The Shaggy Dog

'The Shaggy Dog' is mostly amusing.

It hasn't aged beautifully, the switching from real dog to costume looks fairly ridiculous now - though it kinda does add to the humour in parts, albeit unintentionally. The cast aren't anything spectacular but do the jobs that are needed.

'Old Yeller' duo Tommy Kirk (Wilby) and Kevin Corcoran (Moochie) are back together, both improving on their performances from that aforementioned 1957 production; especially Corcoran. Fred MacMurray is solid as Daniel, while James Westerfield and Forrest Lewis play the humorous roles of Officers Hanson and Kelly.

It's a simple film, one that probably does last about 10-15 minutes too long. However, a chucklesome story keeps things chugging along calmly.

Funny show about a boy who turns into a dog after coming under an ancient spell. This, of course, leads to all sorts of trouble and adventures. Fred McMurray played the part of the put upon dad to perfection, he had me rolling in the floor. Also, the cops who couldn't quite believe their eyes tickled my funnybone, and they put on quite a show with their comical car chase. Silly Disney stuff to be sure, but lots of fun.

You know, sometimes we write these commentaries about films as if they were somehow works of art to be dismantled and put together again through analysis. Sometimes a movie like this is just a hoot. It's the age old story of a couple guys lusting after the same girl/girls. Here Annette Funicello is the first and then Roberta Shore (whom I had all but forgotten). Tommy Kirk's nerd doesn't have much of a chance with these foxes against the handsome Tim Considine (who was on My Three Sons and then tossed aside as if he never existed), so he finds a way, through a magic ring, to get inside the body of her dog. Of course, then it's sight gag after sight gag, boy/dog stuff. It is done with a delicate touch because these kids could act. Don't take this stuff too seriously. Just sit and enjoy.

sure,it may seem cheesy by todays' standards,but it's good clean fun for the whole family,for the most part.really young children might be a bit scared from a few scenes,but other than that,it's fun for everyone.i chuckled quite a bit t some of the comedic bits,and i also thought the story was interesting.it's not just about the Shaggy Dog.there's another story in there as well.some of the facial expressions and reactions may seem a bit hokey and overdone,but so what.that was how they acted back then. if i recall correctly,this was the first motion picture made by Disney.i wouldn't say the comedic parts are laugh out loud,rolling in the aisles funny.,but they were certainly amusing.you could do a lot worse with 102 minutes or so.my vote for The Shaggy Dog: 7/10

After years of strictly animated features, this is the first live action feature from Disney and it is still a delight even 44 years after it was first released. Fred MacMurray shows what a great comedic talent he was after years of playing primarily dramatic roles. He shows in this film a preview of what was to be expected when he started the show that became his trademark, "My Three Sons". Also, Tommy Kirk, Tim Considine and Kevin Corcoran all were great in this film. This is still a great film.