Chips, the War Dog

This was one of the early Disney films that was made and premiered on the Disney Channel. I remember first seeing it in 1990 and not seeing it again until 5 or 6 years later.(Of course now I own the video.) It's a cute movie for kids and stars William Devane, Brandon Douglas, and the absolutely gorgeous Ellie Cornell who steals every scene she's in. Overall this is a cute movie which kids should enjoy, if you can take your eye off Ellie Cornell.

War and dogs. This suggests that it is a film for boys who have a pet dog or who long to have a pet dog. But, girls can enjoy it too. I saw this film on television when I was younger, and it was a film that I watched several times from a VHS. The story is about a family dog who is not disciplined and who is forced to leave his family and join the army where he has a difficult-at-first new owner. In the end, it all works out between the undisciplined dog and his new master, the soldier. It's a very realistic film with enough action to keep the heart-warming story of friendship interesting. I would recommend this film to children from about 8-years-old. Good!

This movie is a great Disney classic. Chips was indeed a real war hero. In the movie, Chips is a purebred German Shepherd Dog, but the real Chips was a mixed breed. The dogs are good actors and well trained, accurately portraying the dogs through several stages of training all the way to becoming war dogs.

Both Danny and Chips have been created as believable and enjoyable characters and it is fun to watch as their friendship develops. It is great that Disney made a tribute to these oft-forgotten war heroes. A family film well worth seeing.

This movie is very under-rated. A fictional film based on historical events, it shines as a comedy, drama, and tear-jerker. It focuses on one dog during W.W. 2, but speaks volumes of how all the dogs were treated after their service in the war. The dogs were striped of the medals they so richly earned! It doesn't just use German Shepherds either, it uses a variety of breeds, each suited to a unique talent, just like they did in real life.

I would recommend this film to anyone, even those who think they wouldn't like it -- its great and should have been recognized by one of the award groups but it was not (kind of fitting in a way).