This is the citizen kane of garbage films! They should have stayed down there!

I managed to come across the 1993 VHS release of this movie at a record store I often visit. Since this was on my watchlist, I decided to view this film before the DuckTales VHS I had purchased along with it. I had expectations of this film from the reception of others and from really, really enjoying The Secret of NIMH. Now, did this film meet them?I would say that this film met only half of what I was anticipating. To this film's well-deserved credit, the animation isn't horrid by any means and does pull off some nice uses of early CGI (specifically when the crane moves Charlie's and Itchy's car). It does have some minor issues such as Charlie sometimes not having little dots on his cheeks, but one significant problem happened with the house filled with puppies. Before the sharing scene, it was dark and wooden, while in the scene after Charlie's admission to Itchy, it was lighter and appeared more stone-like and decrepit around the stairs. Maybe the lighting was different, but it was so drastic that it seriously annoyed me. The characters are OK, having great acting but not really possessing a lot of complexity or, in some instances, general usefulness to the plot (looking at Killer). It did, however, give us the Big Lipped Alligator Moment meme, which is probably where my highest praise for this movie goes. The story, however, is IMO the biggest detractor of points from this film; the heart is disappointingly ineffective, and it treats a somber religious idea like something lighthearted. There was one scene where One Hundred and One Dalmatians was ripped off, and it doesn't follow consistent rules for anthropomorphism (this is especially noticeable with the horses). It isn't the worst writing I've seen, but I am frankly amazed at how much potential was lost in the story. At least it doesn't fall too far behind in jokes, as there were two chuckles I had during the film. I am conflicted on what to say about this movie's morals; Charlie saves Anne- Marie, but also uses her for personal gain like Itchy despite taking inspiration from a Robin Hood version of War and Peace. Any way you put it, the story is messier than an ungroomed dog's fur. I have nothing to say about the music because it's forgettable, whatever fun, craziness, or good lessons it preaches.If you are a more religious person, you could take solace in Charlie's redemption for returning to Earth. If you like Don Bluth, be a smidgen more cautious. If you're anyone else, even a dog lover, you aren't missing too much by skipping over this film, especially considering The Little Mermaid premiered on the same day. I'm not one to recommend this film, but I'm not one to recommend completely bypassing it either. It's a shame, though, that Bluth would have to work 8 more years before getting another actually worthwhile film.

All Dogs go to Heaven is a Don Bluth animated feature, released in 1989. It tells the story of a roguish German Shepherd mix named Charlie B. Barkin (Burt Reynolds), who cons his way out of heaven using his life watch, in order to seek revenge on the dog that killed him (voiced by Vic Tayback). With the help of his hyperactive, flea-ridden best friend Itchiford "Itchy" Dachshund (Dom deLuise),and a adorable little orphaned girl who can talk to animals (Judith Barsi), Charlie embarks on a fantastically animated, highly original musical adventure of self discovery and right of passage.Maybe I am biased since it is one of my favourite movies, but I think this is an underrated movie. The characters are realistic and relate-able, as well as charming, funny, and fantastically acted - you truly feel for and understand them. Ann-Marie, the orphan, is as believable and lovable as a cartoon girl can get. The story is riveting and complex, but in what i think is an engaging and compelling way. The soundtrack can be out of place at times, admittedly, the best song being "Let me be surprised," and the most bizarre being "let's make music together," but I'm sure many ADGTH fans will agree it's the strangeness makes the music so wonderful and, um ... sing a longish.The movie is rather dark, but children could watch it with adult supervision. The messages may be mixed at first; is gambling good or bad? Is drinking always a fun time? Alas, the message is pure - you always do what's right in the end, and that's what makes you who you are; but you MAY have to do the wrong thing to see that. It's a realistic message, which is why it may stand out to many kids - doing the wrong thing will lead you into trouble, but life is a learning curve.One last word for you all, esp. to lovers of ADGTH, and that is ... BIG LIPPED ALLIGATOR MOMENT!!!9/10

Years ago I saw this film after hearing about it several times. I saw the secret of NIMH, Bluth's other animated venture, and thought that a film about a canine going to the great pound in the sky might be worth a night's viewing.Well, I bought a copy to have, saw it, and wasn't sure what to make of it. It was one of the most odd children's' films I had ever seen. Other animated films had a kind of grounding, but this film seemed to be really out there. That, and the animation by Don Bluth standards, wasn't all that good. It was decent, respectable, and passing, but not in line with his usual work. The facial expressions were great, but the entire film seemed more than just a little dark. I read that someone else stated that the colors were rich. I'm not so sure that that's the phrasing that I would use in this instance. Again "dark" comes to mind.We have a tale about a dog who indulges in the seamier side of life. His values are to get ahead by placating to desires of character weakness; gambling, drinking and so forth. He gets his break by stealing away a young girl superbly voiced by the late Judith Barsi. Reynolds, his then wife/companion Loni Anderson, and on screen friend Dom Deluise voice the key elements in the film, accompanied by the ever talented Vic Taybac playing the heavy.I didn't take a shining to it then, but, being a dog lover, I decided to hold onto a copy, but I had real qualms with the content. It's not a film that I'd take any child to see, nor would I even really recommend it to the adult animation enthusiast. Even so, it has marginal entertainment value.Watch at your own risk.