An All Dogs Christmas Carol Reviews

Another straight-to-video sequel of a so-so animated film. The original 1989 All Dogs Go to Heaven was hardly inspired but contained expert Don Bluth animation and the amusing voices of Burt Reynolds and his gang. Now Steven Weber voices the animated mutt Charlie who is still palling around with the same gang through three movies and an animated series. Here the arch villain, Carface (Ernest Borgnine), gets the traditional Dickens treatment of being visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve. The opening number, "When I Hear a Christmas Carol," is a good start, but soon TV-ish animation and the low humor wears one down. Kids who like the earlier Dog efforts won't be disappointed, but the entire series can never be defined as great entertainment. The saving grace is the foolproof Christmas Carol visitations. --Doug Thomas