Twentieth Century Fox
Starring: Owen Wilson, George Lopez, Emma Stone, Lee Pace, Judy Greer, William H. Macy
Also starring: George, Mai Tai
Directed by: Tom Dey

Synopsis: Based on the long-running comic strip by Brad Anderson, Marmaduke is a gigantic Great Dane (played by George and voiced by Owen Wilson) who lives with the Winslow family. When Phil Winslow (Lee Pace) gets an opportunity to move his family to Orange County, California, to work on an ad campaign for an organic dog food company, he jumps at the chance. It’s now up to his family and Marmaduke to adjust by making new friends and finding their place in their new surroundings.

Featured Feline: Marmaduke’s best friend is the family cat named Carlos, who is played by a Balinese or Rag Doll Blue (can’t confirm which breed exactly) named Mai Tai and voiced by comedian George Lopez. I don’t remember there being a cat character in the original comic strip and I can’t confirm this beyond him being listed as such on Wikipedia. Whether or not the cat is in the original strip he certainly plays a more prominent role in this film, essentially being Marmaduke’s sidekick. There is also a Kitty Cameo by an orange tabby who is being taunted at the cool dogs’ party under the pier.

Kitty Carnage Warning! While the violence in this film is strictly of the cartoonish nature, there are still some disconcerting scenes of Marmaduke treating Carlos roughly. We assume in those instances an animatronic puppet and / or CGI was utilized.

Final Mewsings: When an oriental breed of cat can play a Hispanic comic sidekick, it’s clear that racial barriers are finally being broken.

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