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All Dogs Go to Heaven

Play trailer Poster for All Dogs Go to Heaven G Released Nov 17, 1989 1h 26m Kids & Family Fantasy Animation Play Trailer Watchlist
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46% Tomatometer 28 Reviews 63% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
In this animated feature, canine casino owner Charlie (Burt Reynolds) is killed by gambler Carface (Vic Tayback), but returns to Earth from heaven thanks to the powers of a magical, rewindable watch. Charlie sets out to take his revenge on Carface by means of an elaborate plan that involves an orphan girl, Anne-Marie. But as the plan progresses, Charlie discovers that Anne-Marie is being exploited by Carface. Charlie must decide whether to change his mission from one of revenge to one of rescue.
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All Dogs Go to Heaven

Critics Reviews

View All (28) Critics Reviews
Martin F. Kohn Detroit Free Press Having Burt Reynolds sing wasn't the only unfortunate move director Don Bluth made in "All Dogs." The worst, by far, was coming up with a story that 5-year-olds will find scary and impenetrable. Rated: 4/10 Dec 13, 2024 Full Review Harper Barnes St. Louis Post-Dispatch This darkness seem to work against the lightweight nature of the story. I don't think Bluth intended this to be as gloomy a movie as his earlier The Secret of NIMH. Dec 13, 2024 Full Review Michael H. Price Fort Worth Star-Telegram/DFW.com Emotional punch, memorable character design and animation, a richly detailed narrative, a delightfully shadowy visual sense and sharp cultural perceptions -- all distinguish All Dogs Go to Heaven, the Don Bluth team's best all-around achievement. Rated: 8/10 Dec 13, 2024 Full Review Robin Dougherty Boston Phoenix What kills the movie is its poorly imagined plot. Ann Marie's hapless situation has been made up entirely so Charlie can become a hero -- and there's no chemistry between them. Dec 13, 2024 Full Review Joanna Connors Cleveland Plain Dealer It's hard to tell just who Don Bluth and company had in mind with this wayward animated feature. It manages to violate just about every rule of family films, beginning with its essential cynicism. Dec 13, 2024 Full Review Terry Orme Salt Lake Tribune While not the triumph The Little Mermaid is, All Dogs Go to Heaven has much to recommend it. The film is a visual delight. Dec 13, 2024 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Jarrod F This movie is a heartfelt great film. But my problem with it is that the pacing is too rush out and the plot is kinda convoluted like it just skips to other characters escaping to the place they want to go with no explanation what's so ever. But even still I love this movie. The villain was great. The characters were a ton of fun. And the little girl Anne-Marie is so precious I'll die for this kid. And even Charlie and Itchy are pretty funny protagonists to sit through. Definitely a great film to watch 8 out of 10. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 12/10/24 Full Review Ralph R All Dogs Go to Heaven is a heartwarming story about love, redemption, and second chances. Charlie’s journey from a selfish gambler to someone willing to sacrifice everything for Anne-Marie is both touching and meaningful. The bond between them is the heart of the film, with Anne-Marie’s kindness and innocence bringing out the best in Charlie and reminding us of the power of love to change even the most flawed among us. Judith Barsi’s performance as Anne-Marie is unforgettable. Knowing she recorded her final scenes before her tragic passing adds a bittersweet layer to the movie. Her voice carries so much warmth and innocence, making the character even more special. The final scene, where Charlie redeems himself for her, is especially poignant and feels like a beautiful tribute to Judith’s bright spirit. This is more than just a movie about dogs, it’s a story about the love that makes us better, and it leaves a lasting impression. It’s heartwarming, bittersweet, and full of meaning. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 11/28/24 Full Review Max K Seeing this movie 35 years later was an emotional rollercoaster. Charlies journey into heaven and hell established a strong foundation in religion for me at an early age. Watching this now with my 6 year old, I witnessed the same impact in his eyes. The music is tasteful and fun. Topics such as murder, gambling and kidnapping would be frowned by modern audiences but this movie glosses through as it drives home the emotional depth Charlie experiences with his 2nd lease on life. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/23/24 Full Review Joel H While it was never one of my favorites as a kid, I had fond memories of All Dogs Go to Heaven. However, upon watching it with my children recently, I realized it may have more cinematic sins than I remembered. For starters, the plot is fairly disjointed, with the story clumsily jumping from scene to scene. Also, I had forgotten this movie was a musical, which is probably because the songs aren't very memorable. Plus, the voice acting is average at best, with the exception of Judith Barsi, who is absolutely adorable. I still like this movie, but I definitely don't glorify All Dogs Go to Heaven anymore. