An All Dogs Christmas Carol

This is the Christmas special based on the "All Dogs Go To Heaven" universe. Sometimes I wonder why I bother with prequels as they are never (well, rarely) as good as the original, but maybe I am rating this based on the film that started it all.

Again, we do have a return of some old and new characters, and we have the song and dance that was done so well in the original. However, if you've never seen the original, I would recommend that. I would not recommend this Christmas special or the sequel to the original. However, if you're looking for a fun Christmas special and are in need of some background noise or someplace to put the kids, then this will do, but don't expect anything great.

I still prefer the original 1989 film, but this entry is a great improvement over "All Dogs 2". Dickens' basic plot for "A Christmas Carol" has been cleverly reworked here. Ernest Borgnine is wonderful as Carface, and this film allows us to see a different side to him. The talented Bebe Neuwirth does a nice job of pulling off an interesting dual role as both good Annabelle and evil Belladonna. The songs are good, and "Clean Up Your Act" is downright irresistible. This one is not as good as the first, but charming nonetheless.

Despite what others say, I found this movie very pleasing and much better than I expected. I first watched it surely after it was released in 1998 and loved it first time. Of course, no movie is an good as the original, the characters were not the same but they never can be. However, I still found them funnier than ever.

The plot is based on 'A Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens with the evil - or perhaps not so - bulldog, Carface as the Scrooge, bah-humbug character. Carface and his boss, Annabell's arch enemy, Belladonna conjure an evil plan to ruin Christmas. However, they forget that Charlie, Itchy and Sasha are around. Using Annabell's miracle dog tag Charlie's all set to save the day. But can this miracle dog tag truly create the Christmas Carol story to convince Carface that he's not all bad? Or will Christmas be ruined? A heart-warming, festive movie with lovable characters. Definitely a must-see movie.. not dog-lover would be complete without it.

Okay I loved first two All dogs go to heaven movies the first one was heartwarming and charming the 2nd one was not that bad The TV series was pretty good but as for this one it was not all that good it does not even live up to the first two the characters and the plot where okay but this movie could of needed more plot from the begging to the end but its okay I think the good parts in this film was Sasha telling Carface about was going to happen was pretty nice Carface singing a song was another nice Thing I like in this movie but the other parts where not good but Sasha save this film a bit not a lot a bit but the rest of the story line was weak and I think it could of dane better but its better then Herbie goes bananas I am 14 found this movie quit a bit corny if my mum and dad watch it they would hate this movie may be very young kids will love it not by much but they will love it this movie is okay I say okay because Sasha had save it a bit okay not all that good but okay still needed more plot I give it a 3 out of 10 for trying.

The first All Dogs go to Heaven is not my favourite Don Bluth movie, but it is one of his most charming and memorable. I actually didn't mind the sequel either, it was nothing great due to its dull animation and rushed story but it wasn't awful as I liked the soundtrack and voice work, plus I can name worse sequels. This one was very nice and heart warming. Is it as good as the original? Not quite. But is it better than the sequel? I think it is. I however have real issue with the IMDb rating for this movie, literally saying it is horse poop. Seriously it is not that bad, I can think of a number of animated movies worse than An All Dogs Christmas Carol. Titanic:The Animated Movie? Doogal? The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy to the Rescue? Pokemon:The First Movie? Cool World?

Enough of that, let's get down to business. Right the animation is better than it was in the second. It's not quite as luscious as the animation in the original, but there are some nice backgrounds and the characters are at least well drawn. I also really liked the music, and I am probably alone here but I found the soundtracks here and in the second more memorable than in the original personally. The first song can be repetitive to some but it is nice and well sung, Carface's song about being a puppy was rather touching and Clean Up your Act was irresistibly catchy.

The story is also much better thought out and paced. One or two scenes do drag I agree, but I loved the canine twist on the immortal Christmas literary classic A Christmas Carol and the dig at It's a Wonderful Life(It's a Wonderful Carface) and it was less rushed than the second in my opinion. Plus the dialogue was pretty good. Then there were the characters. Charlie and Sasha aren't given as much to do but they are pretty likable, while Timmy is adorable. The two scene stealers were Carface, who steals the movie as a Scrooge-like caricature and the villainess Bella Donna who is deliciously bitchy. The voice acting on the whole is well done. Ernest Borgnine is brilliant as Carface, while Dom DeLuise is humorous as Itchy. Sheena Easten is lovely as Sasha, while Bebe Neuwirth was a huge improvement in the dual roles of Annabelle(Melba Moore was better though, and I found Neuwirth irritating in the second film) and Bella Donna(she gave the better vocal performance of the two with Bella Donna). The only weaknesses for me were Steven Weber, who just lacks that roguish charm, and Charles Nelson Reilly, who not only sounds different here, but got annoying at times.

Overall, An All Dogs Christmas Carol wasn't really that bad. Actually it is quite charming and heart warming. 7/10 Bethany Cox