DOG SQUADRON is a World War Two fighter pilot film in which all of the pilots happen to be puppies in miniature planes.

Join Sergeant Stubbs, the nervous young leader of Dog Squadron, as he leads his litter of misfit pups against General Woofenstein, the barking mad Furry Fuhrer of the Luftwoofe… Now it’s up to Stubbs to try and teach his pups some obedience whilst in the midst of one of the fiercest battles ever seen!

A thrilling blend of live-action, miniatures and animation, Dog Squadron will charm or chew the pants off even the grumpiest old hound.

After being thoroughly pre-visualised by its world-class VFX team, Dog Squadron went into production in September 2014. Filmed in a green-screen studio in Sydney with real puppies sitting in miniature WW2 fighter planes, Dog Squadron was paw-tentially the most bizarre day of filming its crew had ever experienced; wind machines blowing air into howling Golden Retrievers while Miniature Schnauzers and Pugs ran around in Gestapug outfits. The real challenge of the day was getting everybody to stop instagramming (#dogsquadron) and actually get the cameras rolling.

This outrageously cute footage was then cut together and handed over to Marc Tingle and Rotor Studios, who were to spend the next eight months of their lives rotoscoping, tracking and animating dogs and dogs and dogs. A 3D environment was created, into which the live-action footage was composited along with some computer-generated pooches to do some of the more elaborate stunts which made the real dogs’ tails go between their legs.

Once Dog Squadron’s visuals started coming to life an all-star human cast was assembled, including Matt Milne (Downton Abbey, War Horse), Bruce Spence (Mad Max, Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, The Matrix Revolutions), Roy Billing (The Dish, Underbelly) and Lizzie Schebesta (Sleeping Beauty, Felony).

The award-winning team behind Dog Squadron saw to it that every second of their four-minute production was to be packed with as much cute as the internet could handle, all whilst crafting a compelling and laugh-filled story full of rich characters and a world which lends itself to further exploration in future Doggy adventures!

The walkies don’t end once the credits stop rolling, with Dog Squadron’s incredible social media team em-bark-ing on missions across Facebook, Instagram and Youtube to deliver audiences a true multi-platform experience. Additional content on these mediums explores Dog Squadron’s characters, production process and unique social message; with an “Adopt the Dogs of Dog Squadron” campaign partnering with incredible groups to encourage the adoption of shelter animals worldwide. 

So follow this scent online to get your tail wagging with DOG SQUADRON. Meet the team on Facebook & Instagram.