Daily Reel - The Incredible Journey (1963)

Based on the classic children’s novel by Sheila Burnford, The Incredible Journey tells the story of three pets, a Labrador Retriever, a Bull Terrier, and a Siamese, who travel hundreds of miles across the Canadian wilderness, hoping to return home to their family.

A massive animal production with little screen time from humans, the film was remade by Disney in 1993 as Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey.

The animal cast in the original film was managed by one of Hollywood’s most prolific trainers of the 1960s and the go-to trainer for dozens of Disney films, William Koehler. Koehler later wrote a book on his experiences working with the studio: The Wonderful World of Disney Animals.

 Produced by Walt Disney, Cangary

    

Daily Reel - 101 Dalmatians (1996)

Now one of the most famous dog movies ever produced, 101 Dalmatians amazed and delighted audiences shocked to experience the real thing 35 years after Walt Disney released the animated movie.

Pongo and Perdita think they have it made with their human guardians and new litter of fifteen puppies until the diabolical Cruella de Vil (Glenn Close) brings trouble to paradise. She has the puppies stolen, along with dozens of others from across Britain, to have a Dalmatian skin coat made. With the humans at a loss to solve the crime and rescue the pups, it’s up to the dogs, and large cast of other animals, to save the day.

101 Dalmatians, based on Dodie Smith’s delightful children’s novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians, later helped raise public awareness about impulse buying a dog. Months after the film’s release, animal shelters and rescue groups across America and beyond were flooded with young Dalmatians purchased from puppy mills and irresponsible breeders struggling to meet demand. With their humans comparing the superbly trained dogs in the film to their own new pet chewing up the rug and tracking in mud, many of these puppies were soon unwanted.

Today, some movies, such as Beverly Hills Chihuahua (2008), carry disclaimers at the end urging people not to buy a dog because they see it in a film, while trainers and animal welfare groups work hard to educate the public and make tragedies like the 101 Dalmatians aftermath a thing of the past.

It should be noted that every puppy actually appearing in the film already had a forever home assured by their breeders before the trainers, headed by Gary Gero of Birds and Animals Unlimited, borrowed them for production. (No animals were bred specifically for the production.)

 Produced by Walt Disney

Happy National Dog Day!

In honor of National Dog Day (August 26th) here's a list of the top 10 highest grossing dog films ever:

10. Beethoven (1992): This canine comedy played on the huge size of the Saint Bernard star and sent a considerable backlash to the breed as uniformed families rushed to buy a puppy like Beethoven. Gross: $57,114,049

9. The Shaggy Dog (2006): The Disney remake starred a handsome Bearded Collie instead of the original breed of Old English Sheepdog. Gross: $61,123,569

8. 102 Dalmatians (2000): Sequel to what was, until recently, the top grossing doggone movie ever. Gross: $66,957,026

7. Turner & Hooch (1989): Surpassing the same year release of K-9 by about $30,000,000, this film helped put the Dogue de Bordeaux on the map. Gross: $71,079,915

6. Snow Dogs (2002): A Disney dogsled comedy running neck and neck with the next contender. Gross: $81,172,560

5. Eight Below (2006): Another disney remake, this time not of their own film, but of Nankyoku Monogatari, a 1983 Japanese movie based on a true story of dogs left alone in Antarctica. Gross: $81,612,565

4. Beverly Hills Chihuahua (2008): Still leading the pack, Disney's Chihuahuas prove they can be just as big a box office draw as any other canine hero. Gross: $92,072,613

3. Cats & Dogs (2001): James Bond meets Shiloh. Gross: $93,385,515

2. 101 Dalmatians (1996): The king of dog films was finally knocked off its perch a few years ago by a new breed of canine star. Gross: $136,189,294

1. Marley & Me (2008): Because, apparently, everyone loves a bad dog. Gross: $142,992,475

Girls and Their Dogs

While the "boy and his dog" story line is well picked over from Old Yeller (1957) to Air Bud (1997), there are relatively few "girl and her dog" films out there. Notably Because of Winn-Dixie (2005), adapted from Kate DiCamillo's bestselling juvenile novel, and Little Heroes (1992), about a girl learning love and loss through her canine friend. 

One of the really outstanding girl and dog films is not about a girl and her dog at all, but a girl who rescues a wolf on her cross-country journey to find her father during the Great Depression. The Journey of Natty Gann (1985) stared Jed, a Malamute/wolf mix trained by Clint Rowe. Jed also appeared in The Thing (1982) and was most famous for his role in the 1991 adaptation of White Fang. It was the first time in a live-action film that White Fang had been portrayed by any breed other than a German Shepherd Dog.

Some other films featuring a girl and dog are Courage of Lassie (1946), More Than Puppy Love (2000), Sunny's Ears (1997, from TV series), Eyes of an Angel (1991), Annie (1982), Annie (1999), Big Chuck, Little Chuck (2004), The Bashful Elephant (1962), and Poco: Little Dog Lost (1977).

Pictured: Theatrical release poster of The Journey of Natty Gann, from author's collection, showing Jed, Meredith Salender and John Cusack. Copyright The Walt Disney Company, 1985.

The Bully as a Good Guy: American Bulldogs in Film

While American Pit Bull Terriers and Staffordshire Bull Terriers have gotten a bad rap in the past few decades (with Hollywood's help), filmmakers have taken a different angle with their cousins, the American Bulldog. Beginning noticeably with Walt Disney's Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey in 1993, ABs have been increasingly playing the role of family, and more notably children's, companions in such films as The Little Rascals (1994), The Pooch and the Pauper (1999), Cheaper by the Dozen (2004) and its sequel. Though still with some not-so-friendly incarnations such as Wonder Boys (2000), AMs have largely avoided the kind of typecasting that Pits have received.

In Homeward Bound, Chance (played by a dog named Rattler) was not only not the tough guy, but a goofball personality similar to what most people associate with a Golden Retriever. Ironically enough, his composed, wise companion was the Golden. Hollywood can brake the rules just as easily as they can make them.

Pictured: Poster artwork from author's collection; Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey, featuring Golden Retriever "Shadow", Himalayan Cat "Sassy", and American Bulldog "Chance." Copyright The Walt Disney Company, 1993.

Readers may be interested in some of these films, all featuring American Bulldogs:

Bark (2002)

Best of the Best 3: No Turning Back (1995)

Bingo (1991)

Bubble Boy (2001)

Cheaper by the Dozen (2004)

Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (2005)

The Little Rascals (1994)

Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993)

Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco (1996)

The Pooch and the Pauper (1999) (Not available on DVD)

Return to Me (2000)

Squanto: A Warrior's Tale (1994)

Unaccompanied Minors (2006)

Wonder Boys (2000)