The Ugly Dachshund
by Norman Tokar
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DVD details
Actor: Charles Ruggles, Dean Jones, Kelly Thordsen, Parley Baer, Suzanne PleshetteDirector: Norman Tokar
Brand: Buena Vista Home Video
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Anamorphic, Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.75:1
Running Time: 93 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-07-06
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Walt Disney Video
Product features:
- There's magic in the memories as great Disney moments are captured right here for you and your family to enjoy. You don't have to own a pet to enjoy this story of a happy suburban household gone to the dogs! The Garrisons (Dean Jones and Suzanne Pleshette) are the "proud parents" of three adorable dachshund pups -- and one overgrown Great Dane named Brutus, who nevertheless thinks of himse
DVD Reviews of The Ugly Dachshund
DVD Review: Beautifully restored DVD of mediocre Disney piffle
Summary: 3 Stars
"The Ugly Dachshund" (1966) is a mediocre Disney piffle from the mid-'60's Disney assembly line of family-friendly entertainment that bears no resemblance whatsoever to the times in which it was made. Stars Dean Jones, Suzanne Pleshette and Charlie Ruggles do what they can to enliven a totally predictable, cliche-ridden script which relies heavily on silly slapstick to enliven a thin story that wouldn't even qualify as a Disney Channel Original Movie nowadays, but instead would probably premiere on the Animal Channel. Still, "The Ugly Dachshund" has its moments and will undoubtedly charm dachshund and great dane lovers of all ages.
Jones and Pleshette are Mark and Fran Garrison, a happily married couple whose beloved dachshund has just had a litter of puppies at the same time as their kindly veterinarian Dr. Pruitt's (Ruggles) great dane. When the great dane mother rejects her smallest puppy because of a lack of milk, Pruitt asks Mark to let the mother dachshund nurse the great dane pup until he can be weaned. Knowing Fran won't let him keep the pup, Mark agrees, but doesn't tell Fran; instead, he tells her the dachshund had another pup she didn't know about. By the time she figures out she's been tricked, Mark is attached to the pup, which he names Brutus. She reluctantly allows him to keep it. What follows is a series of cute "slapstick" scenes in which the unruly dachshunds create havoc while Brutus, who thinks he's a dachshund, gets blamed for everything.
To say "The Ugly Dachshund" is predictable is an understatement. This is the type of film in which the viewer can tell everything that is going to happen the minute the film starts. If the Garrisons have a dinner party, you know Brutus and the dachshunds will cause such havoc everyone will end up in the pool. If the dachshunds and Brutus are left alone in a room, you know the room will be trashed and Brutus will be left to take the blame. And if one of Fran's pups gets lost, you know who's going to save the day. And guess who wins the blue ribbon when Mark and Fran each enter a dog in the local dog show?
As Mark and Fran, Jones and Pleshette exhibit a natural chemistry and appeal that transcends their meager material. (They are good enough together that this film led to two other pairings, in the much superior "Blackbeard's Ghost" and a decade later in 1976's "The Shaggy D.A.") And Ruggles brings the same kindly, warm presence he brought to numerous Disney films of the era. The fine character actor Mako ("The Sand Pebbles" and "The Island at the Top of the World") also has an amusing bit as one of the Japanese caterers that Fran hires for her dinner party, although he is basically portraying a stereotypical Asian buffoon. And of course, Brutus and the dachshunds are adorable and will delight the kiddies and dog lovers of all ages. Everything is efficiently helmed by Disney veteran Norman Tokar, who seemed to direct all the mid-quality Disney vehicles while Robert Stevenson ("The Love Bug" and "Mary Poppins") and David Swift ("The Parent Trap") were given the classics and the critical kudos.
The best part of "The Ugly Dachshund" is the DVD transfer. The film, quite simply, looks great, with beautiful, lush colors and a production design that makes the entire film resemble a modern-day fairy tale. In fact, the opening credits appear to be presented over a matte painting, but then the camera pans down to reveal the actual village in which the Garrisons reside, as well as the gorgeous set which consists of their beautiful house (including white picket fence) and Mark's state-of-the-art studio. (Mark is an artist, and evidently the most successful one in history, since instead of "starving" he and Fran live and behave like upper-class socialites.) And for once, Disney presents the film in the correct widescreen aspect ratio of 1:75:1 and haven't cropped it additionally to fit 16:9 widescreen TVs. In addition, there is an amusing featurette with Mako discussing his experiences making the film and the original theatrical trailer, in which "The Ugly Dachshund" was advertised as a romantic comedy (!) and Jones and Pleshette as, apparently, the next "Hepburn and Tracy." And I thought today's trailers were misleading.
In all, "The Ugly Dachshund" is nowhere near as good as the many Disney classics of the era that surrounded it ("The Gnome Mobile," "That Darn Cat," "The Love Bug" and, of course, "Mary Poppins" among others) but absolutely review-proof since its intended audience will undoubtedly love it. Others, beware. *** (out of *****)
Description of The Ugly Dachshund
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