All Dogs Go to HeavenEven sinners can dig up a noble bone within them. Take the roguish Charlie B. Barkin (Burt Reynolds), a German Shepherd who breaks out of the "big house" (the pound) with his best friend, Itchy (Dom DeLuise), and returns to his bayou casino and his conniving partner, Carface (Vic Tayback), who secretly set him up to cut him out of the action. Carface decides to permanently put the kibosh on their business arrangement by offing Charlie, sending him to that great doghouse in the sky. Dissatisfied with the hereafter and Carface's betrayal, Charlie escapes from Heaven and discovers his ex-partner's secret for rigging the races at the casino: an orphaned little girl named Anne-Marie (Judith Barsi).
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All Dogs Go to Heaven is an animated film directed by Don Bluth, featuring many trademarks of the legendary animator's style. The core characters are mostly anthropomorphic animals--and principally dogs--performed by professional actors whose voices add an extra dimensions. There's a rascally quality to Burt Reynolds which fits Charlie sublimely, one which compliments his canine counterpart--and both have a charismatic smile that often hints at a scheme or two cooking up. Dom DeLuise--a regular in Don Bluth's films--also brings a nervous energy and vivacity to Itchy. Charlie was modeled from an actual German Shepherd (coincidentally named Burt), and it shows in the lifelike way that he is animated. Characters in All Dogs Go to Heaven--mostly the animals--move in an exaggerated way as befits the twelve principles of animation. The animation style is fast-paced and full of energy, and the special effects--including how fire and water is depicted--are vibrant and exciting. All Dogs Go to Heaven is set in New Orleans, 1939; this is evident in the characters' wardrobes and the setting, including a junkyard full of vintage cars. Additionally, Anne-Marie is a little orphan girl like the popular comic serial character, Annie (except Anne-Marie has pupils), and she's cut from the same cloth as Shirley Temple, with her adorable ebullience, Kewpie doll smile, and positive attitude. The world of Charlie and company is full of canine-inflected motifs, even in the criminal underworld. Bets and payouts in the bayou casino are made with cuts of meat; Charlie's home is in a broken down taxi in a scrapyard, making him a literal "junkyard dog". All Dogs Go to Heaven is a musical, with selections like "You Can't Keep a Good Dog Down", which Charlie and Itchy sing as they return to the riverboat casino. And Anne-Marie sings her wistful "Soon You'll Come Home" as she pines for the adoptive parents Charlie promised to help find for her--a promise on which he has failed to deliver.
All Dogs Go to Heaven is a morality tale, sharing some plot and thematic elements with Heaven Can Wait and its precursor, Here Comes Mr. Jordan. Charlie flaunts the laws of Heaven as dictated by an angelic Whippet (Melba Moore) tending the pearly gates by stealing the pocket watch that symbolizes his soul. Charlie is never satisfied, and allows his dreams of grandeur to dictate his actions--he dreams big, but puts those dreams above the needs of others. Charlie has the rare talent found in the best of con artists to sell his ambition as something desirable to the mark, and is willing to bend the truth and convey disingenuous feelings to reach his goal. Compared to Carface, Charlie isn't evil, but he is selfish--even the guardian in Heaven points out that she has a hard time finding anything redeeming that he did in his life, although she isn't too concerned because all dogs go to heaven by default. When Charlie violates the only taboo of returning to earth with the watch, this compromises that agreement, and Charlie is plagued by dreams of hellfire and damnation afterward. Charlie "rescues" Anne-Marie from being exploited by Carface not out of generosity, but to take advantage of her talents for himself, albeit with more finesse. But Anne-Marie's purity wears down his slick and dishonest exterior, and he becomes increasingly fond of the sweet kid. Even his detestable efforts to manipulate her into staying with him carry the glimmer of genuine fondness for the sweet orphan. After Anne-Marie's health become endangered, Charlie shows that despite his prior attitude of greed and callousness, he doesn't really want to hurt anyone, which is what separates him from a murderous thug like Carface. All Dogs Go to Heaven is a children's movie, yet it boasts vivid depictions of the Hell awaiting Charlie for profaning the laws of Heaven, and broaches complex themes like death and integrity. It is clearly not meant to try to terrify children, but it makes clear the consequences of living a life of sin and dishonesty. Charlie may be a likable rogue, but his selfishness comes at the expense of his friends. Itchy proclaims that trying to best Carface--especially after Charlie's brush with death--is a foolish idea, and likely to get them killed, and that the savage beating Itchy suffered at the hands of the mobster was the result of Charlie's greed. When Anne-Marie learns of Charlie's machinations to keep her under his paw--like Carface before him--the heartbreak on her face is apparent; in that moment Charlie is even worse than his nemesis for shattering her trust. All Dogs Go to Heaven succeeds where many other films targeted toward children fail: it shows the effects of dishonesty and selfishness in order to teach kids why this behavior can hurt others, no matter the justification.
