via Giphy
"Charlie?"
"What?"
"Do you think you could help me find a mommy and a daddy?"
...
"Charlie?"
"What?"
"I have to go to the bathroom."
"Ha-ha. Of course."
What? Do you think you could help me Find a mommy and daddy? Kid, I'll help you find The lost city of Atlantis! Just please, please go to sleep! Charlie? What? I have to go to the bathroom. Ha ha. Of course. Read more: https://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/movie_script.php?movie=all-dogs-go-to-heaven
I originally wrote about All Dogs Go to Heaven in late 2016. This review includes previously-written and new comments.
Although All Dogs Go to Heaven falls a bit short of being a classic, it's nevertheless carried by Burt Reynolds' charm and the appeal of a redemption story.
This time around, I began focusing on the more familiar elements. Pairing a cute kid with a gruff adult is another example of timeless storytelling. We know the meanie will become a softy and the moppet will get a happy ending. All the fun has to come as we're getting there.
Don Bluth led a directorial team including Gary Goldman and Dan Kuenster. Bluth and Goldman were part of the 10-member story team, which included credited screenwriter David N. Weiss. Songs featured in-universe (I don't think "Love Survives" counts) were apparently separately written by Charles Strouse and T.J. Kuenster (Dan's brother).
I'm wondering if any of these people worried that their movie would be compared to The Rescuers (an adorable child whom the villain hopes to use for nefarious purposes in the south), Annie (the child is an orphaned girl who just wants a home), Oliver and Company (our waif befriends some shady but lovable dogs) and even 101 Dalmatians (the idea of a close-knit dog community trading messages by barking). At least the movie has the courtesy to wave a paw to Robin Hood.
"These are some of the poorest people I know. They're broker than ... the 10 Commandments. ... Heh-heh. A little joke."
Burt voices and sings the role of Charlie, a mutt murdered for his casino operation by ex-partner Carface (voice of Vic Tayback). After escaping Heaven, Charlie reunites with sidekick Itchy (voice of Dom DeLuise) and exploits, then bonds with, Anne-Marie (voice of Judith Barsi), an orphan who can talk to animals.
Anne-Marie doesn't appear until the second quarter of the 84-minute film. From what I can gather, the limitations of her role are script-based, rather than due to Barsi's tragic death. Anyway, Charlie crosses the line into irredeemable when he preys on Anne-Marie's guilt, getting her to leave a loving home to help further his success. And he's not even the one who pulls her to safety in the climactic fire.
But, but, but ... Charlie gave his life for Anne-Marie. When he had the choice between grabbing the watch representing his life and getting a pneumonia-ridden Anne-Marie to safety, he chose the girl. Doesn't that count for anything? And speaking of leaves being turned over, consider Killer (voice of Charles Nelson Reilly) being the one who actually brings Anne-Marie ashore. Earlier in the movie, he shot at Charlie and Anne-Marie.
A movie like All Dogs Go to Heaven isn't meant to be loaded with surprises. Like I said, we have a pretty good idea how it's going to end. It means the scenes between the plot twists have to be pretty special. Unfortunately, that didn't really happen here.
Burt, Dom DeLuise (voicing Itchy, Charlie's sidekick) and Judith gave better performances than I remembered. Burt's efforts at bringing life to a pretty flat character are pretty admirable. The same goes for Judith. It's heartbreaking that we were denied the chance to see or hear her grow as an actress. Speaking of heartbreaking, this latest viewing helped me realize how good Dom was when Itchy asks Charlie to choose between him and Anne-Marie.
