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The Movie
Disney has found success with modern remakes of their classic live action films such as The Parent Trap, Freaky Friday, and to a lesser extent with Herbie: Fully Loaded and 101 Dalmatians. The Shaggy Dog is an update to and a combination of the original 1959 live action The Shaggy Dog and the 1979 sequel, The Shaggy D.A.
Workaholic district attorney Dave Douglas (Tim Allen) takes on a case involving a fire in a suspicious animal laboratory. His wife (Kristen Davis) and kids (Spencer Breslin and Zena Grey) rarely see him at home until their mysterious new dog, which just happened to have escaped from the animal laboratory, starts making things complicated. Douglas morphs into the body of the dog and all hilarity breaks loose. Strange lab animals are involved, as are evil scientists (the scene-stealing Robert Downey, Jr.) and some scary hypodermic needles. In the end, Douglas learns that family comes first, and mysterious dogs are actually nice pets to have around.
© Disney.
Is this a good movie? No, not by any stretch of the imagination. The family unit, which is the center of the film, seems pasted together and false, and Tim Allen and Kristen Davis have zero chemistry. The children do not seem remotely related to each other or their “parents.” Good family chemistry is important to the heartfelt moments of any film and The Shaggy Dog does not deliver.
As far as humor goes, the only funny moments are in the early moments of the film when Tim Allen is just starting to morph into a dog. He’s basically himself with a few doggy tics that are not CGI-induced. All his senses are hyper-acute, and it’s sort of entertaining to watch him pick out each individual scent from the kitchen, right down to the wax on the kitchen cabinets. The movie veers into painfully unfunny areas when Allen’s character completely becomes the dog and the actor is giving voiceover to the stunt dog’s actions. Think “America’s Funniest Home Videos” with Bob Saget doing his voiceover shtick. It’s hard to watch.
The Goodies
The bonus features are pretty sparse overall. The quality of the movie certainly doesn’t merit two discs, but I was certainly expecting at least one “making of” featurette, or at least a little background on the dogs and trainers working on the film.
Deleted Scenes – There are four very short deleted scenes included. The first three are added dialogue with characters that must have made the scenes run a little long. The final one is an alternate ending to the courtroom scene. Robert Downey, Jr. gains some extra doggy features instead of the tail in the original ending. It’s creepy, and I’m not surprised they decided to go with the tail instead. There is no commentary provided to explain the deleted scenes.
Gag Reel – The gag reel sounds a lot funnier than it actually is. No real gags are seen, just Tim Allen making funny faces interspersed with shots of dogs used in the film. A few funny moments with Allen being worked over by the various animals and being reassured by trainers.
© Disney.
Bark-Along Bone-us Feature – How anyone involved with dreaming up goodies for the DVD thought this was a good idea is beyond me. Ever heard the novelty Christmas songs with dogs barking “Silent Night” or “Jingle Bells”? Try to imagine dogs barking the words to “Whoomp! There It Is,” and you have some idea of the pain awaiting you. Just in case you would like to sing along with your pooch, Disney thoughtfully provides the English version of the song with the same clips of dogs. The song has actually been redone by Kevin Mathurin and called “Woof! There It Is.” Witty stuff.
Commentary – The commentary is a very serious discussion of the film by director Brian Robbins and veteran Disney producer David Hoberman. The two go scene by scene, earnestly explaining each CGI effect, set decoration, and location of the film, as well as praising the cast. They explained that they decided to go with a bearded collie for the film instead of the English sheepdog that was used in the original Shaggy Dog movies because they felt it was important for the dog to have a tail “to express emotion.” They also made telling comments about how the script had many, many writers, but in the end they felt the plot was the least important part of the movie, compared to the action and humor of the characters. Apparently they have never seen any of the phenomenally successful Pixar films, where story is everything.
Interface
The interface is surprisingly detailed and interesting. A variety of sets from the film slide into place like puzzle pieces as Tim Allen chases a cat through scenes as both a human and a dog, which blend seamlessly over about a one-minute loop. The main menu choices are also film clips from the movie.
Audio and Video
The film is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and sounds great, as does most of the recent live-action films Disney releases. Whatever the faults of the film, the look of it is beautiful. Crisp and clean, with great colors and beautiful sets and lighting. The film is presented in widescreen and fullscreen. If you go to the main menu before choosing “play,” you are presented with a choice of fullscreen or widescreen. Curiously, if you use the Disney Fastplay and go straight to the film, bypassing the main menu, the film automatically plays in the reformatted widescreen version. I have no idea why this is so; I would assume most people would want to see the film the way it appeared in the theatrical version.
The Final Evaluation
This film will most likely only appeal to kids between 6 and 10 years old, serious dog lovers, or loyal Tim Allen fans. Those viewers who loved the original Shaggy Dog film will most likely be insulted with this remake. Viewers who enjoy clever dialogue will be insulted by this remake. Viewers who appreciate Disney live… well, you get the idea.
