(c) 1989

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All Dogs go to Heaven features a German Shepherd named Charlie (voiced by Burt Reynolds) who is murdered by his former partner Carface.  Charlie travels to Heaven where a whippet angel informs him that 'all dogs go to Heaven' - even though she has trouble finding any good done by Charlie in his life history.  Charlie manages to get hold of his heavenly life-timer watch that has stopped on his death, and secretly winds it back up again, causing him to be returned to Earth at the point of his death, with the distant words of the whippet angel echoing "Charlie... you can never come back!...".  Charlie finds his friend Itchy (voiced by Dom DeLuise), and starts plotting revenge against Carface.

In the course of the film Charlie discovers Anne-Marie, an orphan who can talk to animals.  She is held prisoner by Carface to enable him to discover which of the rats  in his casino rat race is going to win.   On seeing this ability dollar signs appear in Charlie's eyes, and he decides to 'rescue' Anne-Marie.

Charlie builds up his own business on the profits of Anne-Marie's ability, but Carface has not given up looking for her.  Carface finds Charlie's business premises while Charlie and Anne-Marie are out helping the poor at Anne-Marie's insistence.  On finding Itchy instead of Charlie, Carface beats him up and burns Charlie's place as a message for Charlie to return the girl.  Charlie returns to find a limping Itchy and his business burning.  In an argument with Itchy about him going soft over the girl,  Charlie shouts that he is just using her, and when they're finished with her they'll dump her in an orphanage.  Anne-Marie hears this and runs out into the rain, where she is captured by Carface.  In a scene out of "101 Dalmatians" Charlie and Itchy organise a canine rescue effort to save her from Carface.  They find her ill and almost unconscious in Carface's casino.

In the battle that ensues, Charlie manages to rescue Anne-Marie as the ship Carface uses as his casino sinks, but he drops his life watch into the oily water inside the sinking ship, and as the watch sinks it stops...

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Some of All Dogs go to Heaven had to be cut to maintain a theatrical general audience rating. Part of the scenes where Charlie is killed and Charlie's nightmare about being tortured in Hell (he was told by the angel he could never return to Heaven) were thought to be too distressing for young children.

This was the last film voiced by Judith Barsi (the voice of Anne-Marie, and also 'Ducky' in The Land Before Time), who died in July 1988 after her work on All Dogs go to Heaven was completed.

There is also an "All Dogs go to Heaven II and III" available, and an All Dogs go to Heaven animated TV Series.   'All Dogs II' sees Charlie becoming more tired of Heaven and wanting to leave, and Carface becomes the Devil's assistant!   Charlie finds his way back to Earth on a Heavenly mission to recover Gabriel's Horn, expecting to be able to enjoy his former pleasures, but being a ghost causes Charlie a few problems!   All Dogs III is called "All Dogs Christmas Carol". I'm not sure it counts as a second sequel, but its out there somewhere!.... I'll put up a more detailed description of these films when I can, but the chances are there is already one around if you follow one of the links in the 'All Dogs Links' section.

 

   

 

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This page was created Tuesday 28 April 1998