doggy boarding homes called the Blue Creek – but not all is as it seems.

Ozzy soon discovers that the Blue Creek is actually more like a prison of sorts, where he and other ‘guests’ are made to do manual labour. Fellow inmates Chester (Bajo) and Doc (Beteta) rally around Ozzy, as the threesome plot an escape.

While Ozzy is primarily aimed at children, the idea of a loveable family pet being trapped in a place full of such hostility and darkness is a little heavy for its intended target audience. Luckily, however, the comedy keeps the story on a relatively even keel, despite the tone feeling a little dated.

The voice support given, mainly from a group of actors unknown to the mainstream audience, all do a fine job in bringing their characters to life, especially the story’s protagonist who brings just enough enthusiasm and heart to keep us rooting for his escape. Unfortunately, though, the actors can only do so much, as it is the writing itself – the animated work is to some degree acceptable – that is the main problem here, with the writers struggling to keep things amusing, poignant and, most of all, fresh.