The Shaggy Dog (franchise)

The Shaggy Dog franchise consists of American science fiction-fantasy-comedy films, with three theatrical releases, and two made-for-television films. The overall story is based on the 1923 novel titled The Hound of Florence by Felix Salten.[1][2][3][4] The overarching story of each installment, follows Wilbur "Wilby" Daniels (portrayed by varying actors in each individual film) who is cursed and transforms into a large Old English Sheepdog after attaining an ancient Borgian ring and reciting its inscription.

The Shaggy Dog
Official film franchise logo, as released in 2006
Based onThe Hound of Florence:
A Novel
by Felix Salten
StarringVarious actors
(See list below)
Distributed byThe Walt Disney Company
Release date
1959–present
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget>$60,125,000
(total of 2 films)
Box office>$106,634,280
(total of 3 films)[lower-alpha 1]

A reimagined-live-action remake was released in 2006, with Tim Allen in the starring role. Though the overall concept was similar, many aspects of the previous films were changed, and thus has more in common with a reboot. The main character David Douglas becomes a Bearded Collie, after being bitten by a 'sacred dog'. The film genre takes on a slapstick comedy style.

The films were met with mixed to positive critical reception, while the television remake was met with poor reception. Additionally, the second remake was met with predominantly poor box office and critical reception. It made less in box office returns, than its budget. In 1999 the Shaggy Dog films, along with a number of other Disney film series, were expanded as a Walt Disney Parks franchise through a themepark attraction, with elements included from each film.[5]

Origin
Further information: The Hound of Florence

The 1923 Austrian fantasy children's novel by Felix Salten, set during the early eighteenth-century Austria and Italy, served as the inspiration for The Walt Disney Company's Shaggy Dog franchise. The story follows the teenage main character, Lukas Grassi. Grassi lost his parents and lives in Vienna, Austria, in poor conditions, and great poverty, but longs to return to his native land Italy, having desires to study art in Florence. Through supernatural means his wish is magically granted, he must endure taking the form of the archduke's dog, named Kambyses, every-other-day. Grassi travels from Vienna to Florence, and learns that he must continue to live this duality he is cursed to until the archduke will leave Florence for Vienna. However, ending in tragedy, the archduke stabs the dog to death with a dagger, inadvertently killing Lukas.[6]

The novel was first translated into the English language in 1930 by Huntley Paterson. The ending of the book in this iteration differs greatly from the original release. Following the events of the original novel, a wholly new ending of six additional pages was written where Lucas[7] survives, receives medication, and is united with a courtesan.

Development

Walt Disney originally purchased the film rights to Salten's novel Bambi, a Life in the Woods in 1937. In May 1941, Disney purchased the rights to five more of the author's novels, which included options to Salten to adapt them. The novels were Bambi sequels: Bambi's Children and Perri: The Youth of a Squirrel, as well as Renni the Rescuer: A Dog of the Battlefield, City Jungle and The Hound of Florence. Salten did not want to make Bambi's Children, and didn't want anyone else to make it either. He did however intend to for the other books to be adapted into animated films.[8] Before these additional films could be made, Salten died in Zurich in 1945.

By 1952, ABC wanted Walt Disney to develop a television series for the network. He pitched them The Shaggy Dog, a concept he described as "a story that treated the younger generation and its problems in a light manner". After the pitch was declined, Disney stated: "They turned me down flat. I was hopping mad when I went back to the studio, so I called in Bill Walsh and said 'Let's make a feature of it'".[9] The film's star, Tommy Kirk later acknowledged that the film was originally shot to be a two-part introduction to the television show, stating that the segments were spliced together at the last minute to make a feature film.[10]

Upon its release, The Shaggy Dog was the most profitable film at that time produced by Disney.[11] This spawned the continued adaptations and installments in the franchise.

Films

Theatrical
Film U.S.
release date		 Director Screenwriter(s) Producer(s)
The Shaggy Dog March 19, 1959 (1959-03-19) Charles Barton Bill Walsh & Lillie Hayward Walt Disney and Bill Walsh
The Shaggy D.A. December 17, 1976 (1976-12-17) Robert Stevenson Don Tait Bill Anderson
The Shaggy Dog March 10, 2006 (2006-03-10) Brian Robbins Carmac Wibberley & Marianne Wibberley and Geoff Rodkey and Jack Amiel & Michael Begler David Hoberman and Tim Allen

The Shaggy Dog (1959)
Main article: The Shaggy Dog (1959 film)

Wilby Daniels, the son of a dog-hating former-mailman named Wilson, accidentally becomes a canine himself when he acquires an ancient Borgian ring and receives its curse. Inadvertently invoking a magical spell engraved upon the centuries-old jewelry, Wilby begins turning into an Old English sheepdog at unpredictable times. Managing his transformations and his personal life becomes more complicated when he overhears a plot to steal secret government information while in dog-form. Wilby sets out on an unexpected adventure, in attempts to stop the criminals from succeeding.[12]

The Shaggy D.A. (1976)
Main article: The Shaggy D.A.

