It was September 3, 2022 when I first saw Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank during a babysitting gig. As I sat there, with noises of samurai cats blaring in the background, I was struck with a sudden epiphany that I wasn’t getting paid enough. I used its runtime to both take a break from the exhaustion of playing hide and seek tag for 2 hours earlier that day and to contemplate the 103 minutes of my life I was never going to get back. 

Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank is a newly-released animated movie that follows a naïve dog named Hank. He finds himself appointed the samurai of a town of cats who need a hero to defend them from an evil politician, despite the town hating dogs. The movie’s cast is an accomplished one, boasting famed voice actors such as Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Cera, and Mel Brooks, but it soon became clear that acquiring these star actors was the only work the creators put into Paws of Fury. Olaf Skjenna, the director of cinematography on Paws of Fury, described the cinematic process to Cinestie — an entertainment review website — as one that “allows you to cherry-pick different elements and create a new kind of mash-up.” I would definitely describe Paws of Fury as a “new kind of mash-up.” It may be the only thing we ever agree on. 

Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank attempts to pay homage to 1974 comedy Blazing Saddles, a movie in which a Black sheriff policies a racist majority-white town by having a dog police a town inhabited by cats (no, seriously). But that “homage” quickly becomes lost in a confusing and chaotic plot. Paws of Fury is set both in the Wild West and ancient Japan, but without the charm of either. As Variety writer Owen Gleiberman wrote, “The jokes are coughed up and sit there, like hairballs on a carpet.” But in all seriousness, if you manage to ignore the lazy slapstick comedy, poor animation, and confusing storyline, then I guess you could boil the movie down to a “love everyone” message, which is good for kids to learn. So at least there’s that.