Today's 80's movie is the 1989 Don Bluth film All Dogs Go to Heaven. A childhood favorite of mine, the film features the voice talents of Burt Reynolds, Vic Tayback, Dom DeLuise, Loni Anderson, and others.
The movie starts with two dogs, a German Shepard named Charlie (voiced by Burt Reynolds) and a Dachshund named Itchy (voiced by Dom DeLuise) escaping from the dog pound. Charlie is a sort of smug con-artist type and Itchy is over excitable and often nervous so they're a fun duo.
After their escape, the two return to a casino formerly run by Charlie and his partner, a bulldog named Carface (voiced by Vic Tayback). The business has grown substantially in Charlie's absence and Carface, not wanting to share the profits, murders him. So, Charlie goes to Heaven, as all dogs do, and an angel tells him that a gold watch representing his life has stopped. Not quite ready to be dead, Charlie steals the watch and winds it, resulting in him returning to Earth. However, he's told that if he dies again, he will not return to Heaven.
After their escape, the two return to a casino formerly run by Charlie and his partner, a bulldog named Carface (voiced by Vic Tayback). The business has grown substantially in Charlie's absence and Carface, not wanting to share the profits, murders him. So, Charlie goes to Heaven, as all dogs do, and an angel tells him that a gold watch representing his life has stopped. Not quite ready to be dead, Charlie steals the watch and winds it, resulting in him returning to Earth. However, he's told that if he dies again, he will not return to Heaven.
After returning to earth and reuniting with Itchy, they
discover that Carface is holding a young orphan named Anne-Marie
prisoner. She has the ability to talk to animals which has given Carface the advantage in rigging the odds on rat
races and that's how he gained so much wealth in Charlie's absence.
So, Charlie and Itchy rescue the little girl with the idea that they can use her abilities
to get revenge on Carface. Anne-Marie isn't interested in helping another greedy dog get rich, but Charlie convinces her that they plan to
give their winnings to the poor and help her find some parents. Well, the trio begins making bets and pulling in the big bucks, Charlie and Itchy use the winnings to build a casino in
the junkyard they live in, and Anne-Marie gets frustrated that they have yet too help the poor or find her a family. To keep her happy for a little longer, Charlie brings pizza
to a family of poor puppies and their mother a Collie (voiced by Loni Anderson) at an old abandoned
church. Eventually, Anne-Marie runs away and, of course Carface and his goons catch her. By this point you know how it's all going to end, if you hadn't guessed sooner; Charlie rescues Anne-Marie, sacrificing his own life in the process, Anne-Marie gets adopted, and Charlie's good deed is enough to get him back into Heaven.
Overall, as I stated at the beginning, this was a favorite of mine as a kid and I still was really entertained while rewatching it. The animation is pretty good and the filmmakers did a solid job in getting the right actors to voice these characters. It's not a perfect movie and there are a few parts I would've changed, but it's definitely worth watching.
I give it a 3.5 out of 5.
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