Years after the first film, Wilby Daniels is now a successful lawyer. After returning from vacation only to find his house has been ransacked by burglars, he decides to rid the town of crime by running for district attorney against the corrupt John Slade in the upcoming election. Just as Wilby begins his campaign, he learns that the Borgian ring that has the power to turn him into a large old English sheepdog has been stolen from a museum. Realizing that the precious jewel and its curse are once again transforming him into a sheepdog at the most inconvenient times, Wilby continues his campaign for D.A. with a greater determination to win the election, regardless.[13]

The Shaggy Dog (2006)
Main article: The Shaggy Dog (2006 film)

A modern-day adaptation of the film series, The Shaggy Dog (2006) includes elements from the two previous theatrical films.

Deputy District Attorney Dave Douglas is a workaholic, and often places his job responsibilities before his family. After accepting a court case which involves an animal laboratory, he gets bit by a sheepdog. The infection, with a top-secret serum, begins a cycle of transforming Douglas into a Bearded Collie dog. His time as a canine begins to give Dave a new perspective on the importance of his time with his family. He realizes that but before he can make things right with his wife and kids, he must find evidence and prove that those individuals responsible for the concoction that causes his affliction are criminals.[1]

Television
Film U.S.
release date		 Director Screenwriters Producer
The Return of the Shaggy Dog November 1, 1987 (1987-11-01) Stuart Gillard Paul Haggis & Diane Wilk Harvey Marks
The Shaggy Dog November 12, 1994 (1994-11-12) Dennis Dugan Bill Walsh & Lillie Hayward and Tim Doyle Joseph B. Wallenstein

During the late 1980s, a sequel to The Shaggy Dog and prequel to The Shaggy D.A. was released exclusively through television broadcast. The film's events take place during the seventeen years between the two stories, and was deemed a success. After this production, The Walt Disney Company continued this trend through the remainder of the '80s and early-'90s, with a number of made-for-television remake films of classic Walt Disney Productions. Produced and released as a part of The Magical World of Disney series, among them, was a television remake of The Shaggy Dog.

The Return of the Shaggy Dog (1987)
Main article: The Return of the Shaggy Dog

Wilby Daniels, now a successful lawyer, is engaged to his girlfriend Betty. A dying Professor Plumcutt bequeaths the ancient Borgian ring to Daniels, only for the professor's evil caretakers to plot a heist in attaining the inherited item for their own nefarious plans. After Wilby attains the ring, the curse that transforms him into a sheepdog is reactivated in the process of foiling the criminals' plans. With the help of his younger brother "Moochie", Wilby sets out to find a way of once again breaking the curse, while assisting his Moochie – an upcoming casting director – in creating the perfect commercial for dogs. The pair seek to stop the henchman, in addition to once again breaking the curse before Wilby and Betty's imminent wedding day.[14]

The Shaggy Dog (1994)
Main article: The Shaggy Dog (1994 film)

Wilby is a 16-year-old who loves studying science, but can never seem to catch the attention of the girls at school. He learns from his father that the House of Borgia used magic in ancient times to conjure up love, only to unintentionally gain possession of an ancient Borgia ring. Wilby decides to see if improves his love life, and to instead be turned into an Old English Sheepdog. He sets off on a series of comedic adventures, seeking to break the curse.[15]

Original trilogy chronological order

Main cast and characters
List indicator(s)

This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in more than two films in the series.

  • An empty, dark grey cell indicates the character was not in the film, or that the character's official presence has not yet been confirmed.
  •  V indicates a voice-only role.
Character Trilogy[lower-alpha 2] Remakes
Theatrical Television
The Shaggy Dog The Return of
the Shaggy Dog		 The Shaggy D.A. The Shaggy Dog The Shaggy Dog
Wilbur "Wilby" Daniels
The Shaggy Dog		 Tommy Kirk
Sam the dog		 Gary Kroeger
Uncredited dog,
Michael RobinsonV		 Dean Jones
Brutus the dog		   Scott Weinger
Uncredited dog
Montgomery "Moochie" Daniels Kevin Corcoran Todd Waring   Jordan Warkol
Betty Daniels   Michele Little Suzanne Pleshette  
Brian Daniels   Shane Sinutko  
Wilson Daniels Fred MacMurray  
Museum Curator, Professor
Plumcutt		 Cecil Kellaway Jack Ammon  
David "Dave" Douglas   Tim Allen
Cole the dog		  
Rebecca Douglas   Kristin Davis  
Carly Douglas   Zena Grey  
Josh Douglas   Spencer Breslin  
Francesca Andrassy Roberta Shore  
Dr.
Mikhail Valasky		 Alexander Scourby  
Myra   Jane Carr  
Carl   Gavin Reed  
Tim   Tim Conway  
Katrinka Muggelberg   Jo Anne Worley  
District Attorney
John Slade		   Keenan Wynn  
Edward "Fast Eddie" Roshak   Vic Tayback  
Freddie   Dick Bakalyan  
Dip   Warren Berlinger  
Museum Curator, Professor
Whatley		   Warren Berlinger  
Raymond   Dick Van Patten  
the Pound
various dogs		   George KirbyV  
Dr.
Kozak		   Robert Downey, Jr.  
Charlier "the Robber" Mulvihill   James Cromwell
Main articles: Flubber (franchise) and Dexter Riley (film series)

