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This is a terrific movie for kids ages 8 and under. My son is 6 years old and it's so hard to find a movie that isn't a cartoon, but is age appropriate (meaning that he can understand and follow the plot). We watched this for free with Amazon Prime! Both my kids loved it (ages 4 and 6). He is watching it for the second time right now. It has a great lesson in the end. Obviously, if you are an adult and you even look once at the cover, you know this is not going to be an intellectual movie with top acting, but most kids don't care or need that. The plot is good, funny, and I liked the ending. The kid in the movie is great and likable. I recommend for young children.

A dog leash hanging on a hook in a home without a dog immediately reveals the sadness a boy feels for the loss of the dog he has loved. Owen is not allowed to have a replacement dog because of his sister's allergy to dog fur. So his need to care for a dog is shown when he needs to save a dog being used to smuggle flawless stolen diamonds. The comic trio of crooks who want to secrete the diamonds enter the story. Although very discreet with the diamonds they have a conspicuous get-away car of pink and white with a backfiring exhaust. Then there is the mystique of a mad mountain man who we can't be too sure is just a figment of Own's imagination. We're yearning for the hermit's backstory but mention of him is kept to a minimum until his role in the story is revealed. A number of the characters in the film didn't really qualify as necessary and I could actually done without them. I say this because I was feeling fatigued towards the end of the film and would have welcomed a shorter running time. But it is a nice movie with some heart-warming moments between Owen and the dog which he names Diamond. The crooks have some funny moments, my first choice of which is the head of the gang Blackie disguised as a blind nun wearing lipstick.

Owen (Luke Benward) is just-about-a teenager and is a wizard at invention. He has perfected a way to catapault papers on his paper route right into the hands or the porches of his customers. In addition, he has a secret hideaway tree house in the woods nearby, with many booby traps set to keep unwanted visitors out. Rumor has it that there is a hermit in the woods but only Owen truly believes this. One day, the boy's parents go away to a convention and Owen's older sister Lily is in charge. The two siblings get along in most respects, although they trade barbs now and then. Meanwhile, three thieves have abducted some diamonds and hidden them somewhere in a dog's collar while they travel miles and miles to meet their "buyer". Leader Blackie (French Stewart) has dressed in an Nun's habit to be "incognito" while his co-horts rent a conspicuous pink and white 50's car for their travels. Naturally, these men pass through Owen territory. Owen guesses at once that the dog is dognapped and he manages to lure him away from the three dimwits. Now, the trio is after Owen but they are up for the fight of their lives! Remember, Owen has the inventions to make these guys suffer boings on the head and many, many mishaps. Who will end up with the dog? This adorable family film has high production qualities, an engaging cast and darling dog, wonderful sets near Cheney, Washington and more. Most of all, it has French Stewart who is one of the funniest actors on the planet and will delight audiences with his comic delivery. Anyone searching for the next family night happening with do well to chose Dog Gone.

Whether you are a kid or the parent of a kid, chances are that when you watch "Dog Gone", you'll experience a severe case of deja-vu. Echoes of other movies - much better movies - will rear their heads throughout. The movie that it copies the most is "Home Alone", but this family movie also rips off "Caddyshack"! Maybe this rip-off could have worked, but unless you are a kid - a really REALLY little kid - this movie is tough to sit through. It's so broadly played by its cast that you can't get involved with the main protagonist and the dog that he cares about. It's also at times so badly directed and edited that it takes you a few seconds to realize what just happened. And I won't get into the bizarre casting of Garrett Morris as the town's police chief. As I said, maybe really little kids might like this movie, but come on parents, surely you can find something better to entertain your kids!

I saw this when it screened at the Santa Barbara Film Festival. A fun, good-natured family movie that reminds me of those memorable Disney comedies I saw when I was a kid - The Apple Dumpling Gang, No Deposit No Return, Pete's Dragon. I really loved those! My kids love them too on DVD, and Diamond Dog is definitely something I would take them to when it opens in theaters. I haven't seen a release date yet - maybe this Summer. Plenty of gags, slapstick and even some cartoon squirrels that should please Alvin and the Chipmunks fans. Disney Channel favorite Luke Benward (who sings a great song over the end credits) and the adorable pooch keep things moving along at a steady pace, while Kevin Farley upholds the family tradition and provides plenty of laughs (he's Chris Farley's brother). But this movie belongs to French Stewart, who is hilarious as the villain!

The kids won't be disappointed with this one.