All Dogs Go to Heaven
Director: Don Bluth
Cast: Burt Reynolds, Don Deluise, Judith Barsi, Melba Moore, Vic Tayback, Loni Anderson, Charles Nelson Reilly
They say that "all dogs go to Heaven"...but only one has ever returned. Charlie B. Barkin (Burt Reynolds), a German Shepherd with a shady past, breaks out of the New Orleans Dog Pound with the help of his faithful friend Itchy (Dom De Luise). He then makes tracks to reunite with his gambling casino partner Carface (Vic Tayback), a shifty Pitbull who has planned a potentially deadly double cross, with Charlie as the victim. Suddenly, Charlie finds himself at the Pearly Gates, but he soon returns to Earth and plots his revenge against Carface. Along the way, Charlie acquires help from a little girl named Anne-Marie (who can talk to animals). After a series of fiendish schemes, both Charlie and Anne Marie find their lives at stake. Only one life can be saved, and Charlie must decide whether to change his mission from one of revenge, to one of redemption.
I see this movie as a deep spiritual allegory; one that illustrates Charlie’s journey starting with a fall from grace, moving through temptation and sin, and into penance and repentance and ultimately, to Charlie finding peace through redemption.
When we see Charlie in "Heaven", it is established by the Heavenly Whippet that he (as well as all dogs) get a free pass into Heaven, because unlike people, dogs are naturally good and loyal and kind. We then quite literally see Charlie's fall from grace when he chooses to “eat the metaphorical apple” by taking his life watch, and the angel tells him he can never come back into grace. For the rest of the movie, we see Charlie struggle with the impending darkness, however, all hope is not lost for Charlie because he seeks redemption. I believe that Charlie's desire to save Anne-Marie from his villainous partner had an underlying motive. While he initially sought to use Anne-Marie to satiate his own selfish desires (i.e. exacting his revenge on Carface and using Anne-Marie’s gift for his own gain), Charlie eventually redeems his soul when he is faced with a choice: does he save his precious life watch from the sea, or does he save Anne-Marie? He chooses Anne-Marie and in so doing, Charlie’s soul is restored, and he can find peace from the darkness in Heaven.
Surprise plays a symbolic role in this film and nowhere is “surprise” more clearly illustrated, than in the character of Charlie.
When Charlie’s partner, Carface, hatches a scheme to murder Charlie and take their shared profits for his own, he uses the expression “a big surprise” as the code word for commencing their plan to kill Charlie. When Carface is celebrating Charlie just before this moment, he presents Charlie with a watch “to remember all the good times”. Surprise – and another gold watch - pops up again when Charlie arrives in Heaven and is told he has died and cannot go back to seek his revenge on Carface. The angel tells Charlie that she knows everything about Charlie’s life, both past and future. Charlie is rather disenchanted with the thought of no more surprises and his life being so ordered and controlled when he yearns for adventure and excitement (aka all his indulgences in worldly sin: drinking, gambling, kidnapping, and exploiting a child, lying, seeking his revenge, etc.) While in Heaven, Charlie also finds his “life watch” and winds it up so that he can finally have his revenge…and in doing so, he literally falls from grace.
While not my favorite of Don Bluth’s stories (that honor is given to the Land Before Time), All Dogs Go to Heaven remains, to this day, one of Don Bluth’s better films. The voice casting is on point, particularly for Burt Reynolds as Charlie and Judith Barsi as Anne-Marie. The animation is gorgeous and captures the jazzy and beautiful glamour of New Orleans. Overall, I would highly recommend this film.
© 2021 Keriane Kellogg
Director: Don Bluth
Cast: Burt Reynolds, Don Deluise, Judith Barsi, Melba Moore, Vic Tayback, Loni Anderson, Charles Nelson Reilly
They say that "all dogs go to Heaven"...but only one has ever returned. Charlie B. Barkin (Burt Reynolds), a German Shepherd with a shady past, breaks out of the New Orleans Dog Pound with the help of his faithful friend Itchy (Dom De Luise). He then makes tracks to reunite with his gambling casino partner Carface (Vic Tayback), a shifty Pitbull who has planned a potentially deadly double cross, with Charlie as the victim. Suddenly, Charlie finds himself at the Pearly Gates, but he soon returns to Earth and plots his revenge against Carface. Along the way, Charlie acquires help from a little girl named Anne-Marie (who can talk to animals). After a series of fiendish schemes, both Charlie and Anne Marie find their lives at stake. Only one life can be saved, and Charlie must decide whether to change his mission from one of revenge, to one of redemption.
I see this movie as a deep spiritual allegory; one that illustrates Charlie’s journey starting with a fall from grace, moving through temptation and sin, and into penance and repentance and ultimately, to Charlie finding peace through redemption.
When we see Charlie in "Heaven", it is established by the Heavenly Whippet that he (as well as all dogs) get a free pass into Heaven, because unlike people, dogs are naturally good and loyal and kind. We then quite literally see Charlie's fall from grace when he chooses to “eat the metaphorical apple” by taking his life watch, and the angel tells him he can never come back into grace. For the rest of the movie, we see Charlie struggle with the impending darkness, however, all hope is not lost for Charlie because he seeks redemption. I believe that Charlie's desire to save Anne-Marie from his villainous partner had an underlying motive. While he initially sought to use Anne-Marie to satiate his own selfish desires (i.e. exacting his revenge on Carface and using Anne-Marie’s gift for his own gain), Charlie eventually redeems his soul when he is faced with a choice: does he save his precious life watch from the sea, or does he save Anne-Marie? He chooses Anne-Marie and in so doing, Charlie’s soul is restored, and he can find peace from the darkness in Heaven.
Surprise plays a symbolic role in this film and nowhere is “surprise” more clearly illustrated, than in the character of Charlie.
When Charlie’s partner, Carface, hatches a scheme to murder Charlie and take their shared profits for his own, he uses the expression “a big surprise” as the code word for commencing their plan to kill Charlie. When Carface is celebrating Charlie just before this moment, he presents Charlie with a watch “to remember all the good times”. Surprise – and another gold watch - pops up again when Charlie arrives in Heaven and is told he has died and cannot go back to seek his revenge on Carface. The angel tells Charlie that she knows everything about Charlie’s life, both past and future. Charlie is rather disenchanted with the thought of no more surprises and his life being so ordered and controlled when he yearns for adventure and excitement (aka all his indulgences in worldly sin: drinking, gambling, kidnapping, and exploiting a child, lying, seeking his revenge, etc.) While in Heaven, Charlie also finds his “life watch” and winds it up so that he can finally have his revenge…and in doing so, he literally falls from grace.
While not my favorite of Don Bluth’s stories (that honor is given to the Land Before Time), All Dogs Go to Heaven remains, to this day, one of Don Bluth’s better films. The voice casting is on point, particularly for Burt Reynolds as Charlie and Judith Barsi as Anne-Marie. The animation is gorgeous and captures the jazzy and beautiful glamour of New Orleans. Overall, I would highly recommend this film.
© 2021 Keriane Kellogg