American Dog (partially found original version of "Bolt" Disney animated film; 2007-2008)

Original title treatment.

Status: Partially Found

American Dog was a Disney animated film written and directed by Chris Sanders (who also directed and written Disney's 2002 animated feature film Lilo & Stitch), that was due to be released in 2007. However, due to production issues and Sanders reportedly refusing to listen to the advice given by Disney executives on how to fix the film, he left the film's production and the film's concepts later became realized in Disney's 2008 animated feature film Bolt.

Plot

The protagonist of the film was a canine actor, Henry, who stars in his own show where he's a secret agent. Sanders described the plot as follows:

"Henry, a famous TV dog, finds himself stranded in the Nevada desert. Out in the world for the first time, Henry's tidy life of scripted triumph has come to an end, and his 2,000 mile trek through the real world is just beginning."

Henry would run into a giant, radioactive rabbit and a cat with an eyepatch who had access to a classic car. He would con them into helping him get back home all the while learning how to interact with normal people and live without being served on hand and foot. John Travolta, Thomas Haden Chruch, and Mario Cantone were rumored to be the voices for the trio. According to artist Mike Gabriel in the book, They Drew As They Pleased: The Hidden Art of Disney's New Golden Age, during his travels Henry would come across 'The Lady In Black,' a circus performer from the 1930s who had done a fire act with a gorilla. She was now holed up in a mansion in the swamps of Georgia. A mutant girl scout named Ruth (or Ruthie) and a sexy Vegas waitress named Jo Night were also part of the film in some way.

Availability

Ultimately, the film was considered too surreal and "too bold" by the executives at Disney. Sanders got kicked off the project in late 2006 and replaced by Chris Williams and Byron Howard, spurring Sanders to leave Disney entirely and later join DreamWorks Animation. The film was soon re-written and became Bolt, which was released in 2008. In honor of American Dog, Sanders reused the eyepatch-wearing cat (who would become the character Mittens in the final film) in his webcomic, Kiskaloo.

Still, very little production material and artwork of American Dog has been released or leaked to the public and all that is known to currently exist of Bolt's original incarnation is test footage of the film shown at SIGGRAPH 2005.

Gallery

Images

• 

  Concept art of Henry and the eyepatch-wearing cat.

• 

  Concept art of Henry in a casino. By Paul Felix.

• 

  Concept art of the rabbit.

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  Concept art.

• 

  Concept art of the cat.

• 

  Art of Ruth the mutant Girl Scout. By Mark Anthony Austin.

• 

  Art of Vegas waitress Jo Night. By Mark Anthony Austin.

Footage

Test footage from the film shown at SIGGRAPH 2005.

Compilation of test footage for the film.

Videos

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See Also

Disney Animated Films

• Aladdin (found Howard Ashman treatment of Disney animated film; 1988)
• Alice in Wonderland (partially lost original draft of Disney animated film; 1939)
• The Black Cauldron (partially found deleted scenes of Disney animated film; 1985)
• American Dog (partially found original version of "Bolt" Disney animated film; 2007-2008)
• Dumbo II (partially found production material from cancelled Disney animated film sequel; 2000s)
• Fantasia (partially lost original audio of Disney animated film; 1940)
• Fantasia 2006 (partially lost production material for cancelled Disney animated film sequel; 2002-2004)
• Frozen (partially found early drafts of Disney animated film; 1937-2012)
• The Jungle Book (lost Bill Peet version of Disney animated film; 1963-1964)
• Kingdom Of The Sun (partially found cancelled original version of "The Emperor's New Groove" Disney animated film; late 1990s)
• The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (partially found production material and deleted scenes of Disney animated sequel film; 1995-1998)
• My Peoples (partially found production material of cancelled Disney animated film; late 1990s-early 2000s)
• Pinocchio (lost Mel Blanc’s "Gideon the Cat" dialogue from Disney animated film; 1940)
• The Search for Mickey Mouse (lost production material of cancelled Disney animated film; 2002)
• The Seven Dwarfs (partially found cancelled direct-to-video prequel to "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs"; 2000s)
• Tangled (partially found early drafts of Disney animated film; 2001-2010)
• Wild Life (lost production material for cancelled Disney animated film; late 1990s-2000)

