Beauceron Blockbusters

The Beauceron, an old and rare breed originating in France and just recognized by the AKC in 2007, has starred in two major dog films in the past few years.

Never portrayed as the good guy, the handsome Beauceron, "Henry," was at least not completely on the dark side in Hotel for Dogs (2008). In possibly the largest film role the breed has ever had, he was 100% bad dog as "Bosco" in Marmaduke (2010). The latter was played by a Beauceron named Axel.

You can also catch Beaucerons in Moonraker (1979) (see freeze-frames #9 below), The Bear (1988), Le pacte des loups a.k.a. Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001), and, if you look very closely,

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001).

How'd They Do That?: Snow Dogs

Disney's 2002 comedy, Snow Dogs, had Cuba Gooding Jr. matching wits against a team of Siberian Huskies determined to get the better of him—and the trainers from Birds & Animals Unlimited going up against the harder task of training the canine characters for their roles. Here's a few of the tricks used in production:

The beer slurping dog seen by Gooding when he first arrives in Alaska was actually lapping up chicken broth.

When one of the sled team digs up a flask buried in snow, he was actually digging for treats planted for him.

In a dream scene showing the Huskies relaxing in beach chairs, each dog had custom cut foam for support to lean back on the chair without slipping, as well as a custom made bathing suit.

For the dramatic cliff scene at the end of the race, the sled dogs were hooked up with double harnesses and additional ropes and pulleys handled by their trainers. The cliff, which was manmade and shot from several angles with special effects to make it look treacherous, was traversed by the dogs with the aid of these ropes either lifting or pulling back at the right moment to get the desired effect.

Canine star D.J., who played Demon in Snow Dogs went on to star as Max in Eight Below (2006).

Reel Dogs Freeze-Frames 11

A Rottweiler is the first to realize new neighbors are

really giant bugs in Meet the Applegates (1990).

A Jack/Parson Russell Terrier listens to plots against

her human in Kangaroo Jack (2003).

This German Shepherd Dog plays a tracking

military K-9 in District 9 (2009).

The Ugly Dogling

As much as we love cute puppies, people also love ugly dogs. Just look at the annual World's Ugliest Dog Contest at the Sonoma-Marin Fair. Movies seem to love them even more.

For the past decade it has been a trend to throw a Chinese Crested in nearly every family dog movie made, from Cats & Dogs to Good Boy! to Hotel for Dogs ("Romeo," from the latter, pictured). Last year, Geoff Talbot started an international search for a three-legged dog to play Scrap in Lucky & Rich, which is in the works.

Motley dogs are not a new phenomenon in film though. Bull Terrier, "Bullseye," pictured, costars in 1968's Oliver! as Oliver Reed's extremely mangy sidekick. Makeup effects were used to give the dog scars and add to the overall appearance.

Another tattered Bull Terrier can be seen in Frankenweenie from 1984 (currently being remade as an animated film). English Bulldogs are another breed often chosen for a film role because of their look. Breeds like Chinese Cresteds, Bull Terriers, Bull Dogs, Neapolitan Mastiffs (as seen in the Harry Potter series), Pugs, and Dachshunds are instant character actors. These dogs have screen presence and personality just by walking across a set.

Reel Dogs Freeze-Frames 10

This Border Collie does what they do best in the

new Hallmark movie You Lucky Dog (2010)

A Golden Retriever takes on a broom in

For the Love of a Dog (2008).

Nap time on the trail for this Alaskan

Malamute in To Build a Fire (1969).

Wonder Dogs and Happy 4th!

Happy 4th of July! I'm afraid there aren't a whole lot of patriotic dog movies out there, but you might want to check out Three Wishes (1995) or The Pooch and the Pauper (2000). Born on the Fourth of July (1989) also has a handful of dogs in it including a Catahoula Leopard Dog, but probably not worth rushing out to get just for the few seconds of dog footage.

The trailer for the book Wonder Dogs: 101 German Shepherd Dog Films went live today and you can see it below! Have a happy and safe 4th!

Lop-Eared Yeller Dog

One of the most famous dog movies ever also featured one of the most famous rescue dogs ever. Spike, a huge Labrador Retriever/Mastiff mix, was adopted by Frank Weatherwax (trainer of Lassie) from the Van Nuys Animal Shelter in California for $3.00.

After his first film, Old Yeller (1957), Spike appeared on The Mickey Mouse Club with his costar Kevin Corcoran. He went on to star in two more features, A Dog of Flanders (1959) and The Silent Call (1961), and appear in other films and TV shows including The Westerner (1960).

His legacy lives on today as the poster dog of one of the best known dog novels of all time.

Old Yeller and A Dog of Flanders are both available on DVD. The Silent Call has never been released on either VHS or DVD.

How'd They Do That?: Man's Best Friend

In the 1993 film Man's Best Friend the starring Tibetan Mastiff has some unusual stunts to perform: "Max," a vicious cyberdog on a bloodthirsty rampage, climbs a tree, swallows a cat, shreds a bicycle tire, smashes through a door, jumps onto and over cars, and takes more than a few hits from his human enemies.

These complex scenes were broken down into cuts and trained dogs and tailor-made props were used to complete many of the effects. When Max climbs a tree, the dog was actually crawling across a horizontal log and the image was later manipulated. When he finds himself facing down a man with a shovel, and later a boy with baseball bat, both props were made of rubber.

In a later scene, Max races down the street and leaps onto the roof of a moving car. To achieve the look of the vehicle in motion, a car was being moved on a flatbed truck. The dog jumped from the a platform onto the padded roof of the car.

Clint Rowe and his team, of White Fang and Turner & Hooch fame, trained the Tibetan Mastiffs for Man's Best Friend.

You Lucky Dog

After the theatrical release this month of Marmaduke, there's another dog movie on its way: You Lucky Dog (already released in Canada under the title Family Gathering) is a Hallmark Channel original movie airing on Saturday, June 26, 9/8c on the Hallmark Channel.

The story follows a New York fashion designer (Natasha Henstridge) returning home to the farm after her mother dies. She adopts a Border Collie from a shelter and brings the dog, Lucky, home to her brother (Harry Hamlin) to help with his growing sheep flock. Their father (Lawrence Dane) disapproves of the dog, who used to belong to an old rival. But, like any good movie dog, Lucky turns out to be the whole family's best friend.

After many years without releasing a dog film, Hallmark seems to have discovered new inspiration with last year's A Dog Named Christmas, and now You Lucky Dog (which is also the title of a Disney TV film from 1998). Don't miss it on June 26th!

Check out the trailer below: