All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989)

This movie was really a mixed bag for me and I guess it wasn't quite as good as I thought. I will always give it credit for being better than most of Don Bluth's later work. First, let's look at the positives. The animation is as good as any other Don Bluth film. Second, the voices are great and this is probably Dom DeLuise at his most entertaining voice. Third, this movie really does seem to tackle some interesting topics. I simply love the scenes where Charlie's in Heaven and we get to see this great place in all its detail. It really does have an interesting spiritual tone to it.There seem to be few movies about going to Heaven. Unfortunately, there were a lot of awkward parts. There were simply too many songs and a lot of them weren't that good. It's really weird with how scenes of the well, big lipped alligator, although I guess he does technically have relevance to the plot as he appears more at the end. I was disappointed that they didn't show Heaven more. The dog angel was probably the most entertaining character in the film and I really did want to see more of that world. I guess this was just an okay film from Don Bluth, but I encourage people to watch it and get their own opinion. **1/2

I love Don Bluth's earliest films! They were some of the best animated movies to ever be made in my opinion. The Secret of NIMH, Land Before Time and An American Tail were absolutely golden! I would have to say that out of all of Bluth's films that came out in the eighties, this one was his weakest accomplishment. Don't get me wrong! I love this movie, but it doesn't have the originality of the other films mentioned. Why you ask? Because ADGTH has a glaring omission.So a little bit of the plot for any of you who haven't seen it. Charlie is a German Shepard who breaks out of prison with the help of his friend Itchy Itchiford. Voiced by the late and great Dom Deluise. They return to a club that was owned by both Charlie and Carface. Carface wants nothing to do with Charlie because he is greed and wants all thee profits made. Carface wants all the goods for himself. So long story short, Carface kills Charlie. Charlie finds out and cheats his way back to earth to take revenge on Carface. Once Charlie is back he finds out that Carface is keeping a talented girl who can speak to animals hostage. Charlie decides to kidnap the girl and make his own profit from her. During the course of the film he starts to love the girl and rights his mistakes.So here is my biggest issue with ADGTH. When Charlie ends up in heaven for the first time he is told by Annabelle the whippet, "Oh not to worry, all dogs go to heaven. Because unlike people, dogs are naturally good." Charlie wants to get revenge on Carface and sneaks back to earth but is told, "You can never come back!" Meaning a date with the devil. So the real kicker here though is that when Carface dies in the end, he ends up in heaven. Very contradicting message especially considering the nasty things Carface did including homicide.ADGTH is still a great movie though. I grew up with it and enjoy the film except for those few minor details. The scene where Charlie dreams of going to hell are really intense. Actual footage of the whole scene is kept private in one of Don's secret stashes. I would have loved to see this uncut. Not Bluth's best accomplishments but certainly not his worst.

Don Bluth has made some pretty decent movies during the 1980's like The secret of nimh, an American tail, and others. It was all pretty good until the 1990's came around. His movies became bland and forgettable. And it all started with this particular film. Bluth's colorful animation is only saving grace. This film is packed with forgettable songs, unlikeable characters, and a badly set up story structure. Charlie is a jerk, Itchy is annoying, and Car face is evil (I know that he's the antagonist, but still). The songs are pretty bad, too. "You can't keep a good dog down" is a good example. They aren't even singing, they're TALKING. An what's up with the title? What about cats? Are they implying that they all go to hell?

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.