Napoleon (1995 film)

Napoleon is a 1995 Australian family film directed by Mario Andreacchio, and written by Michael Bourchier, Mario Andreacchio and Mark Saltzman about a golden retriever puppy who runs away from his city home to be a wild dog.

In Sydney, Australia, a puppy named Muffin is living with a human family and his own mother. Muffin, who calls himself Napoleon and pretends to be tough, wishes to be with the wild dogs that he can hear howling in the distance. The family has a birthday party and one of the decorations is a basket with balloons strapped to it. Out of curiosity, Napoleon hops inside, but the basket, untied from its tether, begins to float away.

Napoleon flies high above the city and heads out to the sea. Napoleon panics due to a fear of water. A galah named Birdo drops down on the side of his basket and offers to help him get down. Birdo's idea of help is to pop the balloons suspending the basket, causing Napoleon to land unharmed on a beachhead. Napoleon thinks he can finally seek out the wild dogs and heads into a nearby forest, ignoring Birdo's suggestion to return home.

At night, Napoleon starts to fear being alone. A mopoke in the forest warns Napoleon of terrible things that can happen to pets in the wild, but Napoleon ignores him as well and continues on his way. He discovers a large tree used by a psychotic cat as a home. The cat spots Napoleon and, thinking he is a mouse, chases him. Napoleon escapes when the mopoke pushes the cat into a pond. The mopoke then warns Napoleon that the cat will not rest until he is dead. As Napoleon runs off, the cat pulls herself from the pond angrily swearing revenge.

The next morning, Napoleon crosses a river while passing a group of annoying rainbow lorikeet that mimic everything he says. Napoleon meets Birdo again and reveals his nickname Muffin, but is overheard by the annoying birds and a green tree frog who all begin to sing and make fun of him. Embarrassed and ridiculed, Napoleon walks out onto a log near the water when he starts drifting. Birdo persuades him to swim and successfully does so. Afterward, Birdo decides to teach Napoleon how to live in the wild.

Napoleon learns hunting by practising on a group of rabbits, but is unable to catch one and ends up eating moss. Birdo's next lessons about friendly and dangerous animals and snowy weather are ignored. Smelling sugar and thinking it to be candy, Napoleon finds a tall sugar cane field and proceeds inside. A sudden brush fire burns the sugar cane, but Napoleon escapes with Birdo's help. As the two are talking, the cat returns attempting to attack Birdo, but fails. Birdo reunites with his lost flock but the cat has found them too. Napoleon notices and saves them with a warning of the cat. Napoleon and Birdo part ways as Napoleon wants to seek the wild dogs and Birdo wants to rejoin his flock.