Charlie, mon héros

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.

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).

I can understand why some people like this movie, and why some people don't. For me, though, I really like it, even if I noticed some good bits, and not so impressive bits. The animation was actually excellent, like Charlie's dream. The characters were a mixed bag, the best being Anne-Marie, voiced by the late Judith Barsi.(I was physically ill when I read what happened to her) Also, Carface is a very convincing villain,especially voiced by the wonderful Vic Tayback(I particularly loved "Morons I'm surrounded by Morons") and along with Rasputin and Warren T.Rat is probably the most memorable of all the Don Bluth villains. Charlie and Itchy only just lacked the same sparkle, but I loved King Gator and his song. Some of the film is very haunting, like Annabelle's "You can never come come back", which kind of scares me still. Unfortunately, there were some bits I didn't like so much. The story had a tendency to become clumsy and unfocused, but Disney's Black Cauldron suffered from the same problem. Also there were some dark scenes, that young children would find upsetting, but the ending is very poignant. However the biggest flaw was the rather bland songs and the way they were sung. None of them in particular stick out, with exception of "Let's Make Music Together" and "Love Survives", and Burt Reynolds can't sing and Dom DeLuise has done much better singing. All in all, a watchable movie, that could have been more, but is definitely memorable, and I would definitely watch it again. 7/10. Bethany Cox

I loved this film when I was little. Today at 17 it is one of my all time favorite animated films. Beautiful animation and appealing characters are just two of the things to like about this film. Although many people might not enjoy some of the songs, most of them are well-done and go along with the story. It focuses on Charlie, a roguish handsome German Shepard who may seem unlikable to some at first... but eventually will win you over.

Not a kiddie film by any means. Often very dark and frightening at times. A treat for Don Bluth fans and animation buffs. But do keep a tissue in handy. ADGTH never fails to make me cry and will do the same for those who are movie sensitive. Arguably one of the greatest non-Disney animated films of all time. Along with Watership Down and My Neighbor Totoro.

BOTTOM LINE: A heavenly masterpiece.

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.