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Cybermutt is a 2002 comic science fiction film that was made for Animal Planet as part of a trio of movies for the cable channel called "Animal Tales". Cybermutt is a fictional golden retriever.

Plot
The story centers on a young boy, Nino (Ryan Cooley), and his family dog, Rex, who takes on a significant role in Nino's life after the boy loses his father to cancer. During a stroll with Rex in the park, Nino and his mother Juliet (Michelle Nolden) meet eccentric inventor and dotcom wiz, Alex (Judd Nelson). Shortly after Alex introduces himself and explains his work, Rex manages to save the life of the scientist by pushing him out of the way of a speeding car. Rex is badly injured during his act of heroism and Alex, as a gesture of gratitude, takes the dog back to his bionics lab to rebuild him. Using cutting-edge technology, and a device Alex refers to as a "Theta chip," Rex is imbued with super powers, becoming capable of committing feats of great strength, seeing in infrared vision, running up to 70 mph, and communicating with every other computer chip in the world. Rex's newfound powers make him the target of an evil genius named Temple (Tonio Arango), who becomes determined to attain the newly created super-technology at any and all costs.

Alex becomes seriously injured at the hands of Temple's organization, and it is reveled that Alex's close friend and lab assistant, Erica (Paulina Mielech), is not only working for Temple, but that she is Temple's lover. Erica drugs Alex in his hospital room and tampers with the hospital phone so that he cannot contact outside help, before she goes back to Temple to reveal what she has discovered about Alex's technology and Rex. Erica attempts to use her agency to take Rex from Nino, but when this plan fails and Rex runs from her, she kidnaps Nino instead. Temple and Erica take Nino to an old abandoned warehouse, where they try to lure Rex. Alex recovers from his drug-induced state and helps Rex find the warehouse where Nino is being held. The pair use their wits and strength to defeat the villains, knocking Temple and Erica out before saving Nino. The police arrive to arrest Temple and his gang of agents, and Alex, Nino, Juliet, and Rex can carry on, happier and for the best as Nino finds a new paternal figure in Alex and lifelong companionship in Rex.

Cast

 * Judd Nelson – Alex: An eccentric and brilliant scientist and inventor, Alex is a kind and idiosyncratic character that only wishes to help others.
 * Ryan Cooley – Nino: A young boy, deeply attached to his dog Rex, Nino is a boy that was forced to grow up quickly after the sudden death of his father. He finds a newly-fueled sense of excitement and joy in meeting Alex and caring for Rex.
 * Michelle Nolden – Juliet: Nino's compassionate and caring mother, Juliet does all she can for her son after having lost her husband to cancer.
 * Paulina Mielech – Erica: A brilliant and deceptive spy, Erica uses her knowledge and skills to infiltrate Alex's lab in order to find and steal any information she can on Alex's cutting-edge gadgetry.
 * Tonio Arango – Temple: A cruel and ruthless villain willing to do anything to achieve his goals, Temple is the leader of a crime syndicate that has purely self-driven motives.
 * Joe Pingue – Max: A strong and callous crony, Max does anything and everything for Temple, acting as the muscle and doing the bulk of Temple's dirty work.
 * Pedro Salvin – Rubio: A loyal and silent henchman, assisting Temple in his evil schemes
 * Khafre Armatrading – Kyle
 * Bryon Bully – Bully #1
 * Ian Bradley-Perrin – Bully #2

Production
The production history and cycle of Cybermutt is largely unreported.

Budget
The budget for Cybermutt was reported to be $4,500,000.

Production Details
The production crew was primarily composed of a handful of producers and executive producers, coming from around the world. It included support from production companies Tag Entertainment, Grosvenor Park Productions, and Apollo Media. The film also lists Miramax as a production company and distributor.

Producers

 * Paco Alvarez (Producer) (Line Producer)
 * David M. Perlmutter (Producer)
 * George T. Miller (Executive Producer)
 * Frank Hübner (Executive Producer)

Behind-the-scenes
The general consensus of the cast and crew was positive and upbeat during the filming of Cybermutt, as can be seen in a handful of interviews conducted before the film's debut. Judd Nelson went on to praise his role in the film, stating that he was glad to have a role in a film that his mother would approve of.

Release
The release dates for Cybermutt are staggered and vary somewhat. This is because the film was set to release exclusively in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Germany, and was slated for release at different times. The film was initially released in late 2002, before receiving an official release date in the UK of March 26, 2003. The film was later released on DVD in May 2004.

Reception
Cybermutt opened to mostly negative critical reception. Critics particularly attacked a thin plot and unconvincing performances as reasons why the film was not particularly well made, but most reviewers cited the film as mostly harmless, with many excusing its technical shortcomings due to it being a children's movie.

Trivia

 * At one point in the film, Rex crosses a bridge that was featured in Canadian rock group The Stampeders' album cover for their 1971 release entitled "Carryin' On"
 * While Rex is portrayed as a male in the film, the Dog is actually a female. This can be observed in the movie when Rex squats to pee instead of lifting a leg up, as a male dog would.
 * In a final scene, when Nino is suspended from a meat hook awaiting rescue from Rex, the hook he is hanging from is covered in rust. The next scene that shows Nino, the hook has no rust. This is the only production blunder left in the final cut of the film.
 * Nino alludes to Stephen King's Cujo and states that Rex does not like the film.
 * The film is mentioned in the game Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude. This is the only reference to the film in any recorded published entertainment media.