Customer Reviews

Shaggy Dog [VHS]

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I watched this when I was young and I still remember the movie. It left an everlasting impression. The boy turned into the dog and his brother helping him. It showed love and understanding and caring all in one movie. It is very comical and a well done movie. All the right actors for the scenes. I need to buy this movie so my grandchild can watch this.

This is truly a disney classic. Very hapy to have it in my library.

The Shaggy Dog is about young Wilby Daniels (Tommy Kirk), who's magically transformed into a dog by the spell of an enchanted ring. His father (Fred MacMurray) hates dogs. Jean Hagen (Singin' In The Rain, Panic In Year Zero) plays the mom, Tim Considine (The Private War of Major Benson) appears as Wilby's rival for the most popular girl in town, Annette Funicello (in her screen debut). In my opinion to some extent Kevin Corcoran steals the show as the little brother, who, learning Wilby has turned into a dog, decides he wants to keep him.

Before this one, Disney's live-action features were westerns (Davy Crockett), adventures (Treasure Island, 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea), and partially animated family dramas (So Dear To My Heart). The Shaggy Dog was their first comedy (The Invisible Boy was made a couple years earlier, but it was more a childrens sci-fi adventure than comedy), and it's success led to dozens of similar ones - often with some of the same cast - through the next couple decades.

I give The Shaggy Dog 5 stars not for it's comedy, nor for the sci-fi / fantasy plot, but because it's tremendously nostalgic, especially to Disney fans or anyone who lived through the late 1950's and '60's with fond memories. Three of this film's stars were regulars on The Mickey Mouse Club: Annette Funicello, of course, and Tim Considine and Tommy Kirk played Frank and Joe Hardy, respectively, in the Hardy Boys serials, and a couple scenes here evoke a nostalgic Harrdy Boy's feeling. Annette Funicello co-starred with Tommy Kirk in The Misadventures of Merlin Jones and The Monkey's Uncle. Kirk and Kevin Corcoran appeared together in Old Yeller a couple years before, and would again in The Swiss Family Robinson and Savage Sam, and with Fred MacMurray in Bon Voyage. Kirk also appeared with MacMurray in The Absent Minded Professor and Son Of Flubber, and of course they each appeared in a number of later Disney films, Kevin Corcoran appearing in Pollyanna and starring in Tobey Tyler, for instance. Here they're all together in the first comedy, and that makes it a sentimental sort of milestone.

The cast also includes Cecil Kellaway (Gunga Din, The Proud Rebel, etc.) and Strother Martin (Cool Hand Luke) so young I didn't recognize him. Shortly before writing this I saw a trailer for a new version with Tim Allen. It appears that this time a grown man (Allen) will turn into a dog, and the plot is entirely different, so comparison is probably irrelevant.

This movie has kids and teens, animals, fun music, a magic ring that changes a person into a dog, spies, fumbling police, mixed up identities, fast cars, action and chase scenes, and a suffering dad who has to take the brunt of his boys antics including an attempt to prove he is crazy by a psychologist. This is an important film as the first live action comedy made by Disney introducing a popular series of formula Disney comedies through the sixties. The best parts of this films formula were mimicked in so many others that Disney made later.

It is also the first Disney film to feature Fred MacMurray. This was a comeback vehicle for the actor who was recently languishing without much work since the type of film he was known for was no longer produced. But after this film he was restored as an actor and went on to do many other films for Disney, including the "Absent Minded Professor" and its sequel "Son of Flubber","Bon Voyage", "The Happiest Millionaire", "Charley and the Angel", and "Follow Me Boys".

Tommy Kirk (perhaps starred in more Disney films than any other actor) is also in this film as Freds son "Wilby" and the hero, of sorts. After all, he is the one turns into a dog with the accidental help of a magic ring. Juvenile Disney star Moochie (Kevin Corcoran)plays his younger brother, and is outright hilarious with his show stealing antics. The ever charming Annete Funicello is here, along with a couple of other Mouseketeers in bit parts. But Mouseketeer Roberta Shore plays the sweet Franceska, the new neighbor that Wilby falls for. Her dog looks just like the dog that Wilby turns into when he is enchanted, so Wilby takes his place to find out how good a dog's life really is. But Wilby soon finds out that her villainous father is a dangerous foreign spy.

While it was filmed as a low budget piece, it was very successful commercially raking in $8 million in its first theatrical release. That was very big in 1959. The movie concept was first offered to a TV network as an idea for a new series, and they gruffly turned it down as "a stupid idea that no one would want to watch". Walt made it anyway, turning it into a theatrical release. When the crowds poured in to the theater the studio boss called Walt to admit his mistake. Walt laughed all the way to the bank, and created a whole series of low budget comedies movies.

A great Disney advertising campaign for the movie capitalized on the then-current fad for "I was a teenage ____" movies. The film starts with some great animated title credits done expertly by veteran Disney animators X. Atencio, T. Hee, and Bill Justice. Released in 1959, written and produced by Disney Studio man Bill Walsh. Directed by Charles Barton. Disney veteran Bill Koehler did the animal training with the sheepdog that is used in some scenes as he did on at least half of the Disney films. (read his very rare book "The Wonderful World of Disney Animals" if you can find it.)

Look out for Paul Frees in this, he is the narrator and is seen as the psychiatrist (a rare on-screen appearance for the famous voice actor). His voice is featured throughout Disneyland ride attractions, especially in the Haunted Mansion (ghost host)and Pirates of the Caribbean, other Disney films and animation, and Rankin Bass holiday specials.

The plot has a touch of 50's paranoia about the cold war, but spoofs it rather than warning of the dangers. Kids just love this film and so do parents and teens. A sequel, "The Shaggy DA", was made after this. This movie was also remade recently for television by Disney with more modern special effects. I highly recommend!