All Dogs Go to Heaven/All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 [2 Discs]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Two animated adventures are paired up in this DVD twin pack of family fun. In All Dogs Go to Heaven, produced and directed by acclaimed animator Don Bluth, Charlie (voice of Burt Reynolds) is a street-smart dog who died before his time and is sent back to Earth to do a good deed. Charlie gets his chance when a young girl is kidnapped, and Charlie has to find a way to save the day. Charlie returns (this time voiced by Charlie Sheen) in the sequel All Dogs Go To Heaven 2, in which the pooch and his pal Itchy (voice of Dom DeLuise) are sent back to Earth to recover the horn of Gabriel, only to come up against an ill-tempered cat. Both features are also available separately. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 2
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 (Pre-1954 Standard)
• Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1
• Screen: Pan and Scan
• Subtitle: Spanish, French
• Features:
  • • cc All Dogs Go to Heaven:
    • Original theatrical trailer
    • English Stereo Surround
    • French Stereo Surround
    • French & Spanish subtitles
    • All Dogs Go to Heaven 2:
    • Original theatrical trailer
    • English 5.1 Surround
    • French Stereo Surround
    • Spanish Stereo Surround
    • French & Spanish subtitles

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Director:

  Don Bluth, Gary Goldman, Dan Kuenster, Larry Leker, Paul Sabella

• Producer:

  Paul Sabella, Jonathan Dern, Mark Young, Kelly Ward

• Screen Story:

  Monica Parker

• Screenwriter:

  Don Bluth, Gary Goldman, Larry Leker

• Screen Story:

  Linda Miller

• Screenwriter:

  Linda Miller, John Pomeroy, David Steinberg, David N. Weiss, Arne Olsen, Mark Young, Kelly Ward

• Composer (Music Score):

  Ralph Burns, Charles Strouse

• Songwriter:

  Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil

• Composer (Music Score):

  Mark Watters

• Songwriter:

  Mark Watters

• Editor:

  John K. Carr, Thomas V. Moss, Tony Garber

• Production Designer:

  Don Bluth, Larry Leker

• Art Director:

  Deane Taylor

• Co-producer:

  Don Bluth, Gary Goldman, John Pomeroy

• Executive Producer:

  Morris F. Sullivan

• Supervisor/Manager:

  Michael Bradley

• Casting:

  Maria Estrada

• Foley Artist:

  Kevin Bartnof

• Short Story Author:

  Ken Cromar

REVIEWS:

• The original All Dogs Go to Heaven didn't really cry out for a sequel, and that's a primary flaw with part two: there's no good reason for it to exist. Given that considerable obstacle, it's surprising that the film actually is moderately entertaining. It benefits from the fact that the character change in Charlie brought about by his growing relationship with the little boy is pretty well done, as well as from the fact that the catchy Barry Mann-Cynthia Weil score is always above average and occasionally -- as in the slinky "Count Me Out" -- quite good. In addition, there's some fine voice work from Dom DeLuise, George Hearn, and Ernest Borgnine, and effective warbling from Sheena Easton. Charlie Sheen's overall characterization is not as distinctively engaging as it needs to be, but he does have some nice moments with Adam Wylie. Although there are some nice backgrounds (especially the oil paintings created for some of the San Francisco locales), the animation is unimpressive and generally lifeless. Paul Sabella and Larry Leker's direction emphasizes fast pacing, which keeps things moving, but which also prevents development of character and plot; however, given that the script is wildly overplotted, this at least keeps the film to a trim 82 minutes. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
• Animated films by director Don Bluth tend to be somewhat frustrating. There's always so much in them that is right that the inevitable flaws are especially galling -- particularly because Bluth and his crew seem to do the hardest things so well and slip up in seemingly easier areas. All Dogs Go to Heaven is one of Bluth's weaker efforts, but it does feature some exceptional animation. Bluth and his animators have created an avalanche of color, a full rendering of the palette that is often gorgeous. And the character animation itself is very good -- precise, detailed, and evocative. Also worthy of praise is Charles Strouse's score; while not a classic, it is extremely catchy. "Let's Make Music Together" is particularly good and is presented in a faux-Esther Williams style that is entirely winning. Unfortunately, these pluses are offset by an unruly and predictable script and characters that range from unpleasant to uninteresting. The dialogue is weak, with strained humor (e.g. "Some of the poorest people I know are as broke as the Ten Commandments."). And, as is often the case with Bluth, the film is too deliberately paced -- even the action sequences come across as slightly by the book rather than spontaneous. Although children will find Dogs reasonably entertaining, adults may find themselves checking their watches a lot. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi