Contested Sequels: All Dogs go to Heaven 2

Time to make it 20/20 with full reviews of Don Bluth sequels. The first thing that always gets to me is just how different all three movies are. Rewatching this gave me new respect for the third one, and how it juggles the elements of two different movies.

It starts with Carface and Red talking on the phone after red smoke comes out it shows Heaven with happy music. This shows off the greatest strength and weakness of the movie. The transitions and mood are way off. On the other hand the score is great. The heavenly music is beautiful, and it keeps being great.

In Heaven everybody is at a medal reward ceremony with Charlie complaining about how boring it is to Carface with even Carface telling him to shut up, and Carface wins a huge reward for “proving every dog deserves a second chance.” Charlie is visibly hurt he did not win this, but I am just wondering how he and Carface became friends again. In fact I maintain that adding Red in this movie was a mistake. Carface should have been the main villain with Killer as his lackey.

After that Itchy perishes and arrives at Heaven… Wait a second. This movie takes 60 years after the first one, and the opening scene says there is no gap. Dachshunds live 12-14 years, so how did Itchy live like that?

More importantly Itchy is now way nicer. In the first film he is actually considerably meaner to Ann Marie and other animals than Charlie. Now he is the perfect angel (also at least according to Christian mythology the dead do not become angels when they die).

This leads to the first song, “It’s too Heavenly here.” I think it is the second best song in the movie. It is catchy, and I think it shows why a con man like Charlie is not happy. My problem is the actual Heaven. It is considerably less bright and pretty than last movie, with an idiot god (I could never see Annabelle and Whippet Angel as the same character), and one large dog looks suspiciously like Red.

The good score gets darker when Carface uses his medal and halo to steal Gabriel’s horn, which is needed to work the pearly gates. For some reason he cannot play it properly, which Charlie can later (many explanations for that). As a minion Carface is responsible for all of their actual successes, but he still just drops the horn to Earth, because he did two stupid things at once.

It falls to San Fransisco, since they want to renact Homeward Bound II… Interesting, two pet sequels came out in 1996 set in San Fransisco. Charlie somehow cons Annabelle into giving him the job of finding it, instead of literally anybody else. This leads to a key problem, Charlie was useless. If Whippet Angel just sent literally anybody else this movie would be over very soon, as Charlie is just using this time for a vacation. She sends Itchy with him. Why not send several teams of dogs down there thinking one of them is bound to find it?

Charlie and Itchy arrive with Charlie wanting to eat all the moldy food he can find, and Itchy just wanting to find the horn. Why not send somebody who can actually keep Charlie in check? They go to a bar and even Itchy is horrified to see they are ghosts who cannot interact with the physical world. Charlie gets some revenge by blowing bubbles on Annabelle’s reflection giving her clear real pain. He does this multiple times meaning unlike Whippet Angel she is not all knowing.

The announcer (voiced by Principal Lazer from A Goofy Movie) introduces their next singer, Sasha. She sings a seductive song about not being interested in love, which actually makes sense then why she is attracted to Charlie’s romantic movements later that would today be called sexual harassment. A major reason I do not like this stick in the mud is how much she talks about not wanting to date Charlie and clearly does. It really reinforces never taking no for an answer. In fact of Bluth’s 20 sequels this is the only one where romantic love is a big deal, of course it is one of the few where the main character is an adult.

Time to get to the new acting. Dom DeLuise is back as Itchy. He has worse dialogue, but still the same voice and range. Charlie Sheen is now Charlie. He has a decent Burt Reynolds impression, but with less range. Still it is a good performance.

Now Charlie wants to date Sasha, and Carface shows up showing them how they can become flesh and blood again. Wait a second how did they know Charlie and Itchy would be sent or they would be at that bar. I guess Red had a magic ball to check, but this has to have been Carface’s plan. It really shows how bland Red is that even as an idiot minion Carface still makes all the best plans.

This results in all three going to Red’s place where he gives them collars that make them alive. Red is popular, but I find him boring. He has no motivation other than being evil, looks like a generic devil, and I hate the evil cat vs good dog thing. After that he sings “It feels so Good to be Bad.” On one hand this song perfectly describes his motivation, gives us an introduction to his real form, and it is catchy. On the other hand I cannot see what they are doing with Carface. Based on what he did last movie and being in the afterlife none of this should really be scary to him. As shown later he casually plays games with Red, so I have trouble seeing him being so scared. Yet he is not only terrified but for some reason Red cuts off all his fur so they can do some distracting naked jokes with him. It does not help that next scene with Carface his fur is all magically back, and they are very inconsistent if he has genitals he is hiding and butt cracks or not. Honestly I wish Carface was still the main villain with Killer as his sidekick again. I really like the reprise where Carface joins in. In spite of my complaints this is a pretty good and popular song.

