Rock Dog 2: Rock Around the Park is a 2021 Chinese/American animated film, and is a Direct to Video sequel to the 2016 movie, Rock Dog, which is very loosely based on the graphic novel, Tibetan Rock Dog by Zheng Jun.
One year after the events of the original film, Bodi and his band, True Blue, have become locally famous in the village of Snow Mountain — they even have devoted fans! But when a music mogul named Lang gives them the opportunity to tour with pop sensation, Lil' Foxy, Bodi and his friends learn that fame comes at a price, and ultimately discover that only by staying true to yourself can you unleash the power of Rock 'n' Roll.
The film is followed by another Direct to Video sequel, Rock Dog 3: Battle the Beat.
Tropes:
- Acquired Situational Narcissism: After being convinced by Lang to change his image and spending some time with Lil' Foxy about how fame is fickle, Bodi allows himself to be molded to fit in more with the mainstream, brushing off Darma and Germur's concerns when they find the change too drastic. A rift is formed between Bodi and his friends that culminates in him saying that they should just leave if they don't like it. Darma and Germur take him up on this offer and split, kickstarting the movie's Plot-Mandated Friendship Failure.
- Amazingly Embarrassing Parents:
- Bodi finds it a tad awkward to see Khampa being Bodi's biggest fan. All things considered, Darma and Germur find it endearing and they try to remind Bodi that his dad is just proud of him.
- Khampa seems to think of his parents this way as well, even though they act quite normally. The embarrassing part is their tendency to treat their son as if he's still a child
- Battle of the Bands: The climax has both Bodi and Lang then revealing himself to be Linnux engage in an epic shred off with the latter having gained his own energy wave after absorbing Bodi's own energy earlier. Once Darma and Germur are knocked out of Linnux's trance and join Bodi, they manage to overpower Linnux's negative green energy and defeat him once again.
- Cut Lex Luthor a Check: After being defeated by Khampa in the last film, Linnux seems to have established his own record company in the interim. He could've been a successful music producer (and it's implied that he already was considering he managed to produce the very popular Lil' Foxy), but his firm grip on the Villain Ball causes his defeat once again.
- Description Cut:
- Germur says nobody comes to see the opening act. Cue wide shot of a cheering crowd filling up the stadium.
- Maydow tells Norbu that people love Bodi for his humble soul. Meanwhile, Bodi films a music video where he's front and center, right after dismissing his friends in a previous scene.
- Disney Death: An avalanche caused by Bodi's misuse of his energy power seemingly sends Khampa off a cliff. He survives with a broken leg.
- Evil Brit: Lang has a noticeable accent and is morally questionable what with stirring conflict between the musicians and the authorities. Subverted that it's actually Linnux who has a naturally American accent. Ironically, Linnux chose the accent to seem more 'trustworthy'.
- Foreshadowing: There are a few hints to Lang's true nature and species before the reveal half-way through the movie.
- Khampa's suspicions about Lang, and sneezing after getting a whiff of his scent.
- Lang had Otto, a wolf scientist, working for him which would be very jarring for a sheep to hire.
- Lang also never takes off his sunglasses. That's because Linnux's Yellow Eyes of Sneakiness would've been a dead giveaway that he's not what he seems.
- In case all those hints didn't clue you in, Lang means wolf in Chinese. Bilingual Bonus much?
- Freudian Excuse: Subverted. Linnux as a kid is booed on-stage by the crowd after butchering the song "Mary Had a Little Lamb", hence his plan to "control music" by disguising as Lang the sheep. He doesn't particularly come off as sympathetic though.
- Heel–Face Revolving Door: Riff and Skozz are antagonists again despite the ending of the first movie implying that they're on good terms with the main characters, making it very jarring that they're actively working with Lang, who is actually Linnux in disguise (which they are completely aware of, by the way), to steal Bodi's magic blue energy.
- Heel–Face Turn: The wolves from the first movie are now peacefully coexisting with the sheep. Averted with Riff and Skozz (see above) and especially Linnux.
