Raymond Figg a.k.a. Figg is the deuteragonist in Disney's Life Is Ruff. He is Calvin Wheeler's best friend and Rufus' owner.
Role in the film[]
At school, Raymond Figg and his best friend, Calvin Wheeler are seen asking Julie the cheerleader a trick question about Gotham Man in the school cafeteria during an interview concerning which girl Calvin should take to the upcoming Spring dance. After Julie fails to answer correctly, one of Figg's classmates, Emily Watson passes out flyers about supporting the local animal shelter as it is in desperate need of renovations and volunteers. When Calvin tricks Emily into giving him one in order to write a list of comics for Figg to bring, Emily sarcastically thanks Calvin and provides him with the correct answer; thus, revealing the jig.
Calvin has a dream to complete his collection of Gotham Man comic books and so far, he only has 2 left to collect. Then, Calvin's friends: Rondel and his teammates, the Wildcats, enter Rondel's mother's beauty salon to speak to Calvin and Figg about their situation before their last basketball game of the season begins at night at Bedford High. As it turns out, some person from Wesley school got a hold of their playbook so, Calvin promises to help them out.
At night, before the game begins, Rondel, his teammates, Figg, and other students are watching with bore as a stuck-up, rich student named Preston Price and his dog, Jacques perform a few tricks, which he thinks "will help inspire teams to become champions." After the show is over and the game is about to begin, Rondel calls Figg out to ask him about Calvin's whereabouts. Inside the hallway, Rondel, Figg, and the others are waiting with impatience for Calvin's return. Once Calvin returns with Wesley's playbook, Rondel is overwhelmed with joy and thanks Calvin by having one of his teammates pay him with a Gotham Man comic book to add to his collection. With the latter playbook in their possession, the team's confidence is now boosted up and is inspired to play.
After the Wildcats win, Rondel thanks everyone for their support and dedicates it all to "a very, very special fan." Preston Price, thinking it is him, tries to thank everyone and speak when in fact, Rondel meant Calvin, whom without his help never could have won the game; much to Preston's jealousy and dismay. Figg can be seen cheering for him as well.
The next day, after school, Figg calls Calvin out to show him the arrival of the last Gotham Man comic left to collect. Unfortunately, its price is about $3,000; much to Calvin's disappointment. Even with the money Calvin has, it's impossible according to Figg. Nevertheless, Calvin and Figg still believe in Gotham Man's motto: "Expect the impossible."
After Calvin learns from Preston Price that 1st prize for winning a dog show at the Bedford Civic, in which the next one is in two weeks from now, is $5,000, Calvin knows he can use $3,000 from it to buy the last Gotham Man comic he needs.Then, he asks Figg about the rules needed to enter the Bedford Civic show and decides to buy and adopt a dog. They go to a pet store where purebred dogs are sold expensive, so, Calvin decides to go to the local animal shelter where Emily works as a volunteer to get a cheaper dog.
After Calvin adopts a Labrador/Saint Bernard hybrid dog, which Emily befriended and named Tyco, and ends up falling in the lake because of him, Calvin asks Figg to keep Tyco for a few weeks at his place; much to Figg's reluctance. However, Figg returns Tyco to Calvin at night when he finds out that his landlord only allows pets which weigh a minimum of 7 pounds at his apartment complex, otherwise, it would mean eviction, so, Calvin finally decides to take him in his room.
The next day, at the park, Figg is seen sitting on a bench next to Calvin and Tyco as he tells him more about the rules in the rule book. Then, Preston comes along and starts mocking Calvin and Tyco and threatens to "destroy" them at the dog show; thinking that "dog shows are out of Calvin's league." Then, he warns Calvin "to drop whatever scheme he's planning with Tyco." Luckily, Tyco comes to Calvin's defense by going around Preston, having him tied and stranded to his leash, and then, dragging him in the mud. Figg and Calvin try to get Tyco to stop but to no avail. Even Preston calls for his dog, Jacques' help but it does not work either.
Figg and Calvin take Tyco back home to get themselves cleaned up and later, start to have fun when playing with the water hoses altogether. They even manage to hide Tyco in the small pool when Calvin's mother arrives.
