A full-length animated version of J.R. Ackerley's memoir, My Dog Tulip, is set to premiere this May at the Cannes Film Festival. Directed (and animated) by Paul Fierlinger, the film is voiced by stars Christopher Plummer, Lynn Redgrave, Brian Murray, and Isabella Rossellini. There are several clips to watch, on the movie's website.


Joe Ackerley was the longtime editor of the BBC's Listener magazine. My Dog Tulip (Google Books preview) tells the story of his sixteen-year relationship with Queenie, his cherished German shepherd.

Ackerley and Henry Reed were close friends, and the two were frequent dinner companions in London. My Dog Tulip, in fact, owes its title to their friendship. In his doting 1989 biography, Ackerley: A Life, Peter Parker writes that "Reed had pointed out that Queenie's name was something of a drawback and likely to arouse titters amongst the literati" (p. 311). Ackerley was openly gay most of his life, but he nonetheless eventually settled on a pseudonym for his beloved Queenie.

Piddle piddle seal and sign
I'll smell your arse, you smell mine;
Human beings are prudes and bores,
You smell my arse, I'll smell yours.

Now that I look, however, I don't see the film listed in Cannes' official selection. I hope that doesn't mean we won't be seeing it, soon.