Heidi 4 Paws: A Furry Tale


By Julia Szabo

4 Paws EHeidi 4 Pawsntertainment, 2008, 60 minutes

 

I have a confession to make:  As a kid, I just couldn't get through Johanna Spyri's classic book "Heidi" because, well, I found the tale of an angelic orphan girl sent to live with her cranky grandfather in the Swiss Alps way too schmaltzy and hard to believe.  But retold as a live-action film with a Yellow Lab puppy in the lead, backed by an all-dog-star cast (even the goats are played by dogs), the story is entirely believable, not to mention charming.  This Heidi has real bite!

That was the critical consensus when this delightful film premiered on public television last year; happily, now it's available on DVD for viewing any time.  Kudos to writer-director Holly Goldberg Sloan for re-imagining Heidi as sweet, not syrupy, and to her creative team, especially Jeremy Hunt, the man in charge of "Animal Mouth Articulation."  Yes, the dogs' mouths move convincingly as they "speak", and their voices are provided by an A-list of actors including Angela Lansbury as Grandmama Sesehund, Richard Kind as Heidi's grandfather, Julian Sands as Peter the goatherd, and Stephen Rea as the doctor.

While credit is certainly due to the team of animal handlers and to Tammy Maples, chief animal trainer, the dogs themselves deserve the ultimate credit for making this unlikely project a total smash success.  The producers' love of dogs is evident in the end title sequence, which closes with this important message:  "If you care about animals, support spay and neuter programs in your community.  It is all of our responsibility to prevent animal homelessness, disease and death."

Presence of dogs:  reelreelreelreel

Respect for dogs:  reelreelreelreel

Canine star quality:  reelreelreelreel

Family friendly:  reelreelreelreel

Birthday ClubNew ArrivalsBest SellersDog BedsCovers & ThrowsDog GatesGift ShopsSale Shop
Comments
Be the first to post a comment!
Post a comment
You must be a member to post comments. Please Log In or Register
Subscribe to this Blog
What does this mean?

Featured Dog Beds at FetchDog :