Animals

The Ugly Dachshund

A dachshund mother fosters a Great Dane puppy, whose identity crisis leads to a series of comic situations.
Genre: Feature Film-Comedy
Rating: NR
Release Date: 6-JUL-2004
Media Type: DVD

When a Great Dane puppy is raised with a litter of Dachshunds, it naturally thinks it's a Dachshund too--even when it grows to 10 times the size. Dean Jones and Suzanne Pleshette star as the hapless couple who took in the galumphing dog, which wreaks havoc on their house and home. The Ugly Dachshund is mostly a series of spectacular disasters (the doggy demolition of Jones's art studio will delight kids and reduce adults to nervous wrecks), but it's held together by the convincing domestic banter of Jones and Pleshette (who was quite a dish in 1965); the pair went on to star in a couple of other Disney live-action flicks, Bluebeard's Ghost and The Shaggy D.A.. Despite some racial and gender stereotypes, it's a good-natured and amusing movie in the Disney mold. Also featuring classic character actor Charlie Ruggles (Bringing Up Baby, The Parent Trap). --Bret Fetzer

Best in Show

Christopher Guest, the man behind Waiting for Guffman, turns his comic eye on another little world that takes itself a bit too seriously: the world of competitive dog shows. Best in Show follows a clutch of dog owners as they prepare and preen their dogs to win a national competition. They include the yuppie pair (Parker Posey and Michael Hitchcock) who fear they've traumatized their Weimaraner by having sex in front of him; a suburban husband and wife (Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara) with a terrier and a long history of previous lovers on the wife's part; the Southern owner of a bloodhound (Guest himself) with aspirations as a ventriloquist; and many more. Following the same "mockumentary" format of Spinal Tap and Guffman, Best in Show takes in some of the dog show officials, the manager of a nearby hotel that allows dogs to stay there, and the commentators of the competition (a particularly knockout comic turn by Fred Willard as an oafish announcer). The movie manages to paint an affectionate portrait of its quirky characters without ever losing sight of the ridiculousness of their obsessive world. Almost all of the scenes were created through improvisation. While lacking the overall focus of a written script, Best in Show captures hilarious and absurd aspects of human behavior that could never be written down. The movie's success is a testament to both the talent of the actors and Guest's discerning eye. --Bret Fetzer

The tension is palpable the excitement is mounting and the heady scent of competition is in the air as hundreds of eager contestants from across America prepare to take part in what is undoubtedly one of the greatest events of their lives -- the Mayflower Dog Show.Running Time: 89 min.System Requirements:Starring: Jennifer Coolidge Christopher Guest John Michael Higgins Michael Hitchcock Eugene Levy Jane Lynch Michael McKean Catherine O'Hara Parker Posey and Fred Willard. Directed By: Christopher Guest. Running Time: 90 Min. Color. This film is presented in "Widescreen" format. Copyright 2000 Warner Home Video.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: PG-13 UPC: 085391895121

Lilo & Stitch

Warm, funny, and imaginative, Lilo & Stitch is the best animated feature the Walt Disney Studios have produced in years. On the planet Turo, mad scientist Jumba Jookiba (voice by David Ogden Stiers) has created a miniature monster programmed for destruction. When the monster escapes to Earth, it's adopted as a pet and named "Stitch" by Lilo (Daveigh Chase), a lonely little Hawaiian girl. Lilo and her older sister Nani (Tia Carrere) have been struggling to stay together since their parents died. Stitch and Lilo share some hilarious adventures, evading welfare officer Cobra Bubbles (Ving Rhames) and galactic police agents. They learn the timely lesson that a family can be something you're born into--or something you assemble. A warmth and sincerity that recall The Iron Giant and the films of Hiyao Miyazaki make Lilo a delightful fantasy adults and children can truly enjoy together. --Charles Solomon

Out-of-this-world storytelling stunning animation and wild and irresistible characters are at the heart of Disney's hilarious new animated adventure. This worldwide box office sensation is a bright and edgy comedy about friendship and finding your place- even if you come from two different worlds. "A magical marvel of animated adventure... the perfect mix of action and heart" says David Sheehan. There's something for everyone in this action-packed DVD loaded with exclusive bonus material. It's a new wave of classic entertainment you'll enjoy over and over again.Features: Deleted Scenes Inter-Stitch-als: Stitch Wreaks Havoc in An Array of Disney Classics "Burning Love": Behind the Scenes with Wynonna A*Teens Music Video "I Can't Help Falling in Love with You" A Stitch in Time DisneyPedia: Hawaii Build an Alien Experiment Game And Much More!System Requirements:Running Time: 85 Min. Color. This film is presented in "Widescreen" format. Copyright 2002 Buena Vista Home Video.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: CHILDREN/FAMILY Rating: PG UPC: 786936165142 Manufacturer No: 02398900

Turner and Hooch

Much better than your average cop-and-dog movie (e.g., K-9), Turner and Hooch is really a love story about a control freak (Tom Hanks) who gradually resigns to the messy chaos of a sweet hulk of a pooch named Hooch. The excuse for this relationship is that the dog can identify a murderer and Hanks needs him, but the film is really about such hilarious moments as Hanks bathing Hooch with a long brush, and a wild chase through the streets when the sharp-eyed mutt spots his suspect. Layered over this is a healthy love story between Hanks and animal vet Mare Winningham, who share a terribly sexy scene together--while fully clothed--doing no more than making breakfast. (Hanks directed this scene, though Roger Spottiswoode directed the rest of the movie.) --Tom Keogh

A detective who lives a neat and orderly life is forced to live with the only witness to a crime, a destructive slobbering junkyard dog, until the crime is solved.
Genre: Feature Film-Comedy
Rating: PG
Release Date: 2-MAR-2004
Media Type: DVD

That Darn Cat!