Charlie chases Sasha to the empty lot she lives in, and she is taking care of a runaway boy named David. I hate his suspiciously clean hair, but I overall like him. He ran away worrying his dad and new step-mom would care more about their new baby than him, and he is an illusionist. This results in him being very amazed by Charlie’s miracle he used to make Sasha talk to people and his disappearing abilities. Now Charlie is his “guardian angel.” I presumed it is to impress Sasha who is not impressed. Charlie takes David to a place known for its street performers to be a professional illusionist ignoring Annabelle saying they have a traffic jam in Heaven. Oh yeah, the horn of afterthought is the main plot. After a pointless scene showing Red made base in Alcatraz thanks to Carface (Again this should have been Killer) and Sasha and Charlie’s odd flirting they actually just run into the horn.

They retrieve it, and this scene is really bad. I have praised the background score. It is really good except in this scene. It just raises so many questions like how they are unable to get the horn without being flesh and blood unless the horn is in the open, so why did Annabelle not have a plan for that? The cops guarding it are just too stupid for a movie that normally takes itself way too seriously, and why is Carface on Red’s orders jeopardizing them getting the horn when the whole plan is to get the horn earlier. In short they get the horn in the worst scene of the movie.

Charlie locks the horn up, so he can stay longer leading to a big question. For all Red and Carface knew Charlie would get in fights and go straight back to Heaven or do the logical thing and stick around as Itchy takes it back. As a kid Red is pretty cool, but his stupidity is a major reason this movie has trouble holding up.

After this they go back to the old motivations and do street performances where some simple rain ruins everything. I think this is the best song in the movie. They sing it well, and the mood does a complete 180. David now wants to go home and Charlie promises to do that. Itchy gets some happy scenes with them here, and that is important to making him not feel like a stick in the mud.

After the best song they try and top it with the worst song, award bat “I will Always be with you.” Sasha’s actress does not sing in character, and unlike his previous performances Charlie’s singing voice does not sing with Sheen’s voice. This and the bad mouth animation makes it so uncanny.

The collars wear off right when Red said they would meaning David and Sasha think they were abandoned so to fulfill his promise Charlie rushes for another collar with Itchy protesting. To make him more likeable I presume he figured they could just go back to Heaven and get Annabelle to help them later.

I just like this random gag that the villains are casually playing go fish. Red is stupid but kind of cool in spite of that, and that is why the ending is very good. Charlie arrives and just offers the horn in a trade even after Red for some reason refuses. He then makes it, but what was their plan if he did not offer? Charlie tries to con his way out of this deal, but Red actually outsmarts him giving Charlie a collar that can choke him into submission. Odd he only uses that power once after this when it could have solved all his problems.

Like the third movie I keep having to wonder why does the hell based villain not have a history with Charlie. He used to be evil and he got rescued after he somehow escaped Hell. It just seems so logical. This movie has a bigger problem since lines like “and it’s all thanks to Charlie Barkin” indicate past beef, but none is ever brought up or hinted at otherwise. Again I really wish Carface was the main villain or at least make Red the main villain of the third movie too.

Again Mark Watters gives good music for Itchy and Charlie’s fight over the deal with the devil, and as insurance Carface kidnaps David. Sasha really is useless. Red gets the horn and traps every dog in Heaven resulting in a fight where everybody gets to shine except for Sasha of course. It is a simple hero wins by playing McGuffin climax.

Charlie as a reward for all these problems he caused gets to go back to Earth for several years (I think Annabelle was just trying to get rid of him), and Itchy stays in Heaven making me wonder how that works in 3 and the series. On Earth he becomes David’s dog.

This movie is pretty good and deserves 3 Tree Stars. Sure it does not hold up for an adult, but as a kid I enjoyed seeing these characters in a much more light hearted film, it mostly has good songs and music, mostly good acting, and mostly consistent motives, and I had fun noticing the stupid stuff.

Next time I want to expand on my hit twist villains post by going through the ones from non-Disney movies, and seeing if the other companies should be getting the same flack for them.

DTV Wonders: An All Dogs Christmas Carol

This is it. Don Bluth’s films have a total of 20 sequels, and I will now have reviewed all 20 of them. This film is the final installment of the franchise and a series finale to the show, and the protagonist is not Charlie but Carface. He was the villain in the first movie, bumbling minion in the second, and now he gets to be the flipping hero… Was that a reference to the end of the first movie? To my surprise this movie feels much more like a follow up to 1 than it does 2. It starts with music from the first movie and the prettier Heaven design from the first movie. Unfortunately it starts with a frame story that has no impact. These work better in books than movies. I overall like the beginning of the movie in spite of the fact that I am questioning everything since that is what I enjoyed. Time to see if I can summarize everything with nothing but questions.

