All Dogs Go to Heaven Reviews

According to my mom, this was the first Don Bluth movie I've ever watched, but I don't know because my memories of the earliest parts of childhood are rather hazy. Casting Burt Reynolds and Dom DeLuise as Charlie and Itchy respectively does work, especially since the two of them were in the 1981 comedy The Cannonball Run. Charlie, despite his flaws, is pretty funny; Itchy is even funnier; Anne-Marie is the sweetest thing you'll see in this entire movie; and the visuals of Heaven and Hell are incredible.

Initially, this movie got the short end of the stick out of the 4 Don Bluth movies of the 1980's. Having been released at the same time as The Little Mermaid didn't help. But having watched this movie, I can see why it lost to TLM. I wanted to like this movie more than I do now, but there were a few moments where Charlie has gone too far, almost as far as the lengths that Bender from Futurama would go to, which somewhat clashes with the movie.

But overall, at least it's better than the next movies Don Bluth would've made after this one.

My rating: 7/10

this movie is okay, but i like oliver & company a lot way better. the whole movie wasnt really that bad, but oliver & company i have to prefer a lot way better.

This is one of my absolute favorite films from my childhood. I don't know why, but I adored it as a kid and, oddly, wasn't remotely scared by it. Set in 1930's New Orleans, All Dogs is, basically, about heaven and hell, and the repercussions of our actions. Seems rather dark for a "kid's film" but that's really because people mistake animation as "for kids" instead of for people and because people assume all media for kids should be candy-colored castrated tales.

The lead is Charlie, a selfish, greedy, gambling mutt high on life after he escapes from "death row" (I don't know if that's the same as human death row or simply what dogs would call a pound). His return does not please his former business partner, Carface, who has him bumped off. Charlie arrives in the afterlife where dogs get sent to heaven by rote because "unlike people, dogs are naturally good, loyal, and kind". Looking his gift horse in the mouth and not being content to stay in boring old heaven, Charlie breaks out despite warnings that "you can never come back". Now basically undead, Charlie sets out to get revenge on his killer, becoming side-tracked by a little girl named Anne-Marie. The rest you'll have to watch to find out.

It is a dark movie and its difficult to appreciate if you didn't grow up with it. Were it to come out now I'd take one look at the title and boggle at how a movie with such a subject could be made for kids. It is much better than it sounds and really not as dark and scary as you'd think. The death of animals is a heavy subject though and still gets me to this day. The subjects and heaven and hell aren't heavy handed and it does't feel pontificated or overly religious which I consider a plus but I could see it annoying some people. It's not a perfect movie, but it is a good movie and certainly worth watching.

To note, the presence of the sequels really sullies the integrity and message of this first film and I highly recommend avoiding the sequel and the TV series.

Yes, this film will give you nightmares but at least it explains heaven and hell in a roundabout way!

A young scoundrelous dog called Charlie has become more and more involved in crime because of his corrupt partner Carface (?). He eventually gets assassinated and goes to heaven where he meets the 'registrar' to sign in. However, he feels his time isn't up and fancies some revenge so he swipes his Watch which represents his time left alive and rewinds it. He's back down on Earth where he begins to start his plan to foil Carface and save a little girl's life.

Loads of memorable musical numbers and some classic Don Bluth animation. Burt Reynolds provides the voice for the hero which was a good shout.

The scenes depicting hell are the most fearful and frightening moments for any child to watch. One of my friends still wets herself when she even hears the name of this film. That irrational fear manages to bring a whole new spectrum of emotions that doesn't usually show up in animated films in western culture.

If you wanna give your kids or younger sibling a good film where they can sing-along and then get scared shitless. Sign them up for this!