- Hey, Let's Put on a Show: Lang invokes this trope to seem more heroic in the eyes of the public by having his lackeys, Riff and Skozz (who are now cops), present the musicians a city ordinance (which hasn't been signed off yet) that says Rock 'n' Roll park is to be demolished. It's all a ruse to lure Bodi so Lang/Linnux can steal Bodi's blue energy wave ability and use it to control every musician there.
- Hollywood Tone-Deaf: Young Linnux singing "Mary Had a Little Lamb" ends with him howling, earning boos and jeers from the crowd.
- Idol Singer: Lil' Foxy, under the tutelage of Lang's company.
- Jerk with a Heart of Jerk:
- Despite being hit with Bodi's blue energy wave in the first movie that also mellowed out most of the wolf pack enough to live with the sheep, Riff and Skozz have no qualms siding with the movie's Big Bad again, who is actually Linnux in a sheep disguise, and Riff and Skozz are clearly in on it.
- Speaking of, Linnux reveals that being hit with Bodi's energy wave reignited his passion for music. And yet he uses this to formulate a new plan in controlling all of the musicians in Rock 'n' Roll Park by stealing Bodi's said energy wave for said plan.
- Meeting-the-Parents Sequel: Khampa’s parents/Bodi’s grandparents, Norbu and Maydow, are introduced here as well as Angus’ mother to an extent.
- Never Bareheaded: In an aversion, Bodi is seen without his hat for the first time during the makeover scene, revealing that he has a mess of spiky hair underneath it, later styled into an Elvis-like pompadour. His friends are rather shocked to discover this.Germur: Whoa, you have...hair.
- Numbered Sequels: It's officially called "Rock Dog 2" followed by a subtitle.
- Plot-Mandated Friendship Failure: Bodi's Acquired Situational Narcissism becomes too off-putting for Darma and Germur to bear, so they quit the band just as Bodi is being led by Lang to absorb his blue energy wave.
- Put on a Bus: Angus Scattergood is mentioned to have returned to England to spend time with his mother. Amusingly, Angus's tour bus does make a return for True Blue to use as their own.
- Remember the New Guy?: Norbu and Maydow, Khampa's parents, and in turn, Bodi's grandparents are said to have returned the village after having left for whatever reason during the first film.
- Returning Big Bad: Linnux comes back as a music producer named Lang, disguising himself as a sheep.
- Ship Tease: Bodi seems to be entranced with Lil' Foxy when he’s introduced to her.
- Sickly Green Glow: Lang's energy wave, after absorbing Bodi's blue, manifests a green color which turns people into mindless zombies with green glowing eyes.
- The Smurfette Principle: Bodi’s grandmother Maydow, is the first and so far only female Mastiff introduced in this franchise.
- Averted as of the third film, with the introduction of K-9.
- Stage Dad: Averted. Khampa is a little too supportive of his son to the point that he's selling key chains of his band, inadvertently riding on his son's success, but he does so without being Vicariously Ambitious.
- Stage Names:
- Lil' Foxy, whose real name is Frances.
- While Lang is in the process of changing Bodi's image, he is given the name of B.B. Bodacious. Bodi decides not to use it by the end.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Lang's appearance is pretty close to Angus Scattergood since both characters have white fur, are usually seen wearing sunglasses, and speak with a British accent. Unlike the latter, the former turns out to be Evil All Along.
- Those Two Guys: Wei and Shumai, two red pandas who seem to be Bodi's stans, appear just about wherever True Blue is.
- Vertigo Effect: Used when Bodi reacts to the news that there was an avalanche at Snow Mountain.
- Walking Spoiler: It's quite difficult to mention Lang without also mentioning that he's Linnux in disguise. Granted, it was revealed half an hour later within the movie's 90-minute runtime.
- Waxing Lyrical:
- Invoked. Khampa shoehorns some words from well-known rock songs while he's talking to Bodi at one point, telling him to "Get your motor running, bang that gong, and climb that stairway to heaven," and continues to do so throughout the film, to Bodi's embarrassment.
- Trey attempts to do this with Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind", substituting "the answer, my friend" with "changes". Lampshaded when Fatback corrects him.
- A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing: Lang is actually just Linnux disguising himself as a sheep who is also hiding under a veneer of musical passion, playing this trope both literally and figuratively.
