Media

Home Theater Movie Renter's Guide - May, 2011

"All Dogs Go To Heaven" (Blu-ray) - Reviewed by Chris Heinonen

Synopsis

Charlie isn’t your wonderful, loveable pet dog. He drinks, he gambles, he smokes, and he cares only for himself. When his partner in crime has him killed off to no longer split their winnings, Charlie doesn’t take to the idea of going to Heaven and comes back to get back at him. However, he tries to get back at him by using a little orphaned girl, Anne Marie, and since this is a children’s film, you can imagine that he might wind up with a change of heart down the road.

Commentary

Far from a family friendly Disney film, I’d be very surprised if All Dogs Go to Heaven could pull down a G rating from the MPAA today. Drinking, smoking, gambling and canine homicide are all around and it a film I might not show my son until he’s a bit older than when he watches some other animated films. I didn’t find it to be as parent friendly as many other kids films, but I imagine he will enjoy it once he gets the chance.

Technical

All Dogs go to Heaven has aged quite a bit since it was first released. The image is better than a DVD, but not with the sharpness and detail that the best Blu-ray transfers of animation can have. Additionally I noticed print damage (scratches and marks) during the film that detracted as well. The film might have looked wonderful when first released, but it really wasn’t cleaned up well for home.

While I couldn’t verify for certain, since this Blu-ray is only in stereo I’m going to assume that the original theatrical presentation was as well, but it really isn’t a reference soundtrack at all. Dialog comes across fine, and the songs are decent, but there is nothing amazing to show off.

Extras

The only extra is the theatrical trailer, and you can’t even save a bookmark of where you were, so if you plan to stop the movie make sure to record your position.