THE SHAGGY DOG (Theatrical Release USA 1959)

Ben Meyers’ Rating: 3.8|5.0 Starsììì 

The Shaggy Dog—okay, cute entertainment—works a simple, trite story theme of animal transmutation. The acting is good/fair. The presentation is good. It’s a light entertainment piece that may hold a child’s imagination, but does not serve the adult as well. 

Film Poster Courtesy of Google Images 

Storyline 

Shape-shifting and the old Borgia curse get an examination as a young boy gets shape-shifted into a dog. 

Additional Thanks 

Thank you to Director Charles Barton for directing effort. Thank you to Producers Walt Disney and Bill Walsh for making the film possible. Cast includes: Fred MacMurray, Jean Hagen, Tommy Kirk, Annette Funicello, Cecil Kellaway, Alexander Scourby, James Westerfield, and Jacques Aubuchon. 

Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe? 

Maybe. It’s a trite story of animal transformation. Nothing new here. It performs as a light piece of okay entertainment to run in the background while the viewer is doing other activities.  It is a clean movie with no surprises and does not require a great deal of parental alertness for the child’s watch.

Video Critique Available Here:

 

Ben Meyers 

THE SHAGGY DOG (Theatrical Release USA 2006)

Ben Meyers’ rating: 3.5|5.0 Starsììì

The Shaggy Dog can work both for a child and adult watch.  The film has some dog humor that does not serve comedy needs well. The original Shaggy Dog  film is a better watch than this film. 

Film Poster Courtesy of Google Images

Storyline

The film starts with Shaggy Dog, a 300-year-old bearded collie, living and worshipping in an Indian monastery, then quickly moves to an exciting kidnapping, and transporting of the Shaggy Dog to an American medical research laboratory that hopes to find the secret of its long life in its blood. The shaggy dog escapes with a syringe of its blood, makes its way to an elevator, and leaves the lab. It bites Tim Allen; Tim Allen turns into a shaggy dog and the movie is off and running

Additional Thanks

Thank you to Director Bryan Robbins for directing efforts. Thank you to Executive Producers Matthew Carroll, William Fay, Todd Lieberman, and Robert Simonds for making the film possible. Additional characters/cast include: Dave Douglas (Tim Allen), Rebecca Douglas (Kristin Davis), Carly Douglas (Zena Grey), Josh Douglas (Spencer Breslin), Ken Hollister (Danny Glover), Dr. Kozak (Robert Downey Jr.), Justin Forrester (Joshua Leonard), Trey (Shawn Pyfrom), and Dr. Gwen Lichtman (Bess Wohl).

Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?

Maybe. It’s an okay, fill-in-time film that runs on an odd storyline that is a complete rewrite from the original movie.

Video Critique available Here:

Ben Meyers