How do the puppies in Heaven (quit calling that tragic, it is a fact that some puppies die so there will logically be puppies in Heaven) not believe in ghosts? How are Charlie and Itchy considered Whippet Angel’s best angels? What are her mediocre angels like? Why do dog have a bone currency and a cash currency at the same time? Why does Charlie sound and act nothing like he did in the last two movies? Did he go through a ton of character development in the show? Why is everyone taking out “huge” loans from Carface when he is literally banished to Hell? I get him stealing money and food, but why is he stealing toys? Those should just weigh him down. It was established last movie that ghosts are invisible, so why can everybody see Carface, Charlie, and Itchy? Killer lived in the 1930s so why is he there? Charlie and Itchy try to break into Carface’s house, but why are they simply not ghosting through it? Belladonna is called “The Boogie Dog.” Why not a punny name like “Beelzedog” or “Barktan”? With Charlie’s past why do he and Belladonna not have a complex history? Why are those fire imps so puny and easy to beat when the music says to take them seriously? How did Charlie know about that escape door inside of Carface’s house?

Back to the beginning it is another retelling of A Christmas Carol. There are many great versions and my favorite is either “An Easter Carol” or “Arthur Changes Gears.” Carface and Killer (unexpected callback to first movie) uses a dog whistle to steal stuff, and Charlie and Itchy chase him down with no real plan other than Itchy talking about how he will tear him apart. Does anybody but Carface and Killer resemble their earlier portrayals. Tiny Tim is now Timmy who needs an operation to stay alive (according to The Oregon Trail a broken leg can kill you), and he has some surprisingly good banter with Carface to Carface’s enjoyment. This is probably the only legitimately good part of the opening. It is good foreshadowing.

Charlie and Itchy arrive to find Belladonna (I presume a villain from the show) is the main villain. They are going to use a hidden giant dog whistle to mind control dogs into stealing presents to make Carface rich, ruin Christmas (The Whos say different), and… this is so low steaks compared to the last two movies. Then Itchy begs Carface to stop her… Why would he do that? This is not harder to stop than Carface in movie one or Red in movie two.

The Whippet Angel gives them a miracle. Obviously Charlie and Itchy use it to miracle away the dog whistle… Or Charlie come up with a complicated plan to make Carface switch sides.

As much as I am mocking it, I am enjoying this opening, because I think it is unintentionally funny. The only real problem is the same problem with Arthur Christmas. Them implying (At least they are not saying it this time) that Christmas needs snow. As a southerner in the sub-tropics I really hate that. Time to get to the ghosts.

I am the Ghost of Bicycles never Ridden

Binky? You are not a part of this fantasy.

Banana bread?

Go away!

While the beginning is wacky the next two ghost scenes are just dull. They are tiresome and poorly presented. They reveal that both Carface and Timmy were troublemakers as puppies. Carface’s owner ignored him and blamed everything on him, while Timmy’s owner always defends him and tries to fix it. I do like the detail that Carface’s helicopter hat symbolizes his childhood innocence, which he throws on the ground when he becomes the mobster from the first film.

There is a song called “I always get Excited at Christmastime.” Killer’s part is surprisingly good and a nice change of pace from the darkness with the source material, but Belladonna’s lines are just generic evil for the sake of being evil song. I know most animation fans disagree with me, but I hate these classic Disneyesque villains who are just evil. I normally hear Belladonna is popular, so I guess I am in the minority, but that does not mean I will stop criticizing her.

So it has been a wacky beginning and dull middle. The final ghost comes and….

What is with that outfit which clashes so badly with the mood. He looks like Spy Fox. That gospel music in “Clean up your Act” is the same way. This is fun again! Joy to the world! The fun has come back!

Carface’s fear of being sent to Hell gets him to now switch sides, and I think that is a reference to the first movie, since many people have actually cleaned up their act thanks to that scene. I can relate to this.

Notice the easily grabbed wires

Carface and Killer are transported to the whistle in Alcatraz (how did nobody check there) and start mind controlling. Mr. Big would be proud. Seriously it is the same green eyes. For some reason Belladonna acts like only Carface can pull the lever. Carface then has easy access to destroy the highly visible wires, or he destroys the huge cable with far more danger than it should be. Carface really changes every movie. Belladonna goes to kill both Carface and Killer and The Whippet Angel comes to save them.

Is fighting in a suit the best idea?

