Woofy was a stray dog. The opening credits tell how Antoine found him in the street, brought the unsuspecting dog home, how the boy’s mother insisted she didn’t want any animals in the house, how Antoine pleaded that she come and take a look anyway, then finally how Woofy suddenly got the idea to “freeze,” causing Antoine’s mother to say, “Well why didn’t you say that it was a stuffed animal in the first place!” Antoine’s surprise was kept in check by a knowing wink from Woofy. He earned the right to keep him in his bedroom. Now, he just has to make sure that his mother never figures out that stuffed pet is as real as they come.
Actually, Woofy is much more lively than any real dog: he speaks and moves like a human. Despite his periods of pretending to be static lest the wrong pair of eyes catch him on the move, Woofy gets to know the layout of the house.
Little by little, he stops being a dog and becomes more and more human, which often causes a kind of identity crisis when he’s confronted with his true nature. He sometimes takes on an arrogant air when he crosses paths with other dogs or animals. It must be said that Woofy is no longer a real member of the species. He develops both a feeling of superiority and nostalgia when for example, he sees the neighbourhood dogs playing and frolicking outside.
Antoine sometimes has to convince Woofy to stay with him. Effectively, the dog’s natural state is at odds with this enclosed life and contradicts his animal instincts. However, the affection that ties Woofy to his young master helps him to resolve these conflicts.
Behind his confident manner, Woofy is a cowardly dog deep down, but in order to save face, he always has some vague yet plausible explanation as to why he runs away. To appear brave in Antoine’s eyes, he’ll take the lead as they search for the source of some strange noise down a dark hallway while everyone else is asleep.
Like all dogs, he hates it when you play the harmonica in front of him, but he loves, on the other hand, to play with the little toy piano that’s in Antoine’s bedroom. Woofy is a hypochondriac and loves to whine when he has a chance, even if it means worrying Antoine, who then has to improvise some kind of medical treatment or sneak a call to the veterinarian, disguising his voice. He loves books and spends long moments looking at them, as if he understands everything before his eyes…
Every day, Woofy patiently awaits the Antoine’s return from school, but the dog can’t help taking advantage of the boy’s absence to go explore his world on the sly, solve a problem in the house, or set up a practical joke for Antoine. Somewhat touchy, Woofy is usually in a bad mood in the morning because he’d rather sleep in than have to strike the uncomfortable pose that Antoine wants him to take. Resourceful, he doesn’t hesitate to perfect the most outlandish strategies in order to sneak out of the bedroom and roam around all the other rooms in the house.
He sometimes argues with Antoine and then claims to agree with his mother when she calls him a spoiled brat. These fights don’t last long because what Woofy likes most of all is to reward Antoine with vigorous and affectionate licks on the tip of the boy’s nose.
Antoine is a little boy of about 6 years old who has just started « big » school. Though hardly reckless, he has taken a huge risk by bringing a dog into his bedroom. Delighted with the improvements and tricks that Woofy brings to his life, Antoine is still a human, and as such, he’s constantly reminding his dog which of the two is in command. Woofy is diplomatic enough to let Antoine believe that he’s the boss, but in fact, the kid does everything his dog tells him to do.
When Antoine first gets home from school, he always goes to his room to see how the dog’s day went. He shares his day’s highlights and his anxieties. Together, they set up a strategy for the next day. For example, how to get his way out of a stand-off with another child, or how to get back an item confiscated by his teacher.
Antoine is his mother’s son in many ways and he always notices objects that have been moved or not put away by his dog. Woofy of course always claims that he was just about to do so. At night, Antoine sleeps with Woofy who becomes a kind of cuddly. Proud of being a “big boy”, Antoine doesn’t like having to pretend that he still needs a cuddly, but it’s the price he has to pay in order to keep Woofy.
In order to hide Woofy’s presence in his room, Antoine is ready to tell any lie imaginable. He moved? That’s because he’s got a mechanical skeleton that works with a key. A chicken leg has disappeared? He’s sorry, but he was really hungry. One of Antoine’s biggest pleasures, once the door is closed, is to tickle his dog with abandon.