Recommended for: Fans of a vibrant and morally complex animated movie for children, with colorful animation, musical numbers, and a cast of talented voice actors playing the parts. All Dogs Go to Heaven is a delightful family film that teaches fundamental lessons for children about why lying and stealing are wrong and who they hurt.
All Dogs Go to Heaven is a morality tale, sharing some plot and thematic elements with Heaven Can Wait and its precursor, Here Comes Mr. Jordan. Charlie flaunts the laws of Heaven as dictated by an angelic Whippet (Melba Moore) tending the pearly gates by stealing the pocket watch that symbolizes his soul. Charlie is never satisfied, and allows his dreams of grandeur to dictate his actions--he dreams big, but puts those dreams above the needs of others. Charlie has the rare talent found in the best of con artists to sell his ambition as something desirable to the mark, and is willing to bend the truth and convey disingenuous feelings to reach his goal. Compared to Carface, Charlie isn't evil, but he is selfish--even the guardian in Heaven points out that she has a hard time finding anything redeeming that he did in his life, although she isn't too concerned because all dogs go to heaven by default. When Charlie violates the only taboo of returning to earth with the watch, this compromises that agreement, and Charlie is plagued by dreams of hellfire and damnation afterward. Charlie "rescues" Anne-Marie from being exploited by Carface not out of generosity, but to take advantage of her talents for himself, albeit with more finesse. But Anne-Marie's purity wears down his slick and dishonest exterior, and he becomes increasingly fond of the sweet kid. Even his detestable efforts to manipulate her into staying with him carry the glimmer of genuine fondness for the sweet orphan. After Anne-Marie's health become endangered, Charlie shows that despite his prior attitude of greed and callousness, he doesn't really want to hurt anyone, which is what separates him from a murderous thug like Carface. All Dogs Go to Heaven is a children's movie, yet it boasts vivid depictions of the Hell awaiting Charlie for profaning the laws of Heaven, and broaches complex themes like death and integrity. It is clearly not meant to try to terrify children, but it makes clear the consequences of living a life of sin and dishonesty. Charlie may be a likable rogue, but his selfishness comes at the expense of his friends. Itchy proclaims that trying to best Carface--especially after Charlie's brush with death--is a foolish idea, and likely to get them killed, and that the savage beating Itchy suffered at the hands of the mobster was the result of Charlie's greed. When Anne-Marie learns of Charlie's machinations to keep her under his paw--like Carface before him--the heartbreak on her face is apparent; in that moment Charlie is even worse than his nemesis for shattering her trust. All Dogs Go to Heaven succeeds where many other films targeted toward children fail: it shows the effects of dishonesty and selfishness in order to teach kids why this behavior can hurt others, no matter the justification.
Recommended for: Fans of a vibrant and morally complex animated movie for children, with colorful animation, musical numbers, and a cast of talented voice actors playing the parts. All Dogs Go to Heaven is a delightful family film that teaches fundamental lessons for children about why lying and stealing are wrong and who they hurt.