Preamble: I don't know about you but I definitely went through a 'I hate Disney' phase when I was around 7 or so. This actually delighted my parents very much for some odd reason. That was when I discovered the wonders of Don Bluth animated productions. In case you are not familiar with his work, he also directed and produced The Secret of NIMH, An American Tail and The Land Before Time. While Land Before Time (and ALL of it's sequels) holds a special place in my heart, it is All Dogs Go to Heaven that is my favorite out of all of Bluth's movies. It wasn't as big a success as all the other films, simply for the fact that it went head to head with another one of my all time favorite animated movies from the House of Mouse, Little Mermaid. But fun fact it went on to become one of the best selling VHS releases of the time.
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Year: 1989

Rated: G

Summary - Set in 1939 New Orleans, the story centers on Charles B. Barkin, a roguish German Shepherd with the charm of a con man and the heart of a marshmallow. Out for revenge against his double-crossing former partner, a cigar-chomping pit bull known as Carface, Charlie finds himself guardian to a lonely little orphan named Anne-Marie. Her astounding ability to talk to animals leads this unlikely pair on an adventure packed with thrills, laughs, tears and true love. All Dogs Go To Heaven is a musical, animated exploration of the fundamental conflict between good and bad. While all dogs may be welcome in heaven, the open admission policy doesn't necessarily ensure that a dog is worthy of, or even ready to accept his heavenly blessing.

Screenplay by: David N. Weiss

Story by: Don Bluth, Ken Cromar, Gary Goldman, Larry Leker, Linda Miller, Monica Parker, John Pomeroy, Guy Shulman, David Steinberg and David N. Weiss

Director: Don Bluth

Starring:

• Burt Reynolds as Charlie B. Barkin, a roguish German Shepherd mix and con artist.
• Dom DeLuise as Itchy Itchiford, a paranoid, nervous and cowardly Dachshund.
• Judith Barsi as Anne-Marie, a young human orphan girl with the ability to talk to and understand animals.
• Vic Tayback as Carface Caruthers, a shifty, psychotic mixed American Pit Bull Terrier/Bulldog gangster.
• Charles Nelson Reilly as Killer, a misnamed, cowardly, neurotic and spectacles-wearing Schnauzer/poodle hybrid.
• Loni Anderson as Flo, a female Rough Collie and girlfriend of Charlie.
• Melba Moore as a Whippet angel, who welcomes deceased dogs into Heaven.
• Ken Page as King Gator, an American alligator and voodoo witch doctor, living below the streets of New Orleans.
• Rob Fuller as Harold
• Earleen Carey as Kate
• Godfrey Quigley as Terrier, a dog
• Anna Manahan as Stella Dallas, a horse
• Candy Devine as Vera 

Top Picks from the Soundtrack (Listen Here)

• "Love Survives" - Irene Cara and Freddie Jackson
• "You Can't Keep a Good Dog Down" - Burt Reynolds and Dom DeLuise
• "Hellhound" - Music Score - Length: 2:09
• "Let Me Be Surprised" - Melba Moore and Burt Reynolds
• "Soon You'll Come Home" (Anne-Marie's Theme) - Lana Beeson
• "Goodbye Anne-Marie" - Music Score
• "Hallelujah" - Candy Devine

The Review

The first thing that comes to mind when I think about this movie is how bright and truly colorful this film was compared to other films of the time that came before it. Another thing that comes to mind is the character design which was almost very crude when compared to Disney (and some of Bluth's other productions) but I think that's what made it refreshing. The style and tone of All Dogs Go to Heaven was very fresh at the time even if the plot was not.

This movie has a very definitive urban edge to it. Even most of the lyrical songs on the soundtrack have a very R&B/Soul vibe to them. Which is definitely why I think I remember this movie so fondly, it didn't feel vanilla or cookie cutter like so many of the Disney films of the time did.

I was amused with Burt Reynolds voice acting and immediately recognized Judith Barsi's voice (Ducky from The Land Before Time) so I was good to go on that front. I've always liked the Gothic and macabre, even as a small child and upon re-watching this as an adult I have to say I'm shocked that a) this movie was rated G and b)that my parents actually let me watch this movie as many times as I did (it was near 25 before I moved on to some other movie if I remember right). This film is dark. It is filled with gambling, drinking and lots of sexual innuendo.

If I'm going to be honest, the only sympathetic character is Anne-Marie. I actually thought Charlie really did deserve to go to hell and the deus ex machina that comes in the form of an alligator a little over half way through movie breaks the universes rules in an asinine manner that annoyed me then and annoys me now to no end.

But if you have kids I do think this a good movie that has the opportunity for some teachable moments and great jumping off points for discussions on forgiveness, friendship, loyalty and morality in general. Even if you don't have kids this is still a great animated classic to visit or re-visit. Especially since Disney has once again become a little stagnant as well as Pixar and Dreamworks in their animated features department.

Grade: A

Aces for (Voice) Acting

• Judith Barsi

MVP

• Anne-Marie

Favorite Character

• Itchy

Best Character Interactions

• Itchy and Charlie

Best Scene

• End Credits

Notable Quotable
Charlie: Careful, Itchy.
Itchy: Yeah?
Charlie: Yeah. I think that might be a water main.
Itchy: Nah, Charlie. Water mains are green. This is red.
Charlie: You're colorblind. You always been colorblind!
Itchy: That's true, but this is green.
Charlie: It's red!
Itchy: Red?
[He drills into the water main; outside, water bursts out of the ground]

Most Memorable Moment
Carface: AAAAAGH!! I'll get that gator if it's the last thing I do!
Annabelle: Touch that clock, and you can never come back.
Carface: Shut up!
Annabelle: I said, touch that clock, and you can never come back!
Charlie: [to the audience] He'll be back. [winks]

Fun Facts

• There was a theatrical sequel released, All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 (it stars Charlie Sheen)
• There was a television series made based on the first 2 movies, All Dogs Go to Heaven: The Series
• There was a made for TV Christmas special made called An All Dogs Christmas Carol
• *Don Bluth had nothing to do with any of them

Did I whet your appetite to either watch All Dogs Go to Heaven for the first time or the first time in a long time? You can watch it for free on Hulu.

Be sure to come back tomorrow when I discuss Bambi.

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