 All Dogs Go To Heaven (1989)
Is it true that all dogs go to heaven? That's the question that Don Bluth tried to create in All Dogs Go to Heaven. The story revolves around a gambling dog named Charlie. Charlie B. Barkin (voiced by Burt Reynolds) is a German Shepherd hustler. He does a lot of fast talking and has recently escaped from a New Orleans dog pound. After being sent to heaven by the film's villan Carface, Charlie is able to charm his way back to Earth. Charlie is reunited with his friend Itchy (voiced by Dom DeLuise) and returns to confront Carface for his double crossing. While back on Earth has meets a human girl named Anne Marie. The most endearing character in this film is ironically Anne Marie. It appears that Anne Marie uses her ability to talk to animals to help him with his gambling.
The colors are bold and beautiful in this movie. The songs are sweet, if not extremely memorable. Reynolds needs to stick with just talking because his singing abilities are not his best work.
The main reason why All Dogs Go to Heaven misses the mark, is that while Charlie may claim to be a loveable gambler, he just isn't that appealing as a character. There are weird editing decisons that seems to have been made. There are many times where scenes appear to make no sense within the story. The audience for this movie is also difficult to figure out. Many of the jokes are over the heads of many smaller children. There are also scenes that may frighten this age group. If you are a fan of Bluth's work, or want to hear Burt Reynolds strange singing voice, I would give All Dogs Go to Heaven a try. Otherwise it probably isn't worth your time. I give this film a Howl!
By: Tadashi Rubright
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