The Medfield College appears in The Shaggy D.A. as a primary location. The fictional college appears in two other Disney film franchises, including both the Flubber and the Dexter Riley film series. Collectively, the three separate film series take place within the same fictional universe.[16][17] Additionally, the Merlin Jones film series take place at the in-universe sister-school, Midvale College,[18] while The World's Greatest Athlete is set at the related academic school of Merrivale College.[19]

Film U.S. release date Director(s) Screenwriter(s) Story by Producer(s)
Flubber film series
The Absent-Minded Professor March 16, 1961 (1961-03-16) Robert Stevenson Bill Walsh
Son of Flubber January 16, 1963 (1963-01-16) Bill Walsh & Don DaGradi Walt Disney and Bill Walsh
Flubber November 26, 1997 (1997-11-26) Les Mayfield John Hughes John Hughes and Ricardo Mestres
Merlin Jones film series
The Missadventures of Merlin Jones February 11, 1964 (1964-02-11) Robert Stevenson Tom August & Helen August Bill Walsh Walt Disney and Ron Miller
The Monkey's Uncle August 18, 1965 (1965-08-18) Tom August & Helen August
Dexter Riley film series
The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes December 31, 1969 (1969-12-31) Robert Butler Joseph L. McEveety Bill Anderson
Now You See Him, Now You Don't July 12, 1972 (1972-07-12) Joseph L. McEveety Robert L. King Ron Miller
The Strongest Man in the World February 6, 1975 (1975-02-06) Vincent McEveety Joseph L. McEveety & Herman Groves Bill Anderson
Other films
The World's Greatest Athlete February 1, 1973 (1973-02-01) Robert Scheerer Dee Caruso
and Gerald Gardner		 Bill Walsh

Additional crew and production details
Film Crew/Detail
Composer(s) Cinematographer Editor(s) Production
companies		 Distributing
companies		 Running time
The Shaggy Dog Paul J. Smith Edward Colman James Ballas Walt Disney Productions Buena Vistas Distribution Company 1hr 44mins
The Shaggy D.A. Paul J. Smith & Buddy Baker Frank V. Phillips Bob Bring & Norman R. Palmer 1hr 31mins
The Return of
the Shaggy Dog		 David Bell Fred J. Koenekamp Michael F. Anderson, Dennis C. Duckwall
& Jack Harnish		 Walt Disney Television American Broadcasting Company 1hr 40mins
The Shaggy Dog Denis M. Hannigan Russ T. Alsobrook Jeff Gourson Walt Disney Television,
ZM Productions		 American Broadcasting Company,
Buena Vista Television,
Disney–ABC Domestic Television		 1hr 36mins
The Shaggy Dog Alan Menken Gabriel Beristain Ned Bastille Walt Disney Pictures,
Mandeville Films,
Boxing Cat Films,
Shaggy Dog Productions		 Buena Vista Pictures 1hr 39mins

Reception

Box office and financial performance
Film Box office gross Box office ranking Budget Worldwide
Total income		 Ref.
North America Other territories Worldwide All time
North America		 All time
worldwide
The Shaggy Dog
(1959)		 not available not available $9,000,000 #2,844 #3,952 $1,250,000 $56,750,000 [9][20][21][22]
The Shaggy D.A. not available not available $10,500,000 not available not available not available ≈$10,500,000 [23]
The Return of the Shaggy Dog — — — — — not available —
The Shaggy Dog
(1994)		 — — — — — not available —
The Shaggy Dog
(2006)		 $61,123,569 $26,010,711 $87,134,280 #1,365 #2,610 $60,000,000 $27,134,280 [24]
Totals ≙$61,123,569 ≙$26,010,711 ≌$106,634,280 ~x̄ #1,403[lower-alpha 3] ~x̄ #1,404[lower-alpha 4] ~$60,125,000 ≌$94,384,280