2 days later, Calvin ties Tyco to a tree in his yard and decides to take him back to the pound after all the mess he caused. But when Calvin, who also tells Figg to leave when trouble comes his way, finds out that Preston paid a couple of guys (and somewhat "friends" of Calvin) named Leonard and Thrash to beat him up to make him and Tyco stay away from the dog show and encourage him to drop out even if Calvin promises to take Tyco back to the pound after school, Tyco breaks free from and with the tree he is tied to on a leash, breaks through the fence, and rescues Calvin from the two would-be trouble makers. This rescue later changes Calvin's mind about the pound and allows Tyco to stay.
The next day, Calvin's secret about Tyco is out when he and Figg find his mom home early and having found and barricaded "a bear" in his room. When she tries to call 911, Calvin finally reveals the truth.
The next day, at the Royal Hound's Obedience and Obstacle Dog trial, Calvin and Figg try to make an entrance for Tyco while avoiding being seen by Emily and seeing that Calvin is still in one piece and with Tyco and Figg, Preston tries to get them nearly kicked out due to Tyco not being properly groomed as he sarcastically wishes them "good luck" until Calvin calls up Rondel, his teammates, and his mother to take care of Tyco's grooming.
After Calvin and Tyco are declared the winners with Tyco earning the nickname "Tyco the Terrible" and making it to the Top-Dog finals despite Tyco having caused a bit of a mess and a few time penalties, Figg cheers for their victory. Preston tries to angrily protest when believing it to be unfair and accusing Tyco of cheating. When Preston thinks that he and his dog will be impossible to beat according to a lady reporter during a small press conference, Calvin simply replies with his famous motto: "Expect the impossible."
Later, Figg can be seen talking to Emily about how Calvin saved his life in the 2nd grade when he had asthma and how they became best friends with a passion for Gotham Man comics. After Emily finally realizes Calvin's scheme, rejects going to the dance, and angrily leaves him when she refuses to believe that Calvin has somewhat changed, has a heart of gold, and he really loves Tyco since he refuses to not enter Tyco in the finals, Figg arrives and finds posters of Tyco on the streets; claiming he is "a lost dog named Chester already belonging to a family", thus, forcing Calvin to give up Tyco to his "family". Calvin asks Figg to take down the posters but he refuses. Then, Calvin takes Tyco back to his real "family", refuses the reward money, and asks them to take care of him; much to his reluctance.
When Figg arrives on the day of the Royal Hound Top-Dog finals to see Calvin and finds out he "did the right thing", he goes to see Emily at the shelter and explains what happened until Emily discovers that the photo on the poster matches exactly like the one she took when Tyco was first brought into the shelter. When they tell Calvin the truth, he finally realizes it was Preston behind the plot and that Tyco's "family" were actually a couple of people he hired and paid to pretend that they were his real "family" as a way to exact his revenge for his humiliating defeat at the trials.
Calvin and his friends find Tyco locked up in the phonies' basement until Calvin and Emily rescue him while Figg provides a distraction by pretending to sell magazines and faking an asthma attack. Then, Calvin's parents drive the kids and Tyco to the finals. After Preston and his dog have finished their routine and score a 98, he is shocked and surprised to find Calvin and Tyco back just in time before their disqualifications. He even tells them that it will be impossible for them to beat his score but Calvin refuses to listen and continues anyway. Seeing as to how incredibly well Tyco and Calvin are performing with the whole skateboard-pulling routine through the dog obstacle courses, Figg, Emily, and Calvin's parents are seen cheering for them and Preston, worried that Calvin will win and refusing to admit defeat, takes his dog and decides to take matters into his own hands by sabotaging one of the dog obstacle courses during the show. Nevertheless, Calvin and Tyco still win, beat Preston's score by one point, and get a 99/100, and Preston gets disqualified for the sabotaging.
Along with using that reward money to buy the last comic book, Calvin uses the money for good. He gives the money to the shelter (where Tyco used to be) so that the dogs can have better homes. In the end, the shelter is saved and Figg along with many other people adopt a new pet. Calvin, Figg, Rondel, his mother, and his teammates now work as volunteers at the shelter. When Figg adopts a Chihuahua named Rufus and seeing how well he is performing with him, Calvin tries to talk Figg into teaming up with their dogs as a tag team with him as the manager "to help count all the money" for next year's competition. Tyco is made a hero for having saved the shelter after that.
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