The Shaggy Dog (www.the-usher.com)

"I'm a dog"

Los Angeles assistant district attorney Dave Douglas (Allen) latest case is taking up all his time, meaning that he isn't getting any time to spend with his family. Trying to prosecute an animals rights activist who burnt down lab that he thought was testing on animals, his daughter Carly (Grey) has other ideas and joins the protests outside. When she takes things into her own hands and breaks into the lab to find some evidence, she discovers a dog that is trying to escape. Taking him home, Carly discovers that her father really doesn't like dogs, so much so that the dog actually bites him. The thing is that this is no ordinary dog and Dave starts to feel a little strange.

Hollywood's lack of imagination continues with another remake but can this new version get them out of the doghouse?

Based on the original 1959 film, Disney have taken the premise that has already spawned number sequels and TV version and re-imagined it for the new millennium. Now we have a dog hating, workaholic who is neglecting his family for his job, who quite literally becomes a dog and then gets to see life from a completely different prospective. The problem is that this is a typical Disney family film that lacks any kind of imagination.

The high concept plotline revolves around a seven hundred year old dog from Tibet that might hold the answer to prolonging human life. As scientists try and find out the secret of his long life, he escapes and is rescued by Carly Douglas but when she takes him home he bites her father to get his attention. After that assistant DA Dave Douglas starts feeling different and then everything goes to the dogs. The same can be said for the movie.

Family films should appeal to every member of the family not just the youngest members. 'The Shaggy Dog' has nothing to really allow the adults watching the film enjoy any moment of the movie. The visual effects are poor with no transformation scene of any substance, the acting from Tim Allen and the rest of the cast is extremely average or completely over the top (Robert Downey Jr.) and the story is far too slight to make any type of an impact.

With a sugary sweet plot, an awful stereotypical score and some over the top performances, 'The Shaggy Dog' is another example of why Hollywood should be investing in original script instead of recycling average movies. This is one dog that doesn't get its bone.

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 with Dolby Digital 5.1, the movie is presented well.

BONUS FEATURES

Deleted Scenes (4.09 mins)
Entitled 'Kozak and Strictland', Additional Dog Park, 'Gwen and Larry' and 'Alternative ending for Kozak', these deleted or extended scenes suffer from the lack of a commentary track or introduction.

Bloopers (2.34 mins)
Watch Tim Allen and Robert Downey Jr. muck up their lines and have fun with the animals on set.

Bark Along: Bonus feature for you dog to enjoy (2.23 mins)
Play this featurette for you dog and he or she can bark and woof along with the dogs on screen.

'Woof there it is' Music Video (1.48 mins)
Watch clips from the movie accompanied by a new version of the rap song.

Trailers
Previews of 'Eight Below', 'The Wild', 'Brother Bear 2', 'Bambi 2' and 'The Little Mermaid'

OVERALL

For a Disney release the bonus features are a little lacking. With no making of featurettes or commentaries, fans of the movie will be disappointed with this DVD release.

DVD

The Shaggy Dog (1959)

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2006