My Movie Review on All Dogs Go to Heaven
Yo, what's up, Kemosabes?
This is your friendly film, TV show, and episode reporter here with another review.
Today, I'm gonna give you guys my take of Don Bluth's "All Dogs Go to Heaven".
Here's the summary of this tale:
Charlie B. Barkin is a smooth-talking canine con artist who runs a casino for dogs alongside his business partner and friend, Carface Caruthers.
However, after Carface betrays Charlie and manages to murder him, Charlie is sent to Heaven despite not being the most pure-hearted dog. Not wanting to rest until he gets revenge on Carface, though, Charlie discovers the watch that ticked when he was alive, and when he winds it back...he gets sent back to Earth and comes to life again.
A little while after Charlie reunites with his best friend Itchy Itchiford, the two of them discover an orphaned human girl named Anne Marie, who has an incredible gift for communicating with animals. Believing Anne Marie to be his new ticket to being top dog again, Charlie convinces Anne Marie to come with him and Itchy in exchange for helping her find a new family to look after her.
What sort of adventures await the two dogs and girl? And how long will it take for Carface to catch wind of Charlie being back from the dead?
Having been interested in analyzing another movie directed by Don Bluth for quite some time, this movie here was the one that came to my mind the most as I thought about what movie by Bluth to review next. It's also one that I remember watching a lot as a child, so I had an encouraging nostalgia rush running through me that made reviewing it all-the-more tantalizing.
And I really must say, watching this movie again after so long brought me such joy and made me feel younger than I am now. Although, I will admit that the movie might not be suitable for people under eleven years of age, largely because of the concept and some rather intense scenes. As a matter of fact, it likely should've been rated PG instead of G. That's okay, though, because I can see that it was likely Bluth's intention to make this movie something for pre-teens and older, and real blame for the miscalculation in rating goes toward the MPAA rating system.
The only real nitpick I found in the film was that most of the songs by Charles Strouse and T.J. Kuenster weren't what I found to be the greatest I ever heard. It's mainly because the lyrics lacked a certain bounce to help them roll and mix together, and the execution of the songs made them feel almost out of place. That, and the moment where King Gator breaks into song over his adoration for Charlie's singing voice felt too random and weird for its own good.
Other than what I've just noted, though, the film was still as enjoyable as I remembered it being.
For instance, the direction by Don Bluth, Gary Goldman, and Dan Kuenster, the screenplay by David N. Weiss, and the story by Bluth, Goldman, Weiss, John Pomeroy, Ken Cromar, Larry Leker, Linda Miller, Monica Parker, Gary Schulman, and David J. Steinberg, provided quite an awesome experience. Among the things I enjoyed was how creatively witty they made the film, and the overall comedy they incorporated was nonstop hilarious! The film even had a genuine amount of heart and emotion, which particularly came from Charlie's growing bond with Anne Marie and his friendship with Itchy. The film's morals and themes about friendship, honesty, loyalty, generosity, and kindness were nicely worked as well. When it came to making a plot that was distinctly character-driven, Bluth and company definitely didn't mess around. It was like the film would hardly survive without the characters.
The film's animation was amazing, if I may add. The visuals may not have been powerful enough to give Disney a run for its money, but they were still beautiful and groundbreaking in their own way. It was especially impressive because of how well the animators made great use of their 13 million dollar budget.
The music by Ralph Burns was likewise top-notch. Out of all the things he did, Burns was able to extend himself creatively and help a small film become something huge, which was great. And hey, even though most of the songs weren't complete showstoppers, there was one song that I deeply enjoyed out of all of them: "You Can't Keep a Good Dog Down", which had a great sense of fun and bounce.
Finally, the performances of the cast, casting, characters, and character development were fantastic! I loved how into it the performers appeared to be with their characters, portraying their parts like they were born for them and sounding like they were having all the fun in the world. For instance, despite King Gator being a kind of bizarre character, he still played an essential part in driving the plot forward, and Ken Page did a great job portraying his character.
I literally can't deny it, Burt Reynolds and Dom DeLuise were terrific in the roles of Charlie and Itchy. Both of them gave their characters brilliant personality and comedic-timings, and the chemistry they created for whenever their characters were together was astounding. The same with Vic Tayback and Charles Nelson Reilly in their portrayals of Carface and Killer, really. And, Judith Barsi's performance as Anne-Marie was so full of heart, kindness, and innocence that it was strong enough to tug at the soul.
The characters themselves weren't without phenomenal development and sense of life either. Charlie's growth as a character throughout the film was truly remarkable, and his caring side for Anne Marie was a heartwarming thing to see. It was likewise astounding to witness Carface transform into an even more intimidating threat than he was at the beginning as the film progressed.
In conclusion, "All Dogs Go to Heaven" isn't a flawless animated effort, but it's still one of Don Bluth's most charming features. It's fun, the concept was original and well-worked, the characters and vocal performances were marvelous, everything!
So, I rate "All Dogs Go to Heaven" 4½ out of 5 stars.