HIS MOTHER
Antoine’s mother works from home on a desk facing the wall in the sitting room. Her work consists of managing the after sales service of a company selling products for domestic animals (flea collars, deodorants, cat litters, things to clean up animal hair, etc). Often, when Antoine and Woofy go past her desk, they can hear her talking to clients overcome by the problems caused by their dogs or cats.
With regards to animals in her own house, Antoine’s mother is categorical: animals smell bad and are dirty. There will never be one in the house. If their family lived in the country, it might be different but in the town, animals only cause problems.
Since she’s a rational woman, the little doubts and questions linked to Woofy’s faux pas quickly find a logical explanation. Ex: the dog seen outside and who is the spitting image of Woofy is simply the same race as the stuffed dog! The movement of Woofy’s paw, spotted when she was vacuuming in the bedroom, is explained by the fact that this stuffed animal has some kind of internal mechanism and can be set in motion with batteries, even if her darling Antoine doesn’t use them, etc.
Still, Woofy and Antoine must always very vigilant because not everything can be explained away. It would be a mistake to see this woman as unsatisfied in any way by her life as a mother and a housewife, or mean, or even bad-tempered: she is simply the voice of Reason, which, alas, prevents children from doing everything they want.
She is delighted by Antoine’s attachment to this toy and often congratulates him on the fact that he is not a real dog. (loudly in front of her son). Note that the affectionate nickname she regularly gives her son is “sweetheart”.
Antoine’s father works at the SNICEP, an insurance company. He leaves for work in the morning and comes home in the evening in a surprisingly good mood. With regards to the question of whether or not to have an animal in the house, Antoine’s father has a far less radical position than his wife but doesn’t want to contradict her.
Even though Antoine hasn’t realized it, his father is on his side, since he has obviously caught on to his son’s little deception and has turned a blind eye. He could even save a difficult situation by pretending not to have seen a thing, or drawing his wife’s attention to something else at key moments.
Antoine and Woofy sometimes suspect that he might have realised something but they are never sure. If Antoine vaguely tries to question him, offhandedly, his father will maliciously seem not to have a clue what his son is talking about.
When Antoine really needs an answer to a serious situation, he asks his father what to do, pretending that it is on behalf of a classmate who has a dog. Sometimes, Father takes the initiative to guide his son and pass on a few messages « in fact, one day if you have a dog, the best thing to do with him would be...”
Antoine’s little sister is less than two years old. She quickly understands what’s going on, but can’t tell anyone because she can’t talk. Vexed by not being able to play with Woofy, she gets her revenge as best she can by looking to steal him or lock him up.
When she is on the point of letting out the truth (with the few words she does know) it’s more of a spontaneous reaction than a calculated scheme. At the bottom of her heart, she would really like join in with her big brother’s games and benefit from the attention that he gives to Woofy instead.
The dog sometimes treats himself to thumbing his nose at Marine from afar before running away. This only serves to further aggravate the frustrated baby.
MURIEL’S CAT
The neighbour’s cat sometimes comes to annoy Woofy at the bedroom window. Woofy finds it really difficult not to react like a dog to this provocation. It’s a real cat and by its very nature, regularly reminds Woofy of the life he chose to leave behind him in order to live with Antoine.
Antoine’s neighbour is a little older than he is. At an age where the differences in age are particularly felt, Muriel becomes a sort of big sister for Antoine. Her bedroom window looks out of Antoine’s and she has worked out Woofy’s secret. Muriel always wants to tease her young neighbour by threatening to reveal all, just for the pleasure of seeing him get worked up.
A four-eyed friend of Antoine’s. The baker’s son. He’s in on the secret about Woofy, Antoine told him. His parents don’t want any animals in the house either and he is envious (but not jealous) of the fact that Antoine has managed to find such a good solution to the problem. Remi is ready to do anything in order to help his friend Antoine keeping his secret (ex: looking after Woofy at his house or making life easier by unearthing a brush or a bag to carry him in. Woofy is jealous of the time Antoine spends with Remi when instead he could be alone with Antoine. What’s more, Remi is known for making mistakes. Woofy thinks that it is too risky to have confided in Remi. Despite Remi’s regular efforts to get on with Woofy (cakes from his parents’ bakery, bone to chew, etc), Woofy never relaxes in his presence and he is the first to point out the errors or awkwardness of Antoine’s friend, whom he sees as a rival.