Image Courtesy of Amazon.com
Director:
Charles Barton
Cast:
Fred MacMurray……….Wilson Daniels
Jean Hagen……….Freeda Daniels
Tommy Kirk……….Wilby Daniels
Annette Funicello……….Allison D’Allessio
Tim Considine……….Buzz Miller
Kevin Corcoran……….Moochie (Montgomery) Daniels
Cecil Kellaway……….Professor Plumcutt
Alexander Scourby……….Dr. Mikhail Andrassy
Roberta Shore……….Franceska Andrassy
James Westerfield……….Officer Hanson
Strother Martin……….Thurm
Forrest Lewis……….Officer Kelly
Ned Wever……….FBI Chief E.P. Hackett
Gordon Jones……….Captain Scanlon, Police Chief
Jacques Aubuchon……….Stefano
The Movie
It was the first live action film that Walt Disney ever made as well as being the biggest grossing film of 1959. While a remake of The Shaggy Dog is finding its way into theatres in 2006 as a Tim Allen vehicle, the film itself hadn’t found itself on DVD. Disney, in an attempt to capitalize on its newest film, has released its classic film on to DVD with a new colorized version.
The film itself is representative of an era long since forgotten for family films: they entertain and divert without pandering. Wilson Daniels (Fred MacMurray) is a mail carrier with a distaste for dogs mostly due to being chased as part of his job. Things change when his son Wilby (Tommy Kirk) is changed into one as part of a spell cast upon him. Transformed into a sheepdog, Wilby and his father have to foil a gang of international spies in order to save the day.
What stands out about the film is that really is a funny film all these years later. Filled with all sorts of sight gags, one-liners, and slapstick humor, The Shaggy Dog is the sort of family film that just isn’t made anymore. It isn’t preachy, pandering, ridiculous or boring; it’s just a fun-filled romp with a big hairy dog. It has aged quite gracefully, as the story isn’t dependant on the time and period as some films from the era are. While many of the conventions of the times stand out like a sore thumb in comparison, the story holds up well.
Score : 8 / 10
The Video
Presented in both its original black and white as well as a new colorized version, the film has been re-mastered to a great degree. With a 1.33:1 aspect ratio for the full frame colorized version as well as the original 1.75:1 aspect ratio on the black and white widescreen presentation, the film looks great for being nearly 50 years old. The sad thing is that the black and white version looks a lot better than the colorized, as the colorized version isn’t very sharp or defined.
The Audio
Presented in a Dolby Mono Sound for both features, the film sounds good but doesn’t have the sort of surround sound that’s standard fare on DVDs now. It’s good for a mono soundtrack but its limitations come out on any sort of developed stereo system.
The Extras
The Shaggy Dog Kids is a 13 minute retrospective on the film with the remaining cast members. Almost five decades after its release, it’s a unique look at a film that established that Walt Disney could do so much more than animated work. It’s also a unique look back at how Hollywood itself has changed, as the system of how movies got made then and its reflection on today is unique, to say the least.
Fred MacMurray – With Fondness is a nine minute piece on the lead actor of the film, long since dead. Filled with reflections from the cast and crew, it’s an interesting profile of an actor long since forgotten by the masses.
Commentary with Tommy Kirk, Kevin Corcoran, Tim Considine and Roberta Shore
Score : 7 /10