When a slightly cross-eyed Siamese cat named D.C. (Darn Cat) turns up with a wristwatch around his neck instead of a collar, it could be just the clue the FBI needs to crack a series of bank robberies in this lightweight comedy from Disney. The watch belongs to a bank teller who has been taken hostage. Dean Jones stars as the good-hearted FBI agent assigned to the case. Unfortunately, he is highly allergic to, you guessed it, cats. Hayley Mills is D.C.'s doting owner who hatches a hair-brained scheme to follow D.C.'s every move until he returns to the crooks' hideout where he got the wristwatch. After a lot of sneezing, slapstick, and comedic intrigue, the bank robbers are foiled, the hostage is safe, and everyone is happy. An impressive supporting cast of Frank Gorshin, Elsa Lanchester, Roddy McDowall, and Ed Wynn add to the zaniness. Released in 1965 (and remade in 1997), it is understandably dated, but the performances are fun nonetheless. Hayley Mills is delightful as the determined and unflappable wannabe sleuth, and Dean Jones proves he is adept at physical comedy. This is a movie of little consequence, just a clean, fun diversion that the whole family can watch. The theme song is sung by Bobby Darin. --Peggy Maltby-Etra

The fur flies when a smart Siamese cat goes undercover and Hayley Mills and Dean Jones team up for mystery, adventure, and wild comedy on Disney DVD. When the irrepressible and always hungry D.C. (Darn Cat) turns up with a wristwatch for a collar, it becomes a tip-off to an unsolved robbery and kidnapping. You don't know who's tailing who as nosy neighbors, jealous boyfriends, and a highly allergic FBI agent play a game of cat and mouse to crack the baffling case. Don't miss the spectacular supporting cast featuring Dorothy Provine, Roddy McDowall, Frank Gorshin, and Ed Wynn, plus 100 purr-cent feline family fun!

The Cat From Outer Space

Here's today's trivia question: What Disney movie costars both colonels from television's M*A*S*H--that is, Henry Blake (McLean Stevenson) and Sherman Potter (Harry Morgan)? Heck, that's easy: 1978's The Cat from Outer Space, a family comedy about a feline extraterrestrial named Jake (voiced by actor Ronnie Schell, who also plays Sergeant Duffy). Eerily similar to the plot of Steven Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, released four years later, Cat finds Jake stuck on Earth and in danger of being trapped here forever if his fellow space kitties can't rendezvous with him soon.

While a gruff Army general (Morgan) tries to scare up some answers about the whereabouts and agenda of the purring alien, Jake allies himself with an unorthodox scientist (Ken Berry), plus the latter's friend (Stevenson)--a compulsive gambler--and mathematician girlfriend (Sandy Duncan). Together, they try to raise the scratch to purchase expensive materials to make Jake's ship run again, and in short order. Norman Tokar, an old Disney hand (The Happiest Millionaire) directing his final film before he died the following year, gets the comic machinery going with his slick cast of character actors (Roddy McDowall, Jesse White, Hans Conried), sly one-liners, and lots of enjoyable suspense. A kid-pleaser for sure. --Tom Keogh

There's magic in the memories as great Disney moments are captured right here for you and your family to enjoy. Cosmic comedy is on the prowl when an extraterrestrial cat named Jake is forced to crash-land his spaceship on Earth. Jake then proceeds to lead a physicist, his girlfriend, the Army, and a team of baffled scientists on endless escapades during his unscheduled and hilarious visit!

Mouse Hunt

They've tried Catzilla, a feline so ferocious it can't be euthanized. They've tried booby traps that Rube Goldberg would marvel at. They've even tried Caesar (hilariously played by Christopher Walken), a demented exterminator whose "Squeak Seeker 2000" mouse-cam will infiltrate even the cleverest rodent's secret lair. But the Smuntz brothers Ernie (Nathan Lane) and Lars (British comedian Lee Evans) just can't win against the tenacious mouse that wreaks havoc in the vintage home they've inherited from their father. That's the one-note premise of this chaotic, lavishly produced comedy that starts on a high note and never lets up, eventually leaving the viewer exhausted. The special mouse effects (live-action, animatronic, and computer-generated) are delightful, and the slapstick is frequently ingenious, but the title says it all in a movie that is little more than an elaborate variation of Home Alone. A prime choice for family fun, but it's really just a live-action cartoon that overstays its welcome. It's harmless fun if all you're looking for is a marathon of slapstick gags and pratfalls, and it's notable as the final film appearance of veteran character actor William Hickey, who died in June of 1997, shortly after filming of Mouse Hunt was completed. --Jeff Shannon

