Charlie - Anche i cani vanno in Paradiso

This movie has been overlooked so much, it saddens me every time I see an empty review about it that fusses over tiny elements.

Yes, "All Dogs" is weird; There are dogs, orphans, corruption, murder, gambling, alcohol, afterlife, machine guns and a singing alligator, all mixed-up in the same movie. Yes, "All Dogs" has plot holes; Charlie can't talk to horses but can talk to alligators, the bad guy is allowed to enter heaven and the story is overall confusing.

So what?

This is one of the few movies that managed to make me "feel", in the true sense of the word. Have you ever been sad and hopeful at the same time? "All Dogs" made me feel that way. It makes me smile every time I watch it -without even knowing why-, and occasionally makes me cry. "All Dogs" has one of the most powerful endings I have ever seen in my life. The art is sublime; the characters' expressions, the backgrounds and special effects are astonishing. The symphonic and jazzy musics rolling in the background make whole with the 30's atmosphere. The dialogs are all fitting where they should belong. There are so many things to tell about this movie... I've noticed that many reviewers have been disturbed by the unusually dark tone spilled throughout the film. In real life, people are able to drink, gamble and/or kill. Don Bluth seems to be one of the few directors that takes children seriously, and present them the not-so-bright sides of life.

For those who are unsure about watching "All Dogs" or not because of some disturbing interpretations of the movie; Give it a try. You'll either hate it or love it to death, but one thing is sure: you won't be seeing anything like that in the near future. This is one of the strangely addicting movies that you love without knowing why (see also "Six-String Samurai" and "The Man Who Saves The World" to see what I mean).

All Dogs Go To Heaven is a movie that I have always liked. When I was a kid, I used to watch this every other day. It is underrated if you look at its IMDb rating and the comments of many people in general. This isn't a bad movie like many say, it is a very good movie. This is good and your kids will probably like it. Even though it's rated G, some parents may find this to be a bit violent. It is actually a pretty dark story, where the dogs are similar to mobsters who are involved in gambling, extortion, and even cold blooded murder. The movie follows a dog named Charlie who had escaped from the pound, is killed by his old friend, goes to heaven, but ends up coming back to earth. Many younger kids watching this movie may feel as though they are watching a big kids movie.

There are some scenes that may scare little kids, but I'm sure they'll do fine. Every time I watch this movie, it reminds me of when I was a little kid. I'm sure everyone has a movie that reminds them of when they were younger, this is the movie that makes me feel that way. The performances from Burt Reynolds and Dom DeLuise are great, and this is the last movie that a little girl named Judith Barsi was in. Unfortunately, she was killed at a young age, which is a shame because she had so much potential and didn't deserve what happened. Now that I know her story, I can't watch this movie the same way anymore because her voice sounds so sad.

The animation in this movie is great, the voice work is great, and the story is good, but a little bit different from many other kids movies. This was popular at the time of its release, but was over shadowed by Disney's mega popular The Little Mermaid. This is a movie that isn't conceived as well by adults, but if you're a kid, or if you grew up with this movie as a kid, then I'm sure you will enjoy watching it.

All dogs go to Heaven is one of the best movies I've ever seen. I first saw it when I was like 3. Now I'm 12 and I rented it, it makes me think of things and it brings back so many memories, those were "the days". I love the music, I love when Charlie is arriving in Heaven, I love the song "Let me be surprised". I love how Charlie looks and his voice, Bert Reynolds could only play Charlie's voice this great. I love this movie, the 1st one is the best one because it's so original and great. It really does bring back memories that no one can describe, not even me. If only I could go back to those days. I love the characters. If this is the way the memories come back when I'm 12 imagine how I'll feel when I'm like 19, I hope I'll be able to watch this when I'm older. When I first seen this I never knew that I would really look back on it and feel this way , I hope it will be available to watch. I'm so happy that this movie was made and the amazing idea came to mind and heart. On a scale from 1-10 I'd give it a perfect 10. It's an amazing movie. It's so hard to explain the feeling, when I get older and if I have kids, I hope they can experience this feeling.

