It seems almost impossible for such a high-profile project to fade away into relative obscurity, and yet that’s pretty much what happened. Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank was released on July 15, 2022, and grossed $42.5 million worldwide against a $45 million budget. Given its inability to capture box office gold, it’s no surprise the unsuccessful Mel Brooks remake wound up available digitally barely a month later, in August of 2022.
Ultimately, the movie was a victim of its own ill-thought-out concept. The animated Mel Brooks remake alienated grown-up fans of the source material with its kiddie animation style, and kids didn’t get all the risque jokes and callbacks to Blazing Saddles. In the end, Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank was an ambitious, high-concept experiment that failed spectacularly. Apparently, you can make Blazing Saddles today; you just can’t get anyone to watch it.
