Hotel for Dogs – Blu-ray Review

Blu-ray Reviews, Film, Reviews

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Hollywood has always loved films with dogs, whether they talked or not. Last year was no exception. If you went to a movie theater towards the last few months of 2008, you might have been shocked to see that every other movie playing had a dog featured in it. Bolt, Beverly Hills Chihuahua, Marley and Me were all released close together and probably got the most publicity. But another dog film called Hotel for Dogs, which was released in the early months of 2009, has now founds its way to home video.

In Hotel for Dogs, Andi (Emma Roberts) and her younger brother Bruce (Jake Austin) are orphaned street kids, scamming pawn dealers for cash, and living with loathsome foster parents named The Scudders (Lisa Kudrow and Kevin Dillon). Andi and Bruce’s one link to an undisclosed past as a happy family is their scruffy dog, Friday, and it’s the hungry dog who gets them into all kinds of trouble, leading them down alleys and lanes and finally into an abandoned city hotel in search of food. There they find a couple more dogs and a treasure trove of discarded objects conveniently left behind for Bruce, an amateur inventor. With the help of new teen pals Dave (Johnny Simmons) and Heather (Kyla Pratt), who work in a dog pet shop, the four friends soon transform the building into a five star pleasure playground for dogs, complete with food dispensers, exercise machines and poop disposal units. As more and more dogs find their way to the hotel, the kids clash with the dastardly members of the Animal Control Office, a collection of clownish oafs with dog-catching poles and the keys to the pound. Standing between the children and the authorities is Bernie (Don Cheadle) a good natured social services officer who is looking for a decent home for Andi and Bruce.

This film wasn’t made by Disney, but you might have guessed that since none of the dogs talk. Instead, this Nickelodeon production is more of an old-fashioned family film similar to the first Beethoven. The story is pretty much like every other previous “child-and-dog friendship” film out there with a twist of an “orphan” film like Annie to keep things moving towards the preachy ending. Basically, the plot is just there in the background as we watch cute dogs and kids stay one step ahead of all the bad guys out to get them. However, Hotel For Dogs doesn’t know what it really wants to be. It’s mostly a slapstick, wacky dog comedy that kids will certainly laugh at. But then you have that dramatic story of two kids who don’t have parents out there as well. Unlike other dog films, though, the dogs aren’t necessarily the main attraction of the film. It’s refreshing to see that Emma Roberts and Jake Austin are capable enough to carry this film with the help of the cute dogs. That’s not to say that the only reason to watch this film is the antics of the dogs, because that is what will keep kids entertained for sure. But at least Roberts and Austin play likable enough characters that we can at least root for, even though we know what is going to happen in the end. Don Cheadle seems like an odd choice for his role, but it still works. It’s too bad that all the other adults are just absurd cartoon characters that are easy villains for the kids and dogs to defeat.

Dogs as the main subject of a film will always be a popular way to go, especially if it’s family-oriented. Nickelodeon’s Hotel for Dogs is just another dog film out there today. The laughs in this film are mainly for kids in the 6-14-year-old demographic, but that shouldn’t surprise you. In addition, all of the kid inventions for dogs will certainly keep kids watching as well. This film may just be a little too cute and too preachy for adults, though. However, films like these are just supposed to keep kids entertained, and Hotel For Dogs will do just that, despite the slower pace and longer run time.

The video is presented in 1080p/AVC at the 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen color ratio, which is enhanced for 16:9 TVs of course. This transfer is great. Everything looks mostly crystal clear and the colors are vibrant and rich. There are really no major or minor problems at all.

The audio included is available in either English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Surround sound, French Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround sound, or Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround sound. There are subtitles available in English, French, and Spanish as well. The dialogue and music come out loud, and the overall audio quality is pretty much on par with the video quality. No major problems here either.

Blu-Ray Exclusives

There are no BD exclusives for this film.

Found on the Single Disc, Standard Edition As Well…

Audio Commentary – There is a full-length audio commentary with Thor Freudenthal (director), Ewan Leslie (producer), and stars Emma Roberts and Jake T. Austin. This commentary is both insightful and entertaining. As I have mentioned numerous times before, the best audio commentaries are really the combined cast and crew commentaries, and this one is no exception.

“The Making of Hotel for Dogs” Featurette
This runs 19 minutes and it’s your standard “making of” featurette. We hear from the cast and crew, including the dog trainers, to learn more about how this film was made. The usual mix of on-set interviews and film clips are shown.

“K-9 Casting” Featurette
This run 6 minutes and it’s a closer look at assembling the dogs for the film, which required carefully selecting size, breed, and ability. Fairly interesting, since they are the “stars” of the film.

“Bark On Cue” Featurette
This runs 5 minutes and it goes more in-depth on the often-elaborate training methods required to get all the dogs to work together in a shot. A little more intriguing than the previous featurette.

“That’s the Coolest Thing I’ve Ever Seen” Featurette
This runs 6 minutes and it’s all about the hotel itself. We learn how it was created, especially all of the various contraptions seen throughout the movie in the hotel. Pretty cool to watch as well.

Deleted Scenes
There are 8 scenes that didn’t make the final cut of the film and they total 11 minutes. Nothing here really worth watching, though.

Photo Galleries – There are three sets of photos from making this film. These photos are under three different categories: “On-Set Action,” “Puppy Love”, and “Dog People.”

Pedigree Adoption Drive Commercial
This is a short 30 second commercial for the Pedigree Foundation, of course.

Out of all of the recent “dog films” that have been released, Hotel for Dogs might be the best one for kids and families. It’s really an average story, but the cuteness of the dogs and the cool inventions of the kids will probably make this film worth watching for kids. Adults might not find as much to like about it, but this is a film for kids and families. Worth at least a rental for families.



Dreamworks Studios Home Entertainment presents Hotel For Dogs. Directed by Thor Freudenthal. Written by Jeff Lowell, Robert Schooley, Mark McCorkle (screenplay); Lois Duncan (book). Starring Emma Roberts, Jake T. Austin, Don Cheadle, Johnny Simmons, Kyla Pratt, Troy Gentile, Lisa Kudrow, and Kevin Dillon. Running time: 100 minutes. Rated PG. Released on DVD: April 28, 2009. Available at Amazon.com

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