Charlie the Wonderdog

Typically we don't see animated films at this time of year--something that is reserved for the summer film season, but this independent film company decided to release "Charlie the Wonderdog" now hoping to receive a return on their investment and then some. If I had to put a word to describe this film, it would probably be heartwarming. 

A young and timid boy, Danny, (Dawson Littman) imagines a wondrous world in which he and his cherished dog, Charlie (Owen Wilson), star in their own superhero adventures. When Charlie is mysteriously abducted by aliens, he is gifted true superpowers and emerges as Charlie Wonderdog, the greatest and most famous superhero dog the world has ever seen. He is beloved by all except for Puddy (Ruairi MacDonald), the evil cat next door. With the fate of humanity hanging in the balance, Danny and Charlie must go above and beyond to thwart Puddy's diabolical plans.

Others to round out the cast are Tabitha St. Germain as President Rose, Rhona Rees as Alien Queen, Sebastian Billingsley-Rodriguez as Alien Prince, Zac Bennett-McPhee as Otis, Jenn Rogan as Danny's mom and Sam, Anthony Bolognese as Jacob and Lindsay Gibson as Judge Gruff.

This was directed with heart and whimsy by Shea Wageman ("What Could Have Been" '11, "Rocket Club: Across the Cosmos" '24) plus TV, a short and a video game. The huge difference in these characters was that of Charlie--going from an older, slower dog to a more powerful, quicker, seemingly younger dog, and this filmmaker was able to encourage his actor (Owen Wilson) to become this much improved version of Charlie by his sheer expressiveness, however Wilson is a talented actor, but this is fine directing. It was effectively written by Steve Ball, Shea Wageman and Raul Inglis. Inglis has the lion's share of the writing experience here, so I'm not quite sure why he took last in the credits, but obviously the other two were pivotal with their input. The premise of this was interesting, however it did become a bit disjointed in a couple of places. And it was a bit show in a couple of places, but what it lacked in some places of script, it more than made up for heart, humor with a definite family-oriented fare that will sure to please by small children. 

As aforementioned, this is a film that the kids and even the whole family should come and see and enjoy. It's heartwarming, whimsical, humorous and, let's face it, this was Owen Wilson's film as his portrayal of the lead character. Grab the popcorn and enjoy this.

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                    Rated: PG                                       92mins.