Red Dog: True Blue

Red Dog: True Blue is a 2016 Australian family comedy film directed by Kriv Stenders, written by Daniel Taplitz and starring Jason Isaacs, Levi Miller and Bryan Brown. It is a prequel to the 2011 film Red Dog, detailing the early days of the Red Dog, the Pilbara Wanderer.

Red Dog was played in the first film by Koko, but after Koko's death he was replaced with Phoenix. A documentary about the life of Koko titled Koko: A Red Dog Story was released in 2019. It was also dedicated to his memory.

Premise
An iconic Australian story of family, friendship and adventure, between a young boy and a scrappy one-of-a-kind dog that would grow up to become an Australian legend.

Cast

 * Magdelina Bowie as Red Dog
 * Levi Miller as Mick
 * Jason Isaacs as Michael Carter
 * Bryan Brown as Grandpa
 * Calen Tassone as Taylor Pete
 * Hanna Mangan-Lawrence as Betty Marble
 * Thomas Cocquerel as Bill Stemple
 * Kee Chan as Jimmy Umbrella
 * Steve Le Marquand as Little John
 * Justine Clarke as Diane Carter
 * Zen McGrath as Theo Carter

Production
Filming began early in 2015 and was released on Boxing Day in 2016.

Reception
Red Dog: True Blue has a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on reviews from 13 critics.

The film grossed $5,218,716 at the Australian box office, a quarter of the original film's takings.

Accolades
Geoffrey Hall was nominated for Best Cinematography at the 7th AACTA Awards.

Spin-off
A spin-off documentary, titled Koko: A Red Dog Story was released in 2019. The film explores the life of Koko, who was cast as Red Dog in the original film.