Critical and public response
Film Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic
The Shaggy Dog (1959) 67% (18 reviews)[25] 45/100 (6 reviews)[26]
The Shaggy D.A. 50% (8 reviews)[27] 60/100 (6 reviews)[28]
The Return of the Shaggy Dog — —
The Shaggy Dog (1994) — —
The Shaggy Dog (2006) 26% (103 reviews)[29] 43/100 (25 reviews)[30]

Theme park attraction
Main article: Journey into Imagination with Figment

In 1999, the theme of Journey into Imagination was changed and re-titled to include Figment. The ride features Dr. Nigel Channing, from Honey, I Shrunk the Audience!, who "hosts" an area known as the Imagination Institute. The story states that Channing's grandfather established the institute, while the area features references to Dean Higgins (Head of the Medfield College, where the events of The Shaggy D.A. transpire) from the Dexter Riley films, Wayne Szalinski from the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids franchise, as well as Dr. Philip Brainard from Flubber. Walt Disney and Thomas Edison also make an appearance.[31][5]

Explanatory notes
  1. These figures are based on the available numbers for the theatrical films. Though there are a total five movies, there is no financial information publicly available for the made-for-television films.
  2. Listed here in chronological order.
  3. This is an approximate average, based on the all-time standing of each theatrically released film.
  4. This is an approximate average, based on the all-time foreign standing of each theatrically released film.

References
  1. Chang, Justin (March 5, 2006). "The Shaggy Dog".
  2. Fienberg, Daniel. "The Shaggy Dog". Chicago Tribune.
  3. Gross, Michael Joseph (March 13, 2005). "The Second Time as Comedy". The New York Times.
  4. "Shaggy Dog, The". Christianity Today.
  5. "Journey Into Imagination With Figment". Disneyworld.eu.
  6. Ehness, Jürgen (2002). Felix Saltens erzählerisches Werk: Beschreibung und Deutung (in German). Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang. p. 221. ISBN 3-631-38178-6.
  7. In the English translation, the names are spelled "Lucas Grassi" and "Cambyses".
  8. Churchill, Douglas W. (May 5, 1941). "Walt Disney Acquires Rights to 5 Works by Felix Salten". The New York Times. p. 13.
  9. Hopper, Hedda (January 1, 1965). "Looking at Hollywood: Hedda Gets the Lowdown on Walt Disney's Success". Chicago Tribune. Section 2, p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. Nott, Robert (March 10, 2006). "The Big Picture Takes on Film". The Santa Fe New Mexican. p. A-48.
  11. Hopper, Hedda (January 13, 1965). "Looking at Hollywood: Annette Funicello Is a Dream at Wedding". Chicago Tribune. Section 2, p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. "The Shaggy Dog". Variety. February 25, 1959.
  13. "The Shaggy D.A." Variety. December 15, 1976.
  14. "At-A-Glance Film Reviews: The Return of the Shaggy Dog (1987)". www.rinkworks.com.
  15. "10 Disney Remakes You Have Completely Forgotten About". www.moviefone.com.
  16. Smith, Dave (2012). Disney Trivia from the Vault: Secrets Revealed and Questions Answered: Secrets Revealed and Questions Answered. Disney Electronic Content. ISBN 978-1-423-17857-6 – via Google Books.
  17. "Building Entertainment: The Animated Films of the Walt Disney Studio. Live-Action Edition. The Absent-Minded Professor". The Avocado. April 23, 2019.
  18. Shepherd, Josh (January 15, 2021). "22 Missing Or Incomplete Disney+ Film And TV Franchises". What's on Disney Plus. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  19. Smith, Dave (2012). Disney Trivia from the Vault: Secrets Revealed and Questions Answered. ISBN 978-1-423-17857-6. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  20. "Film Review: The Shaggy Dog (1959)". ReelRundown.
  21. "The Shaggy Dog (1959) – Financial Information". The Numbers.
  22. "The Shaggy Dog". Box Office Mojo.
  23. Cohn, Lawrence (October 15, 1990). "All-Time Film Rental Champs". Variety. p. M184.
  24. "The Shaggy Dog". Box Office Mojo.
  25. "The Shaggy Dog (1959)". Rotten Tomatoes.
  26. "The Shaggy Dog". Metacritic.
  27. "The Shaggy D.A. (1976)". Rotten Tomatoes.
  28. "The Shaggy D.A." Metacritic.
  29. "The Shaggy Dog (2006)". Rotten Tomatoes.
  30. "The Shaggy Dog". Metacritic.
  31. "Epcot by the Numbers". D23. October 31, 2017.
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