Charlie! Charlie, you here? Hey! Be quiet! Squeaker's sick and needs her sleep. Oh, you're breaking my heart. Maybe I should go upstairs and kiss her good night. Itch, what happened to you? What happened to me? You want to know what happened to me? Yes. I'll tell you what happened to me. Carface happened to me, with about 50 of his thugs. Oh. That dirty rat. Oh! I'm sorry, itch. I really am sorry. Well, look what else happened While you were sidetracked. See that? That's our place. You were going to fix Carface. Well, he fixed us! Ya see, boss? It's gone too far. You wanted revenge on Carface, And I said, "no. Please, let's get out of town," But I stayed because... because you're my friend. Then you wanted to kidnap the girl, And I said, "this is crazy!" But I helped you. And--And then we got to dress the girl And read her stories. And she wants we should feed the poor. And the whole while I'm thinkin', "This is stupid! She's gonna get us killed!" But I stay because I'm your friend. But tonight... tonight--Charlie, he tried to kill me! He tried to kill me, Charlie, And you was out gallivanting with this... with this girl! I say we should lose the girl, Get out of town, Charlie, you and me, Then call it even. Now the casino's gone. We got to start all over. We need the girl more than ever. No, boss! You're crazy. It's not business anymore, it's personal. Ah, come on, itchy. Sure, it's just business. I mean-- You're in love with the girl. You've gone soft. You care about her. Read more: https://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/movie_script.php?movie=all-dogs-go-to-heaven
That whole confrontation scene, including Anne-Marie overhearing Charlie claim to not care about her and her subsequent outburst ("You're not my friend! You're a bad dog!"), is better than I first gave it credit for. Through cunning or circumstance, Charlie has kept ahead of the consequences of his actions. Once Anne-Marie is kidnapped (her second or fourth time, depending on how you look at things), Charlie really has no other path to take but the one of redemption.
"Charlie, will I ever see you again?"
"Sure. Sure you will, kid. You know, goodbyes aren't forever."
"Then goodbye, Charlie. I love you."
"Yeah. I love you too."
Recommended with reservations.
Thoughts:
-- The movie's vocal cast also included Ken Page as King Gator and Melba Moore as the dog equivalent of St. Peter (later named Annabelle). At least they had songs. Other than the fact she was soon to be Burt's wife, I'm not sure why Loni Anderson (who voiced Flo, a struggling single mother dog) was in this movie.
-- Box Office: Grossing $27.1 million on a $13.8 million budget, this opened at No. 5 and came in at No. 44 for 1989. Just like the year before and in November 1986, Bluth faced off against Disney.
-- Critic's Corner: "Opening in the formidable wake of The Little Mermaid, this film might as well roll over and play dead," Janet Maslin wrote. Although he preferred Mermaid, Roger Ebert had positive comments about Dogs. "The style and tone of the movie is fresh ... (it's) bright and inventive." "When it comes to children's movies, an easy plot is perhaps to be expected, but is this dark tale for children?" Rita Kempley asked. Twenty-five years later, Entertainment Weekly writer Hillary Busis declared Dogs as the most disturbing kids movie ever.
-- A few stray comments on adults and youth: Maslin noted that children who see the movie will realize that all dogs die and that anyone taking them to the movie should be prepared to discuss the idea and its greater implications. I might be off, but I think Burt and Loni's wedding (April 29, 1988) and adoption of son Quinton (~September 1988) came after they'd completed work on the movie. Something I'd never realized about Judith Barsi: she had middle-aged parents. Maria Barsi was in her late '40s and József Barsi was in his mid-'50s when the murder-suicide occurred on July 25, 1988.
-- Musical Moments: The original songs were dreadful, according to Maslin, who singled out "What's Mine is Yours." The jolly exception, Kempley wrote, was "Let's Make Music Together." I'll bet it would be fun to bust out at a gay millennial bar's karaoke night.
-- I guess any bar can be a singles bar, but that lyric feels so out of place in "Let Me Be Surprised." Also, "Love Survives" is a pretty song, but I don't think it was ever seriously considered for awards.
-- We had this on VHS when I was a boy, but it wasn't until 2016 that I watched it in full. I missed out on the All Dogsverse, which included Charlie Sheen (!) and then Steven Weber (!!) taking over the role of Charlie. It sucks that Bluth didn't get any piece of that pie.
-- Next: Harlem Nights. On deck: Steel Magnolias.
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