According to "All Dogs Go to Heaven 2," all dogs don't go to heaven. And the devil (or one of his minions, anyway) is a cat.
I'm not sure how "Garfield" fans are going to take that last item of information, but this sequel to Don Bluth's "All Dogs Go to Heaven" is merely an OK entry in the pantheon of lower-level non-Disney animated features. And this time, Bluth is not involved.
The first "All Dogs" was gorgeously animated, which made up somewhat for its so-so Damon Runyanesque yarn that portrayed dogs as gamblers, gangsters and bums. That film had German shepherd Charlie being killed, going to heaven and then returning to Earth to get revenge, subverted by a sentimental ending, of course.
The animation for this sequel isn't nearly as striking, however, and the story isn't strong enough to make up for it. The central character is again con artist Charlie (voiced by Charlie Sheen instead of Burt Reynolds this time; with the forgettable songs performed by Jesse Corti).
As "All Dogs 2" opens, Charlie is residing in heaven and finds himself bored to death, so to speak. So, he takes an opportunity to return to Earth to retrieve Gabriel's horn and finds himself paired with his old pal Itchy (Dom DeLuise, reprising his voice role), as they again go up against evil Carface (Ernest Borgnine, replacing the late Vic Tayback). But this time, Carface has a friend — the devilish feline Red (George Hearn).
Sheena Easton provides the voice of Sasha, Charlie's romantic interest, and together they help a young boy (Adam Wylie) who has run away from home.
The film steals liberally from other sources ("Damn Yankees," the "Night on Bald Mountain" sequence from "Fantasia," "The Horn Blows at Midnight"), and for adults there are cultural references to old movies and even David Letterman's "Stupid Pet Tricks." For kids there are burping jokes and one-liners on the order of, "There'll be heaven to pay!"
"All Dogs Go to Heaven 2" isn't nearly as entertaining as the current Disney re-release "Oliver & Company." And, ironically, the first "All Dogs Go to Heaven" also opened day-and-date with a Disney picture in the fall of 1989 — "The Little Mermaid."
Apparently, however, at that time there was room in the marketplace for two animated features to be successful, and both "Mermaid" and "All Dogs" went on to become solid box-office winners — though "Mermaid" was, of course, the bigger hit.
These days, however, a Disney animated feature doesn't just mean competition. It means box-office domination.
Anyone remember the fate of "The Swan Princess" when it opened against the reissue of "The Lion King" after the latter had been pulled from theaters for a few weeks?
It will be interesting to see how this one fares against the reissue of "Oliver & Company."
"All Dogs 2" is rated G.