Raymond

(Synopsis) Dr. Kozak (Robert Downey Jr.) kidnaps a 300-year old Tibetan sheepdog in an attempt to discover the dog's secret of longevity and produce a fountain of youth drug. Unfortunately, all he has produced are animal mutations such as a king cobra-canine with a tail, a dog-frog that barks, and other mutations that are part dog. The sheepdog escapes the lab and is rescued by Carly Douglas (Zena Grey), who takes him home. Deputy District Attorney Dave Douglas (Tim Allen) is prosecuting Carly's teacher for the firebombing of Dr. Kozak's lab. Dave hates dogs, and after he is bitten by the sheepdog, the dog is sent to the pound. The dog has injected Dave with some of his DNA cells, and Dave begins to have canine urges and eventually, becomes a sheepdog. Dave learns the truth about his family and the drug company as a dog.

(My Comment) This is a cute movie that you can take your children to. There are several funny scenes like the bathroom and park scenes that are just hilarious. I think they wasted their money on the CG effects on the cat chasing scene. If you look at the Shaggy Dog poster, you will see Tim Allen's eerie eyes. I enjoyed this movie, and you must remember that this is only a movie, and don't take the plot too seriously. (Note: The dog is actually a bearded collie.) (Walt Disney, Run time 1:38, Rated PG) (5/10)

In this 21st century update of the 1959 Disney classic (and its 1976 sequel, "The Shaggy D.A."), Tim Allen is cast as Dave Douglas, a deputy district attorney who ends up being bitten by a mystical Tibetan canine who is supposedly hundreds of years old. Of course, he will then start transforming into a dog himself - at the worst possible times, naturally. He'll have to do some serious adjusting to these developments as he discovers some truths about the case he is currently trying, and deals with a nefarious geneticist (Robert Downey, Jr.).

Usually derided by adult viewers, who understandably are miffed by some mis-use of acting talent, "The Shaggy Dog" '06 is really not that bad. This viewer would be lying if he said that he didn't burst out laughing at some of the expected gags where Allen is committing to canine behaviour while still in human form. The transformations are almost entirely done off screen, with cuts made between Allen and his canine version.

Since this IS a Disney feature we're talking about, it should come as no surprise that it does get sentimental, and ultimately workaholic / absentee dad Dave will become a better man, and become closer to his children, through his off the wall experience.

Allen is definitely fun, and the supporting cast serves him well: Danny Glover, Philip Baker Hall, Kristin Davis, Spencer Breslin and Zena Grey as the kids. Jane Curtin is admittedly under utilized in a very straight role as the judge presiding over the trial. But this viewer will be honest, the main reason that "The Shaggy Dog" '06 hits him in a soft spot is because the dog in the movie is a bearded collie (or beardie). This may offend some purists, since the dog in the original movies was an Olde English Sheepdog, but I love beardies; our family had one for fourteen years and she was a wonderful pet. And Cole, the beardie utilized here, is adorable and obviously extremely well trained. Young viewers may take to some of the other endearing animal characters, as well.

While inevitably formulaic and predictable, this movie generates enough decent laughs to make it okay entertainment.

Six out of 10.

So it's a dumb movie with a dumb plot - what do you expect? Agatha Christie? Robert Ludlum? This is a Disney film for children!

As a kids' movie, it's a lot of fun with plenty of slapstick and lots of laughs. The plot is goofy, but the basic premise is hardly meant to be realistic. This is not cinema verité. People give "What Women Want" with Mel Gibson a much higher rating, but that's just as daft.

There are plenty of set-piece chases, as you would expect with a storyline about dogs.

If you want clever, go see the Usual Suspects, just don't take your under-eights.

I took my daughter to see this movie, and we both enjoyed it very much. We can't wait until it comes out on DVD to add to our personal collection. I really was happy with the fact that there wasn't any profanity throughout the entire movie. It reminded me of the good old days when rated PG movies could be watched by the entire family. We laughed throughout the entire movie, and it managed to hold my 8 year old daughter's attention, which is commendable within itself. So, I really wanted to say Thank You to all of the individuals who were apart of the decision making process of making sure that this movie was completely decent for our children to watch.

I took my 12 year old grandson to see it and he was rolling on the floor for most of the film. I was surprised that it was actually funny,much more surprise than I was prepared for. This is a funny movie for those preteens and early teens as they seem to really enjoy it. Sure it is not full of high tech special effects and should never be compared to the Matrix, but it is a Disney! movie --- get it... a Disney movie. Take that into consideration ... how many Disney movies achieve high ratings anyway, other than the classics? This is a fun movie. I saw the original and it was funny too. Remember way back when everything was black and white and not color? The special effects in this movie are not very high tech and some of the metamorphosis takes place when you do not see it, so do not expect "the wolf-man" changes to be shown, nope, one shot he is a man, the next he is a dog. Some of the other critters are pretty funny too and kids seem to love this movie.