A rescue terrier shines in this charming adaptation of the children’s book about a dog whose tournament skills might just save the family farm

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The eponymous character in director John Sheedy’s storybook-like tournament movie is an adorable doggo whose ability to whoosh through obstacle courses might just save the family farm. This crowd-pleasing film is sweet, sentimental and a mite corny – but also delightfully well made and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny. Our four-legged hero even manages to survive Australian cinema’s long-standing tradition of killing our canine companions, sending them to that great big kennel in the sky in The Road Warrior, Snowtown, Tracks and even Red Dog – the latter’s iconic kelpie couldn’t make it to the end of his own movie.

Adapted by Craig Silvey from his children’s book, Runt signposts an old-fashioned approach from the get-go, opening with the pooch – pawfectly played by rescue terrier Squid – entering a butcher’s shop and running off with a string of sausages (has anybody ever seen this actually happening in real life?). This thievery narratively establishes Runt as a delinquent navigating the dark alleys of doggy adolescence – perhaps experimenting with recreational bones, hanging out with the wrong crowd, sniffing strange butts.