Disney Channel

• 101 Dalmatians: The Series (partially found unaired pilot episode of Disney animated TV series; 1996)
• Amazing Animals (found Disney Channel animated educational series; 1996-1999)
• Arwin! (partially found pilot of cancelled spin-off of "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody" Disney Channel sitcom; 2007)
• Bonkers "Fall Apart Bomb Squad" (found episode of Disney Channel animated series; 1993)
• Country Club (partially found test pilot of "Big City Greens" Disney Channel adventure-comedy animated series; 2015)
• Disney Channel Interactive (lost Dish Network game channel; late 2000s)
• Disney Channel "Disney's One Too" (partially lost "Recess" gags of TV channel block; 1999-2003)
• Disney's Coyote Tales (found Disney Channel extended version of "The Coyote's Lament" animated short; 1991)
• Disney's Doug (found episodes of animated TV series; 1996-1999)
• Dreamfinders (unproduced Disney Channel series based on "Journey Into Imagination" Epcot ride; 1983)
• Dumbo's Circus (partially found Disney Channel live action puppet series; 1985-1986)
• Fish Hooks (partially found unreleased pilot of Disney Channel animated series; 2009)
• Going Wild with Jeff Corwin (partially found Disney Channel documentary series; 1997-1999)
• Gravity Falls (found Comic Con 2012 promo of Disney Channel animated mystery comedy series; 2012)
• Gravity Falls (found pitch pilot of Disney Channel animated mystery comedy series; 2010)
• Hannah Montana (lost production material of cancelled anime adaptation of Disney Channel teen sitcom; 2009-2010)
• Herbie the Lovebug (lost Disney Channel animated pilot; late 1990s-2000s)
• J.O.N.A.S. (lost unaired pilot of "Jonas" Disney Channel comedy series; 2007)
• Katbot (partially found unreleased Disney Channel animated series; 2005)
• Lizzie McGuire "Season 3" (lost production material of unfinished season of Disney Channel comedy series; 2020)
• Minnie Takes Care of Pluto (found original English audio of Mickey Mouse Works animated short; 2000)
• Mousercise (partially found Disney Channel exercise series; 1983-1996)
• Mouseterpiece Theater (partially found Disney Channel cartoon compilation series; 1983-1990)
• Pepper Ann (partially found unaired Nickelodeon pilot of Disney animated series; 1996)
• Phineas and Ferb (lost script of cancelled theatrical film based on animated series; 2010s)
• Phineas and Ferb: Shooting Star Milkshake Bar (partially found full version of song; late 2000s)
• Phineas and Ferb: Spot the Diff (found Disney Channel animated special; 2008)
• Recess "The Break In" (partially found pilot of Disney animated TV series; 1996)
• Star and the Forces of Evil (partially found unaired pitch pilot of Disney Channel animated series; 2011)
• Teen Angel (partially found Disney Channel serial drama; 1989)
• The All-New Mickey Mouse Club (partially found revival of Disney variety TV series; 1989-1994)
• The Jersey (partially lost Disney Channel sports themed comedy series; 1999-2004)
• The Owl House (partially found unaired pilot of Disney Channel animated series; 2017)
• The Proud Family (partially lost unaired Nickelodeon pilot of Disney Channel animated sitcom; 1999)
• Welcome to Pooh Corner (partially found Disney Channel live-action puppet series; 1983-1986)
• What's Stevie Thinking? (lost unaired pilot of cancelled spin-off of "Lizzie McGuire" Disney Channel comedy series; 2003)

Playhouse Disney

• Adventures in Nutrition with Captain Carlos (partially found Playhouse Disney animated short series; 2004-2007)
• Bear in the Big Blue House "Water, Water Everywhere" (lost unaired pilot of Disney Channel puppet series; 1997)
• Bear in the Big Blue House (partially lost original English audio of Playhouse Disney puppet series; 1997-2006)
• Breakfast with Bear (partially found episodes of Playhouse Disney spin-off series; 2005-2006)
• Handy Manny (partially found unaired pilot of Playhouse Disney CGI animated series; 2005)
• Little Einsteins (lost second pitch pilot of Playhouse Disney animated series; existence unconfirmed; 2004)
• Out of the Box (partially lost Playhouse Disney children's series; 1998-2004)
• PB&J Otter (partially found original credits sequences of Playhouse Disney animated series; 1998-2000)
• Playhouse Disney UK (partially lost interstitial material of children's TV channel; 1999-2006)
• Stanley (found unaired pilot episode of Playhouse Disney animated series; 1999)
• The Book of Pooh (found Playhouse Disney puppet series; 2001-2004)

Disney Junior

• Beverly Hills Chihuahuas (found pilot of cancelled Disney Junior animated adaptation of film series; 2012)
• Jungle Junction (lost pilots of Disney Junior CGI animated series; 2003; 2005; 2008)

Toon Disney

• Teamo Supremo (partially lost Toon Disney animated series; 2002-2004)
• Toon News (partially found CGI Interstitial Toon Disney series; 2004/2005)

Disney XD

• Billion Dollar Freshmen (lost unaired pilot episode of "Lab Rats" Disney XD live-action comedy TV series; 2010)
• DXP (partially found Disney XD video game block; 2017)
• Power Rangers Animated Series (lost Disney XD pilot of animated adaptation of live-action superhero series; existence unconfirmed; 2007-2009)

Other

• Green Monkeys (lost Disney pilot; 1999)
• La Chambre Folle (lost French Disney children's TV block; 1998)
• Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers (found English dub of anime series; 2015)
• Robodz (lost Disney Toei animated TV series; 2008)
• The Mouse Factory (partially found Disney live-action/animated TV series; 1972-1973)
• The Shnookums and Meat Funny Cartoon Show (found episodes of Disney animated TV series; 1995)
• X-Heart (partially found unreleased English dub of "X-Coração" Brazilian animated TV series; 2014)

External Links

• Wikipedia page for Bolt which includes information about American Dog.