This is what I have so far. It’s a good work in progress.

-Shadows semi-auto-generated (and shrinks when Sam jumps in the air);
-Parallax elements (Sky, horizon curves, yellow road strips);
-Characters (Sam & Dog) walk in the same relative parallax speed as the road strips;
-Dog walks, and using the RIGHT-ARROW key, you can advance Sam to catch-up;
-LEFT-ARROW key will yank the dog back into the camera view (one of the goals);

Alright… 7am… definitely need a few hours of sleep!