Footrot Flats - The Dog's Tale

...it's a Trans-Tasman thing. Although all the actors and all the music and all the direction and that sort of thing comes from New Zealand, the animation itself was done in Australia.

– Footrot Flats director Murray Ball, in the making of documentary

I enjoyed doing the film but it caused a lot of disruption. It took five years of my life ... It was the travelling I found most disruptive. I'll have to talk about my wife about it.

– Footrot Flats director Murray Ball on whether there would be a sequel, in an NZ Press Association story, 2 April 1986

I think every New Zealander would have known that Footrot Flats was set in rural New Zealand and portrayed an environment that most people were familiar with. As a country, we were transitioning from rural to urban. Our demographics were different 40 years ago.

– Footrot Flats producer John Barnett on making a New Zealand film, in an interview with Nga Taonga, 8 Nov 2023

It would be hard to find any New Zealander over the age of 30 who hasn’t seen this film or wasn’t aware of the characters, or who can’t sing along to “Slice of Heaven”. Its portrayal of rural New Zealand did what all good stories do, which is show us what families and communities are like anywhere, told through the specific lens of that setting.

– Footrot Flats producer John Barnett on the films iconic status, in an interview with Nga Taonga, 8 Nov 2023

Murray Ball as creator of the strip was a key component. It would have been impossible to make Footrot Flats without Murray’s involvement and creative approval of it all. Tom Scott came on to co-write the screenplay with Murray. Tom brought his experience in that area as well as his humour to the project. John Clarke provided Wal with all the personality and elements that an audience expected, and a lot more as well. He made Wal one of New Zealand’s quintessential cinema heroes.

– Footrot Flats producer John Barnett on the team that made the film a success, in an interview with Nga Taonga, 8 Nov 2023