I've seen this movie when I was young, and I remembered it as one of the first films I have truly liked that was not an action movie or a comedy. So, in my later years I decided to watch it again and see if it was just nostalgia or was there really something in that movie. To my surprise, the movie held to my every expectations. It's a great movie. Emotional in the right amount, some jokes, nice songs (not great though, and that actually explains why I did not remember it was a musical) and all in all a great use to my time. I was surprised because the last movies from my childhood that I have revisited did not even pass my minimal demands of a decent movie and yet this movie, which I first saw in the second grade, made me cry today just like it made me cry then. Maybe that's because my dog died recently and maybe not, but the important thing is that it made me feel, and that's why filmmakers make films (that and the money, of course). Yes, there are continuity glitches. Yes, the script has holes, but it doesn't matter. The movie itself is fun and smart. So don't be fooled by cynical people who always look for the bad things in life, because nothing is perfect, and this movie gets a 10 not because it is perfect. It gets 10 simply because it made me feel.

Ever had a feature film where you really don't know how to feel about it? You don't hate it by any means, but you also don't really love it all that much either? For me, it's Don Bluth's All Dogs go to Heaven. Noted to be the first Don Bluth feature made after his brief stint with Steven Spielberg (which got him to beat Disney at their own game), the film was practically slaughtered on its original release by The Little Mermaid, although it did gain a massive cult following on home video. In spite of that however, many critics of Bluth's work have stated this marked the beginning of his dark period, and even I can see why.

The film tells the story of Charlie B. Barkin, a casino gambling German Shepherd who gets murdered by his former partner, Carface Carruthers, but leaves Heaven to go to Earth with a rewindable watch. On Earth, he and his best friend, Itchy Itchiford, get back at Carface by using a young orphan girl named Anne-Marie, who teaches them an important lesson about kindness, friendship and love. What sounds convoluted plot-wise is even more muddled in the execution, as the film goes from an inner world in New Orleans with dogs who plot and scheme one-another to then having this orphan child come in out of left field. Throughout the feature, the initial goal of Charlie getting back at his foe feels almost sidelined to focus more on Anne-Marie, as if the filmmakers couldn't make up their minds on how to drive the narrative forward. What's even more frustrating is that both archs work well on their own: the revenge angle presents some fun concepts in this world where dogs coincide on their own and Anne-Marie's presence helps provide the feature with a good amount of heart and emotions. It's just unfortunate that the jumbled tone on deciding whether it wants to be serious or light hearted got in the way of a cohesive story.

Now in terms of characters, Charlie himself comes off more unlikable than the film may have intended. Even when he learns about the meaning of kindness, his actions towards Anne-Marie feel undeserved and rather petty. Yes he's meant to be the wise cracking con artist with a heart of gold, but there are times when his bitterness to others is more mean spirited than necessary. Meanwhile, Itchy is a charming albeit neurotic comedic relief, Carface and Killer are the generic smart and dumb villain types, and anyone else. If any credit must be given to the voice actors, Burt Reynolds and Dom DeLuise make a great duo as Charlie and Itchy, as their improvisational banter and sardonic remarks are more entertainmenting than most of what goes on in the feature. Also, in spite of this being the last film for child actress Judith Barsi, the sincerity she gave in her performance as Anne-Marie feels like that of a genuinely innocent child who understands right and wrong and wants someone who will love and care for her. I guess for every mangy trait, these characters do have some good in them after all.

Of course, being a Don Bluth film, you're going to have gorgeous visuals, although here it comes with a mixed bag. On one hand, it's cool to have the dogs look and act in a more exaggerated and cartoony manner than the more realistic humans presented, but at times the animals look so exaggerated to the point of looking unappealing and they can't decide whether they want to walk on all fours or be anthropomorphic. Alternatively, the backgrounds are rich in detail, color and atmosphere, whether they be the gorgeous Louisiana landscapes, the surreal dreamlike heaven and hell, or even the abstract multicolor environments with strange creatures (like one such alligator). Also, there are some really bizarre edits in this film, as in you'll get a key shot of a sequence and then it will go away to another shot that will last less than five seconds (seriously, blink and you'll miss some stuff). Lastly, the musical numbers are what I like to call entertaining show stoppers, because as upbeat and catchy as they can be, most of them stop the story dead in its tracks and could have been cut out altogether.

So in the end, All Dogs remains a well intentioned albeit disjointed and somewhat jumbled hodgepodge with a mix of positives and negatives. For every intriguing and freshly new concept, luscious animation, likable character and fun filled song, there's a competing sub plot, bad archetype, questionable filmmaking choice and weak execution that makes the experience feel all over the place. I do recommend this film to a family audience and especially Don Bluth fans, because as scattered as the film feels in its presence, it does offer at least some stuff for people to get acquainted with, whether unintentionally or not.