Hoodwinked (Widescreen Edition)

Hoodwinked fuses the classic fairy tale of Little Red Riding Hood with the crisscrossing storylines of film noir--pretty ambitious stuff for a computer-animated cartoon. The police cordon off Grandma's cottage and an amphibious version of William Powell named Nicky Flippers (voiced by David Ogden Stiers, M*A*S*H) begins interrogating the suspects: A Little Red in bell-bottoms (Anne Hathaway, Ella Enchanted), a Wolf turned investigative journalist (Patrick Warburton, The Woman Chaser), a snow-boarding Granny (Glenn Close, 101 Dalmatians), and a dimwitted would-be Woodsman (Jim Belushi, Curly Sue), each of whom have very different reasons for ending up in that cottage living room. The visual style of Hoodwinked mixes a clunky, video-game look with an homage to the stop-motion puppetry of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and other Rankin-Bass holiday specials. While sometimes awkward, there are also moments of surreal beauty, such as when a depressed Red wanders through a field of blue and red flowers--and moments of lunatic comedy, such as the Schnitzel song, which is irresistibly bizarre. The Shrek-style pop-culture references grow annoying, but the left-field goofiness of a yodeling goat points toward a far more distinct and delightful comic world. Also featuring the voices of Anthony Anderson (Kangaroo Jack), rapper Xzibit, and an especially witty turn by Andy Dick (NewsRadio) as a deceptively cute bunny rabbit. --Bret Fetzer

A new spin on an old fable. In this film Red Granny The Big Bad Wolf and the Woodman all face Detective Flippers as he attempts to determine the 'real' events of the Little Red Riding Hood story. Original songs and witty humor fill this fun and adventurous film.System Requirements:Running Time: 80 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: CHILDREN/FAMILY Rating: PG UPC: 796019791090 Manufacturer No: 79109

Look Who's Talking, Too

If nothing else, the powers that be behind this terrible sequel to the 1989 hit Look Who's Talking will be divinely punished for abusing John Lennon's "Jealous Guy" on the soundtrack. Until then, it's better to push memories of this movie to the back of one's memory. John Travolta and Kirstie Alley reprise their roles from the earlier film, but this time their married relationship is in trouble for sundry reasons. Adding to that complication is the arrival of a new baby (whined by Roseanne Barr) to join the previous one (quipped by Bruce Willis). Mel Brooks and Damon Wayans add their voices to those of some other kids, but this hastily patched-together follow-up wouldn't be funny no matter how may comic minds you threw in the mix. Between the shoddy script and miscasting of Barr, there's enough doom to go around in this thing, but an opening-credits sequence that manages, through crummy special effects, to turn a sperm's path toward an egg into a nauseating experience doesn't help. Stick with the original. --Tom Keogh

In this hilarious sequel to LOOK WHO'S TALKING little Mikey figures he's got it made after uniting his mother (Kirstie Alley) with the dad of his dreams (John Travolta). But instead of family bliss Mikey gets the biggest surprise of his life-- a baby sister. Bruce Willis returns as the voice of Mikey while Roseanne Barr's voice delivers baby Julie's delightful wisecracks. Together these two fast-talking tots face a series of kiddie dilemmas including the trials of potty training their parents' marital squabbles and an inevitable -- but very funny-- dose of sibling rivalry. As this living family is about to learn twice the trouble is also twice the fun!Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: PG-13 UPC: 043396054257 Manufacturer No: 05425

Air Bud

Moviegoers and more than a few critics found much to enjoy in this Disney film about a lost dog named Buddy. The canine is befriended by a lonely boy and proceeds to become the star of the kid's junior high school basketball team. Demonstrating an abundance of on- and off-court agility, Buddy can dribble like a pro (no, not the wet kind of dribble), and he never misses a shot. Michael Jeter plays Buddy's original owner who returns to get his dog back (don't worry, he's an unworthy weasel), and director Charles Martin Smith brings a refreshing flair to the climactic basketball scenes. Air Bud was a modest hit for Disney, and the film's entertaining vitality gets a touch of poignancy from the fact that Lucky, the canine actor in the title role, died of cancer not long after the film was released. --Jeff Shannon

A young boy and a talented stray dog with an amazing basketball playing ability become instant friends. Rebounding from his father's accidental death, 12-year-old Josh Framm moves with his family to the small town of Fernfield, Washington. The new kid in town, Josh has no friends and is too shy to try out for the school basketball team. Instead he prefers tp practice alone on an abandoned court, he befriends a runaway golden retriever named Buddy. Josh is amazed when he realizes that Buddy loves basketball...that is playing basketball...and he is GOOD! Josh eventually makes the school team and Buddy is named the Team Mascot. Josh and Buddy become the stars of halftime. Buddy's half-time talent draws media attention. Unfortunately, when Buddy's mean former owner, Norm Snively, comes along with a scheme to cash in on the pup's celebrity, it looks like they are going to be separated.