‘Paws of Fury’ Directors Discuss ‘Blazing Saddles’ Inspiration and Working With Mel Brooks
variety.comCarson Burton In 1974, Mel Brooks’ Western comedy “Blazing Saddles” shook up the game, sending up themes of racism that were pervasive in Hollywood, the Western genre and American culture as a whole.
Now, “Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank” is attempting to keep its legacy alive in a fresh new story for a family audience.“You know, it’s inspired by [‘Blazing Saddles’],” Rob Minkoff, director of the new film, told Variety. “Then it became a fable.
Because it wasn’t originally intended to be a fable, but that was actually my contribution — which was that we make it a story about a dog in a world of cats who don’t accept him because he’s a dog.
The idea of that is, it’s a metaphor of the same kind of story and same kind of situation. But it becomes more universal.” Along with co-directors Mark Koetsier and Chris Bailey, the filmmakers behind “Paws of Fury” set out to bring a new take on Brooks’ classic comedy.
Read more on variety.com