The Queen's Corgi

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The Queen's Corgi
Teaser poster
Directed by
Written by
  • John R. Smith
  • Rob Sprackling
Produced byBen Stassen
Starring
Edited byVincent Kesteloot
Music byRamin Djawadi
Production
companies
Distributed byBelga Films
Release dates
  • 16 January 2019 (2019-01-16) (L'Alpe d'Huez)
  • 3 April 2019 (2019-04-03) (Belgium)
Running time
85 minutes
CountryBelgium
LanguageEnglish
Budget$20 million[1]
Box office$31.4 million[2]

The Queen's Corgi is a 2019 English-language Belgian animated comedy film produced by nWave Pictures. The film was directed by Ben Stassen and Vincent Kesteloot and written by John R. Smith and Rob Sprackling. Inspired by Queen Elizabeth II and her pet corgis, the story follows a corgi named Rex, who gets lost and tries to find his way home.

The film was theatrically released in Belgium on 3 April 2019. It was panned by critics such as The Independent, which stated the film was "deeply unpleasant and in no way suitable for children."[3] The film grossed $31.4 million worldwide against a budget of $20 million.

Plot[edit]

Rex is the Queen's favourite corgi and lives a life of luxury with three other corgi companions in Buckingham Palace. On a visit made by President Donald Trump with his wife Melania Trump and their own dog Mitzi, the Queen suggests that perhaps one of her own corgis might prove to be a suitable mate for Mitzi, who chooses Rex, who is not pleased at all at the prospect of becoming mates with Mitzi. After Rex evades her multiple times, Mitzi eventually chases him into the dining hall where he accidentally bites the president, deeply angering the Queen.

Rex, feeling ashamed of embarrassing the Queen, is consoled by Charlie, another of the Queen's corgis who is secretly jealous of Rex's position. Luring him outside the palace with the false promise that the Pope in the Vatican is looking for dogs, Charlie disposes Rex's collar and leads him to a stream with the intention of drowning him.

Rex is then saved by a man who takes him to a dog shelter. There, Rex's mannerisms at first alienate him from the other dogs, but after some time he soon makes friends and also falls in love with Wanda, a fellow inmate. Initially wary of Rex, she soon also develops feelings for him. This raises the ire of Tyson, a former fighting dog, who also has feelings for Wanda and runs the kennel. Rex eventually convinces the other dogs to join forces against Tyson and together they defeat him.

Alongside his new friends and Wanda, Rex returns to the palace; however, the guards do not recognise him and throw him out of the palace as Charlie has convinced the Queen that Rex was killed by foxes. Still, with the help of his friends, Rex sneaks inside the palace where everybody tries to prevent Charlie from becoming top dog. However, Charlie traps Rex and Wanda inside a room and sets it in fire. With help from Rex, Wanda escapes the fire and rallies her friends in time to save Rex from the burning rubble.

The Queen, alerted by the ruckus, is overjoyed when she finds Rex alive and well and is about to return the honour of being the Top Dog to him. However, Rex refuses as he values his love for Wanda more than his position of Top Dog. Thus, he leaves the position to Charlie, who, as a result of becoming Top Dog, is forced to marry Mitzi and move to America while Rex continues to live at the palace with his new friends.

Cast[edit]

Character Voice actor
United Kingdom United States
Rex Jack Whitehall Leo Barakat
Queen Elizabeth II Julie Walters Mari Devon
Wanda Sheridan Smith Jo Wyatt
Tyson Ray Winstone Joey Camen
Charlie Matt Lucas Dino Andrade
Prince Philip Tom Courtenay Paul Gregory
Nelson Colin McFarlane Anthony Skordi
Lady Margaret Debra Stephenson Lin Gallagher
Jack Iain McKee Rusty Shackleford
Al Sation Steven Kynman Joey Camen
Bernard St. Bernard Jon Culshaw Jamie Arlen Scott
Chihuahua Rasmus Hardiker Joey Camen
Chief Colin McFarlane Rick Zieff
Sanjay Kulvinder Ghir Joey Camen
Ginger Rasmus Hardiker Lani Minella
Polux Steven Kynman Dino Andrade
Patmore Nina Wadia Lin Gallagher
The Royal Guards Kulvinder Ghir David A. Alano
Daniel Wolfe
Mitzi Sarah Hadland Madison Brown
Melania Trump Debra Stephenson Millie Mup
President Donald Trump Jon Culshaw Kirk Thornton
Little Girl Twinkle Jaiswal Nicole Sherman

Production[edit]

Belgian company nWave Pictures produced and animated the film, with the distribution company Charades acquiring worldwide rights to it.[citation needed]

The film cost around $20 million to make.[1]

Music[edit]

Ramin Djawadi, who scored Ben Stassen's previous films, such as Robinson Crusoe, The House of Magic and Fly Me to the Moon, returned to score the film. This is the seventh collaboration between Stassen and Djawadi.

Release[edit]

This film was released on 3 April 2019 in France and Belgium. It was also released in 2020 in other countries around the world, including China, the United Kingdom, Latin America, the United States and Russia.[4]

Reception[edit]

The film was panned by critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports a rare approval rating of 0% based on 20 reviews, with an average rating of 3.6/10.[5]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Keslassy, Elsa (11 June 2018). "Lionsgate U.K. brings 'The Queen's Corgi' Back Home". Variety. Archived from the original on 13 June 2021. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  2. ^ "The Queen's Corgi (2019)". The Numbers. Archived from the original on 13 June 2021. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  3. ^ "The Queen's Corgi review: Deeply unpleasant and in no way suitable for children". The Independent. 4 July 2019. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  4. ^ Keslassy, Elsa (12 February 2018). "Charades pre sells 'The Queen's Corgi' to key territories". Variety. Archived from the original on 25 March 2019. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  5. ^ "The Queen's Corgi". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Archived from the original on 18 April 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.

External links[edit]