All Dogs Go to Heaven 2
| All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 | |
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 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by |
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| Produced by |
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| Screenplay by |
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| Story by |
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| Based on |
Characters by Don Bluth and David N. Weiss |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Mark Watters |
| Edited by | Tony Garber |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release dates |
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Running time | 84 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $8.6 million |
All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 is a 1996 American animated musical fantasy adventure romantic comedy film, and a sequel to Goldcrest Films' 1989 animated film All Dogs Go to Heaven. Produced by MGM/UA Family Entertainment and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Animation, it is co-directed by Paul Sabella and Larry Leker. Dom DeLuise reprises his role from the first film, while Burt Reynolds, Vic Tayback, and Melba Moore are replaced by Charlie Sheen, Ernest Borgnine, and Bebe Neuwirth, respectively. New characters are voiced by Sheena Easton, Adam Wylie, George Hearn, and Wallace Shawn.
The film was released on March 29, 1996. Don Bluth, the director of the original film, had no involvement with it. It was the second theatrical sequel to not be directed by Don Bluth (as most sequels to Don Bluth films, such as The Land Before Time, and The Secret of NIMH, were direct-to-video); the first being An American Tail: Fievel Goes West. This was MGM's last theatrically released animated film until 2008's Igor. It had a DVD double feature release with the first one on March 14, 2006 and January 18, 2011. It had also released on Blu-ray on March 29, 2011.
Plot
Charlie B. Barkin (Charlie Sheen) welcomes his friend, Itchy Itchiford (Dom DeLuise), to Heaven, but confesses himself bored by the afterlife. Carface Caruthers, their old enemy (Ernest Borgnine), steals Gabriel's Horn, attempts to pass through the Pearly gates using the music they perform in order to open it so he can leave Heaven with the horn, but it closes on him to protect it from being stolen. He winds up getting stuck on it when he tries to head to the other side and then pops himself out of it. Before heading to Earth, he tries to take off his uniform, but knocks the horn down to Earth, causing him to dive into the purple cloud hole and catch it before it lands into the ocean, but loses it after getting hit by an airplane and sucked into the engines. Continuing to fall to Earth, he sees that the horn ended up somewhere in San Francisco.
The dog angels are alerted of the horn's theft by Anabelle, the head angel (Bebe Neuwirth), who sends Charlie and Itchy to Earth to retrieve it, and gives them one miracle to use. Upon arrival in San Francisco, they discover themselves as ghosts and therefore unable to interact with the physical world. At a tavern where Charlie falls in love with a flirtatious and pretty Irish Setter named Sasha La Fleur (Sheena Easton), Carface appears in a corporeal form granted by a red dog collar created by Red (George Hearn), an elderly dog fortune teller who gives Charlie and Itchy equivalent collars effective for a single day. Shortly thereafter, unbeknownst to the duo, Red reveals his true form as a demon hell cat who intends to take the horn for himself with Carface's help.
Charlie and Itchy meet Sasha and the human boy, David (Adam Wylie), who ran away from home to become a street performer, the former leading him to believe that he is his guardian angel. Before leaving for "Easy Street", Charlie uses his miracle in the form of a passionate kiss (which Sasha does not take kindly to) to grant Sasha the ability to converse with David. Upon seeing the horn being taken into a police station, they retrieve it, with Carface failing to steal it from them. Reluctant to return to Heaven, Charlie conceals it in a lobster trap. On Easy Street, they entertain an audience with magic tricks, but a rainstorm and David tumbling into a fountain ruins the act. He thereafter reveals his belief that his father and stepmother, who are expecting a new baby, will care less for him once it's born; but is persuaded otherwise by Charlie. As he and Sasha embrace, his collar vanishes, and he and Itchy become ghosts again.
Carface then kidnaps David and demands that Charlie bring Gabriel's horn to Alcatraz Island and give it to Red in exchange for David's life. Determined to fulfill his promise to accompany David home, Charlie approaches Red, who presses him to give him the horn. He does so, and Red uses it to capture Heaven's canine angels and send them to Earth in the prison cells, including Anabelle. Charlie, Itchy, Sasha, and David fight Red and recover the horn, which Charlie plays to free the angels and send Red back to Hell. Carface comes out of hiding and attempts to downplay his involvement. However, he does offer a genuine apology, hoping to finally make amends with Charlie. Red drags Carface into Hell after himself, which reveals to everyone that Carface unknowingly sold his soul to him in exchange for his collar.
Charlie gives the horn back to Anabelle in exchange for his life and says goodbye to Itchy, who decides to remain in Heaven. After he reunites with Sasha and David, they head to the latter's house where he returns and reunites with his parents. His stepmother is happy that he is all right and explains she has been worried sick and says just because she is pregnant does not mean she does not love him and that they are a family. They then adopt Charlie and Sasha, before enjoying their new life together.
Voice cast
Burt Reynolds, Vic Tayback, And Melba Moore are replaced by Charlie Sheen, Ernest Borgnine, and Bebe Neuwirth; however, three characters were written out of the sequel. Anne-Marie was written out of the story due to the murder of Judith Barsi in the summer of 1988, while Killer and Flo were written out of the story because Charles Nelson Reilly and Loni Anderson chose not to return to their roles from the first film (although Reilly returned for the third).