To my surprise this is her portrayal from the first movie. She is funnier and making jokes. She is powerful instead of the bumbling idiot. Waiting to save also matches her portrayal from the first movie where she lets dogs flee to actually earn redemption. It even fills Charlie’s prophecy at the end of the first film where Charlie promises “He’ll [Carface] be back.” It was an uplifting scene, and I like seeing it come true. Belladonna is whipped by The Whippet Angel in a stupidly funny, yet legitimately satisfying scene. Why did Belladonna choose to have a showdown on a place surrounded by water when it weakens her fire power? Red is literally rolling in his grave. Why not make Hellhound the main villain? Was he too hard to animate?

The ending scene is Carface giving everything back of course, and it is not too interesting but it is a sweet end to the franchise. My problem is it ends with just Charlie and Itchy when Carface is the protagonist of this movie.

I went back and forth on whether I would probably like or dislike this before my third view, and then I remembered something. So bad it’s good=good. As a huge fan of the first movie (I consider it the second best film ever made) I enjoyed the closure, and the references. It captures the weirdness of the first movie way better than the second one. I give it three tree stars. If it had a more comedic middle and better songs it could have been a four tree star comedy. It does not leave much of an impact, but it is a moderately fun watch.

Well old friend, I have reviewed every sequel to your work. It took me over five years (mostly because I hardly wrote for years) but I did it.

Next time- the first ever adaptation of Rudolph. Fans of Disney’s “Very Merry Christmas Songs” might recognize this.

Fleischer time!

Contested Sequels: All Dogs go to Heaven

Vs.

Here it is, another Don Bluth vs. non-Bluth film.  1 was made in 1989, while 2 was made in 1996.  They were both released in theaters.  Unlike all my other Contested Sequel reviews I have equal nostalgia for both films and plenty of it.  For history I think both have problems.  2 did spawn a TV series, but it did not do nearly as well at the box office.

I think more people like Charlie in 1 than in 2 considering a Google image search is dominated by pictures of him in 1.  In 1 he is extremely ambiguous with his motivations.  Almost everything he does can be interpreted as either good or bad once he comes back from the dead.  He clearly has a very vengeful and greedy side, but he did in Heaven talk about hating to steal, he does make the most sacrificial move I have ever seen in a movie not about Jesus.  In 2 his motivations still make sense considering their interpretation of Heaven is incredibly dull.  He does have a good heart, but too many problems are caused by him, and if only Annabelle appointed anyone but him the plot would have been over really quick.  I did see a good heart in him still, so other than still making a deal with an obvious devil I think Charlie is clearly the best part of both films.

In the first film Ann-Marie is the main side character followed by Itchy.  I really like the idea of an animal with a human sidekick, and she is my favorite morality pet.  Itchy is the hyper competent sidekick, and actually comes to represent Charlie’s negative side, while in 2 he is more moral.  In 1 he is actually less compassionate than Charlie.  I always found David to be boring.  I never got anyone liking Sasha. She is vain, annoying, hates Charlie, then randomly loves him.  The Whippet Angel/Annabelle is way more interesting in 1.  The side characters is another win for 1.

In 1 Carface is the main villain.  He is not subtle at all, but that is because he is so scary he does to need to be. Red is the main villain in 2.  He is also aggressive but not nearly as scary.  He has a strange villain song with bad and confusing animated segments but great lyrics.  It gets much better in the reprise because his minion, Carface, join in.  Carface is now a way less threatening minion, but he still is more intimidating than Red due to being a very good minion who does all the actual work.   I think the villains, especially Carface ,are major strengths in both films.

For songs 1 has way better ones.  Thy are sadder, the singing voices are not obviously different from the talking voices, and they reveal stuff about the characters.  From 2 the reprise to “It Feels so Good to be Bad” and “It’s too Heavenly Here” are good, but that is it, and there are so many of them.  I at least really enjoy all the songs in 1.  2 does have the better score.

                    The real big thing in 1’s favor is its influence.  There are two basic qualities of a good film, how much enjoyment form watching, and morally changing the viewer.  The first film is why I became a Christian.  The Hell scene scared me into it.  It presents Hell as something seemingly escapable but not and full of torture.  It is the first time I thought of it as something other than school, and the whole time I realized everything shown is almost real.  Almost because the real thing is far worse.  This film still makes me closer to God whenever I watch it.  2 has nothing to compete with that.

When re-watching 2 I kept thinking of things it could have done.  1 heavily implied that Carface would get his redemption (which happened in the third film).  I think that would have been a good plot for the second one as he fights a demonic force.  Another possibility is Charlie facing a fallen angel instead of a demon as the primary threat.  As a child I watched 1 for the wonderful movie and the horror.  I watched the sequel to remind myself of it without being so scared.  As a young teenager I had no interest in 2, and I was too scared to watch 1 despite really wanting to.  As an adult and late teenager  consider 1 to be the third greatest animated film ever.  I occasionally watch 2 for some nostalgia.