All Dogs Go To Heaven: But maybe they shouldn't....

Are you ready for a journey? Because, wow, this week's episode is one! This week Aly & Sarrah sit down to discuss a movie they both liked as a kid - All Dogs Go To Heaven.

Aly is first up with a bio of funny man and talented voice actor (and all around actor) Dom DeLuise.
Sarrah steps up with her overview of the studio situation (not great) and other fun facts from the technical side of things.
Together we discuss the voice cast, release and reviews and other such details.
Finally, we start our walk through....which just continues to confuse us. Who was this made for? Did our parents ever actually watch this movie with us? Why are murderers allowed in heaven? WHAT IS GOING ON DON BLUTH???

So please, join us in our confusion as we sit down and discuss All Dogs Go to Heaven.

Are you ready for one of our most confusing journeys yet?
Well today Aly & Sarrah are discussing Don Bluth’s 1989 film ‘All Dogs Go to Heaven’. And boy did this come with a suitcase of nostalgia and questions.

First off, Aly tells us all about the source material. It goes as follows: it was an original story that came about from a Robert Louis Stevenson quote and the fact that Disney movies about dogs were making money. Got it? Great. Moving on. So since that riveting information took less then five seconds to state, Aly decides that this is the episode to do an actor bio on her favourite …. Dom DeLuise. That’s right! It is time! She describes his origin story, some of his earliest acts (check out this amazing video of him on Dean Martin’s show) and how he finally was laid to rest (the quotes from his friends are beautiful).

Dean Martin and Dom DeLuise

After Aly goes into detail about Mr. DeLuise and his amazing career, Sarrah is up with the creation of this film from the studio and artistic side! She fills us in on how Charlie was always going to be Burt Reynolds, even before the final plot was created! This was also during the tough times at Bluth studios, during which they switched over to Ireland. In fact, this movie was the first to be entirely done in the UK studios!

Then we (of course) discuss the voice actors, the music, and the release. Not much was really going on with the release for this movie because…..it came out the same day as a little movie called The Little Mermaid. Whoops.

After all this information it is time for our walk through! Which leads us to realise how MESSED UP this movie is. Gambling, drinking, smoking, kidnapping, murder, this movie is basically the Godfather with dogs. In fact, we come to the conclusion that if this movie stayed the exact same, but the animals were switched out for people, it would absolutely be rated R.

But don’t just take our word for it! Listen in and make your own judgement, should ALL dogs really go to heaven?

Star Rating for All Dogs Go To Heaven: 2.5 Stars

Voice Acting: Half Star- While Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise, and Judith Barsi did a great job as their respective characters, there just wasn’t anything above and beyond about their performances in this film.
Music/Songs: Zero Stars - No. These songs were sometimes catchy, but not for the right reasons. Most were talk-sung, and while the film was set in New Orleans, they never made use of that location to create some great jazz songs!
Script/Story: Half Star - This was an ambitious story and we like that it didn’t shy away from difficult subjects and addressed negative behaviour rather than glossing over it. But the ending was messy and there were some definite filler moments that didn’t fit.
Animation - Full Star - Technically, there was nothing to complain about with the animation. No issues here!
Style -Half Star - While the film is quite striking (particularly with the colour palettes), there is nothing that really sets it apart from other Bluth films. You can’t really say “draw me something in the All Dogs Go To Heaven style”.

And for those of you looking for the infamous bear rug photo…..

Hello Burt

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Our Sources:

IMDb page for All Dogs Go to Heaven
Wikipedia Article for All Dogs Go to Heaven

People.com Article on All Dogs Go To Heaven

Wikipedia Article on Dom DeLuise
Biography.com Article on Dom DeLuise
NYTimes.com Article on Dom DeLuise

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