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 11/22/24 Full Review Oaklee D I fell in love with this film more and more as it went along. It definitely pulled on my heart strings, it's an animated film of its time but is still so enjoyable 35 years later. I feel like it's an underrated movie as you never hear anyone talking about it but it is fantastic and I can't recommend it enough. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/21/24 Full Review Audience Member 35 years old and Don Bluth was at the height of his success as an animator After the success of ‘An American Tail’ and ‘Land Before Time’ the creators decided to tackle some darker subject matter with talking canines featuring voice work from the late Burt Reynolds and the late Dom Deluise plus this derives from a quote by Robert Louis Stevenson Yes it’s still an animated children’s film but dealing with heavy stuff like death, redemption, damnation, and mortality Charlie Barkin is a dog and has his buddy, Itchy He’s a gambler living in the 1939 New Orleans but his partner Carface wants him out of the way He sets him up to be murdered and Charlie is sent to heaven Annabelle in charge shows him his biological clock has stopped but Charlie finds a way back to the land of the living He’s given a second chance and after meeting a young girl named Anne-Marie she wants to find a new family being that she’s an orphan Yet Charlie wants to rebuild his business The film still leaves an impression with great animation, heavy themes, likable characters, and a terrific performance by the late Judith Barsi The animators make this particular film stand out by subverting the concept of “good” mentality to get into heaven Charlie is a con artist with a heart of gold as he learns to actually love someone in return even though he’s inherently considered good overall, with this girl he can rectify a few things Maybe he has a true capacity to save others It’s kinda amazing how much they model this dog after the late actor and it would be interesting to have Charlie Sheen take over in the sequel which in my opinion left a much larger impression The friendship between Charlie and Itchy shows how streetsmart they are seeing how you can’t keep a good dog down The infamous big lipped alligator moment really sticks out given it shows up out of nowhere, has nothing to do with the plot, and no one ever mentions it again But the alligator himself is very flamboyant making it very funny The songs are very short and don’t serve too much of a purpose for the overall story and it’s a tad structurally odd It’s a real shame when the film first opened it suffered stiff competition with ‘Little Mermaid’ and the plot was deemed too complex, disheartening for children not to mention scarring a generation of them but thankfully managed to find a big following on VHS becoming one of the highest selling tapes of all time The success of this even lead to a sequel in the 1990s, a tv series, and even a Christmas special So even though Don Bluth excelled early in his career this movie is still a fine example of him telling a different story never explored telling children they can survive in the world Overall ‘All Dogs Go to Heaven’ succeeds by exploring the inherent bond between dog and humans and having the brass by taking a lot of ambitious risks to show the concepts of heaven and hell along with legitimate drama as well as a touching ending Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 11/17/24 Full Review Read all reviews
All Dogs Go to Heaven

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis In this animated feature, canine casino owner Charlie (Burt Reynolds) is killed by gambler Carface (Vic Tayback), but returns to Earth from heaven thanks to the powers of a magical, rewindable watch. Charlie sets out to take his revenge on Carface by means of an elaborate plan that involves an orphan girl, Anne-Marie. But as the plan progresses, Charlie discovers that Anne-Marie is being exploited by Carface. Charlie must decide whether to change his mission from one of revenge to one of rescue.
Director
Don Bluth
Producer
Don Bluth, Gary Goldman, John Pomeroy
Screenwriter
Don Bluth, Ken Cromar, Gary Goldman, Larry Leker, Linda Miller, Monica Parker, John Pomeroy, Guy Shulman, David J. Steinberg, David N. Weiss
Distributor
United Artists, MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc.
Production Co
Goldcrest Films International
Rating
G
Genre
Kids & Family, Fantasy, Animation
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 17, 1989, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 23, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$26.2M
Runtime
1h 26m
Sound Mix
Dolby, Surround
Aspect Ratio
35mm
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