- Main characters
- Charlie Sheen as Charlie B. Barkin, who returns from Heaven to retrieve Gabriel's Horn. It is revealed that as a puppy, he ran away from home (which explains the absence of Charlie's parents, who were briefly shown in the original film in the records book in the song "Let Me Be Surprised"), a point he mentions to David to convince him to return home. Charlie Sheen replaced Burt Reynolds from the first film due to Burt Reynolds participating in the 1996 films Citizen Ruth and Mad Dog Time.
- Jesse Corti as Charlie's singing voice.
- Dom DeLuise as Itchy Itchiford, Charlie's best friend. He only wants to do what he was sent to do and go back to Heaven. Dom DeLuise was the only original actor to reprise his role from the first film.
- Sheena Easton as Sasha La Fleur, a beautiful Irish Setter, serene lounge singer and Charlie's love interest.
- Adam Wylie as David, a lonely 8-year-old human boy and Sasha's owner. He believes that Charlie and Itchy are his guardian angels sent to get him back home safely. He replaces Anne-Marie from the original film.
- George Hearn as Red, a powerful demon cat from Hell resembling Satan and the main antagonist. He wants to imprison the dogs of Heaven and drag them into Hell. To manipulate his victims, he disguises himself as an elderly dog through his ability to transform (shapeshifting). He has bright red fur in his true form and red skin and clothing in his dog form, hence his name.
- Bebe Neuwirth as Annabelle, the archangel dog in Heaven. She summons Charlie and Itchy to retrieve Gabriel's Horn.
- Ernest Borgnine as Carface Caruthers, Charlie's old nemesis, who becomes a servant to Red through a deal between them. Compared to his vicious personality in the original film, he appears quite dull-witted and cowardly in this film. It is implied that he lost his mind.
- Supporting characters
- Wallace Shawn as Labrador MC, the sleazy MC at Sasha's lounge.
- Hamilton Camp as Chihuahua. He waits for dogs especially a dog who puts on some weight to be healthy called Fluffy.
- Dan Castellaneta as Tall Customs Dog
- Pat Corley as Officer McDowell
- Jim Cummings as Jingles, a Yorkshire Terrier who got kicked out of the sing-off, but was given the first place bone by Sasha.
- Bobby Di Cicco as Tom, David's father.
- Annette Helde as Claire, David's caring, pregnant step-mother.
- Marabina Jaimes as Officer Reyes
- Tony Jay as Reginald
- Maurice LaMarche as Lost & Found Officer
- Steve Mackall as Short Customs Dog
- Kevin Michael Richardson as Ace the St. Bernard / Officer Andrews
Soundtrack
A soundtrack album was released on the same day as the film's theatrical release, featuring music composed by Mark Watters. The track listing is as follows.
- Main Title: Heavenly Ceremony (instrumental)
- It's Too Heavenly Here (Jesse Corti)
- Count Me Out (Sheena Easton)
- My Afghan Hairless (Jim Cummings)
- It Feels So Good to Be Bad (George Hearn and Ernest Borgnine)
- On Easy Street (Jesse Corti, Adam Wylie & Dom DeLuise)
- I Will Always Be With You (movie - Sheena Easton & Jesse Corti)
- Gabriel's Horn/New Arrivals (instrumental)
- Carface Steals the Horn/Charlie Volunteers (instrumental)
- Police Chase (instrumental)
- Red's Transformation (instrumental)
- We Meet David (instrumental)
- Battle for Gabriel's Horn (instrumental)
- Family Reunion/It's Too Heavenly Here (Reprise) (instrumental)
- I Will Always Be With You (End Title - pop version - Helen Darling and Danny Frazier)
Release
Box office
Although the budget is unknown, the film earned $2,256,118 during its opening weekend and grossed $8,620,678 in its theatrical release, thus becoming a box office bomb and being overshadowed by Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame.[1][2]
Critical reception
Adam Wylie was nominated for a Young Artists' Best Performance in a Voiceover by a Young Artist Award for his work in it but lost to Jonathan Taylor Thomas.[3] Sheena Easton's Sasha and George Hearn's Red in particular have been held up as examples of well-done voice acting carrying an animated film.[4]
Accolades
Young Artist Awards
- Best Family Feature - Animation or Special Effects
- Best New Voiceover Performance - Adam Wylie
References
- ↑ "Worst Opening at the Box Office for 2,000+ Theatre Releases". Box Office Mojo. 2009-08-16. Retrieved 2010-09-06.
- ↑ "The Cash Registers Are Ringing". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-05-31.
- ↑ http://www.youngartistawards.org/pastnoms18.htm
- ↑ "All Dogs' Sequel Struggles to Pick Up Scent of Adventure". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-05-31.
External links
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Wikiquote has quotations related to: All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 |
- All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 at the Internet Movie Database
- All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 at AllMovie
- All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 at Rotten Tomatoes