Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds (), known as The Dog Knight in North America, is a 2021 Spanish animated adventure comedy film directed by Toni GarcÃÂa and written by Doug Langdale, based on the 1981 television series of the same name, in turn adapted from Alexandre Dumas' 1844 story of d'Artagnan and The Three Musketeers. The film is produced by Apolo Films (BRB Internacional's cinema studio) and Cosmos Maya.
Young swordsman Dogtanian dreams of joining the legendary Muskehounds. After proving his ability and earning their trust, he and the Muskehounds must battle the wicked Cardinal Richelieu to defend the King and stop the villain's plot to seize power while contending with Richelieu's minion Milady de Winter.
According to their main website, BRB Internacional was planning a new feature-length CGI film to be released in 2016, but was delayed for unknown reasons. In April 2019, Apolo Films took over production of the film. The film was written by Doug Langdale and directed by Toni Garcia. The film was released in theaters under the title Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds. It was released on SVOD.
Claudio had been planning to make the movie since at least 2011, as BRB Internacional had been producing less TV series due to the proliferation of dedicated channels aimed at children and their early adoption of new technologies. Claudio, under the principle that cinema is the "audiovisual cathedral", decided to begin production, but there was a lack of money. After obtaining the necessary support from skilled professionals, funding arrived from Televisión Española and Banco Santander. The female characters in the movie gained an increased role, with Milady being compared to Catwoman.
The film maintains the original series opening main theme tune composed by Guido and Maurizio De Angelis. Additionally, they have composed new songs for the film.
In Spain, it was originally slated for an opening in theatres on 22 January 2021, but its release was postponed to August 18 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The film had its world premiere at the Huesca International Film Festival on 13 June 2021.
The film was released in the United Kingdom on 25 June 2021.
In 2022, Viva Pictures released the film on streaming services in North America, retitled The Dog Knight.
A new Dogtanian television series, titled Dogtanian, The Hero, is in development. It takes place after the events of the 2021 film.