There’s always been a fierce competitiveness between the USA and Russia; everything from gymnastics to the race to space.

Certainly one area (admittedly of many) that America has pulled ahead is that of animation. It’s no surprise with the likes of Disney and Pixar, to name but two, which have helped define the USA as the home of some of the best – and most commercially successful – animated films in the world.

The Russian animation world still exists however, although if this film is anything to go by, they still have a long way to go.

It’s 1909, and Samson (Andrew Winn), a dog that used to work in the circus, now finds himself the leader of a pack, who go on missions to source food for all the strays in the city.

On one outing, Samson gets separated from his pack, when he’s chased by a dog catcher known as the Dark Officer (Daniel Armstrong). He finds safety in the theatre where ballet is performed, and where he meets a prima ballerina’s pedigree dog Margot (Maria Soronkina).

While there some jewellery is stolen, and Samson finds himself helping Margot track the culprit and return the missing jewellery, but with the Dark Officer literally on his tale, it won’t be easy.

Animation has moved on substantially from where it began, especially with the introduction of CGI. This Russian animated feature is an exception to that, in terms of both story and animation.

Although it’s bright and colourful, it’s lacking the kind of detail you expect from animation now; the dogs at least look like dogs, but the fur is far from life-like, and their movement is a little stiff and on the predictable side.

It’s also not helped in being very generic with its location; originally set in Moscow, localised versions change the city, like the English version being in New York, but with the film being released all over the world, there’s a vagueness to the location, that despite its retro timeline, could be – and is – anywhere, making it feel all too non-specific.

It could be overlooked if the script was up to scratch, but sadly it’s not; the dialogue – admittedly dubbed in this English version – is stilted, with random accents for the dogs, making it an example of how key voice talent is for an animated flick.

You also get the impression that Russian writer and director Vasiliy Rovenskiy is a fan of formulas, having made another animated film in the same year with the title Cats in the Museum, making this film in particular a charmless affair.

At this rate, Russia will never catch up with the US, or indeed the rest of the world, on the animation front, especially if they continue to produce these sub-standard, run of the mill features like this dog’s dinner of an animation.