Review by All Movie Guide
All Movie Guide
lost interest.
Immensely popular at the time of its release, The Shaggy Dog is quintessential Disney live action fare of the period. It also is extremely dated, with its newspaper-reading father giving not-to-be-questioned orders to his wife and children and carelessly firing a shotgun at a dog in their suburban neighborhood. The dialogue is also dated, but actually less so than in many family- or teen-themed films of the era. The plot is a bunch of nonsense, of course, serving as nothing more than a frame on which to hang the film's high concept idea. Because of this (and
Charles Barton's by-the-book direction),
Dog tends to drag a little, despite the presence of any number of slapstick gags and action sequences. Fortunately, the basic premise and the appealing cast do make it a fun and amusing viewing experience.
Fred MacMurray is in his light Disney mode, not filling out the part beyond what is required but turning in a casually amusing performance, and while
Jean Hagen's unique talents are not exploited, she still provides a few interesting moments.
Tommy Kirk is perfectly engaging, and
Annette Funicello winning in her feature debut. While special effects are somewhat primitive, this doesn't get too much in the way of enjoying the film.
Dog was followed, some years later, by a couple of sequels and a remake. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide