All Dogs Go to Heaven: The Series

All Dogs Go to Heaven: The Series
File:ADGTH.jpg The title card of the series
Directed by	John Grusd Gary Selvaggio
Starring	Steven Weber Dom DeLuise Sheena Easton Ernest Borgnine Charles Nelson Reilly Bebe Neuwirth
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	40 (list of episodes)
Production
Running time	22 min
Original release
Network	First-run syndication (1996-1997) Fox Family Channel (1998-1999)
Release	September 21, 1996 – November 6, 1998

All Dogs Go to Heaven: The Series is an animated television series which aired from 1996 to 1998 with 41 half-hour episodes. It was produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Don Bluth’s 1989 animated feature All Dogs Go to Heaven featured a roguish mutt named Charlie, who died, went to heaven, conned his way back to Earth for vengeance on his killer, then found redemption through a little orphaned girl. The film warmed audience’s hearts, spawning a film sequel and this animated series.

The theme song is "A Little Heaven". It was written by Lorraine Feather and Mark Watters. The singers were Gene Miller of Nashville, Clydene Jackson-Edwards, and Carmen Twillie. Most of the voice actors from the feature films reprised their roles in the series, including Dom DeLuise, Ernest Borgnine, Charles Nelson Reilly, Bebe Neuwirth, Sheena Easton, and Adam Wylie. Steven Weber provides the voice of Charlie B. Barkin who was previously voiced in the first two movies by Burt Reynolds and Charlie Sheen.

The series is a complete spin off of the "franchise". For example, Charlie and Sasha were shown being together at the end of the film, but in the series they seem never to have had a 'first date'. Again, in the film Itchy decided to stay in heaven, but he is alive in the series (though it becomes clear later in the Series why he's here instead of being in Heaven). Charlie and Itchy live in San Francisco as guardian angels, getting their missions from Anabelle. The show was a family sitcom, with Charlie and Itchy becoming embroiled in several misadventures while trying to do the right thing. Charlie’s villainous rival Carface, and his hench-dog Killer, also appear in the series, as do Charlie’s pooch pals Sasha and Annabelle. The series also features an antagonist named Belladonna, Annabelle's evil cousin.

Characters

• Charlie B. Barkin (voiced by Steven Weber): As always, Charlie is the star of the show. Working as a guardian angel, he is always on the lookout for trouble. As himself, by contrast, he is constantly making it. Still part con-artist, part softy, Charlie hasn't changed much from the movies.
• Itchy Itchiford (voiced by Dom DeLuise): Always loyal, Itchy remains Charlie's devoted sidekick. With a deep sense of duty and a great zeal for life, Itchy generally tries to keep his buddy in line, but he's usually lucky just to keep up. He frequently serves as the voice of Charlie's much-ignored conscience.
• Annabelle (voiced by Bebe Neuwirth): The whippet archangel Annabelle pops up in the series on a regular basis to give Charle and Itchy their assignments. Good-hearted as always, it is open to question as to whether she trusts Charlie a little more than she should.
• Sasha LaFleur (voiced by Sheena Easton): At the end of All Dogs Go to Heaven 2, Sasha and Charlie are implicitly married. In the series, by contrast, Sasha is Charlie's on-again, off-again girlfriend. Their relationship from episode to episode has ups and downs as intense as any roller coaster, with exchanges of romantic words one episode and thrown objects the next (she did, however, show a strong interest in marrying him in "Magical Misery Tour"). When she isn't dating (or dueling) him, she sometimes helps him with missions or runs a diner called the "La Fleur Den," or "The Flea Bite."
• David (voiced by Adam Wylie): Also returning from All Dogs Go to Heaven 2, David is Charlie, Itchy and Sasha's close human friend, who often suffers the consequences of Charlie's ill-conceived attempts to help with his problems. Notably, David is not Charlie and Sasha's owner. even though he became their master at the end of the second film. In the series, he's just a friend. Oddly enough, while Charlie and Itchy are understood by all the people, or at least kids, they encounter, David seems to be able to both understand and be understood by all dogs, even ones that are decidedly un-angelic like the Wild Pack.
• Winnifred Bessime de Winkerville (voiced by Tress MacNeille): Prefers to be called "Bess", as opposed to her long-winded full name. Bess is Itchy's girlfriend in the series, having met him in "Cyrano de Barkinac" when the dachshund stopped a mail truck which would otherwise have hit her. She is a show dog with a remarkable pedigree and an impressive collection of trophies and awards, and she frequently jogs to keep herself in top condition. She seems to be unaware of Itchy's angelic activities, unlike Sasha, who is well aware of both boys' doings.
• Carface Caruthers (voiced by Ernest Borgnine): Back again and (almost) as rotten as ever, Carface pops up in the series anytime Charlie isn't able to cause enough trouble on his own. He runs a curio shop in the same building where he and Red ran their shady business in All Dogs go to Heaven 2,
• Killer (voiced by Charles Nelson Reilly): Killer is back as Carface's henchman (again), although he is only a minor character. Pathetic and slow-witted, he is essentially useless to Carface as anything but a stooge, and usually even fouls that up. In "Sidekicked" he is revealed not to be so terrible when Carface isn't bossing him around, even helping Itchy break Charlie out of the pound.
• Belladonna (also voiced by Bebe Neuwirth): Annabelle's hellish cousin, Belladonna is forever trying to foul things up for the dynamic dog duo. Sly, sadistic, and even mildly seductive at times, Belladonna is a veritable canine of Satan. She looks exactly like Annabelle, only with periwinkle color fur, a spiky collar, a black vest, and sometimes demon-like wings (and, on one occasion, a massive drago-like tail replacing the back half of her body, like an amphithere). She has a tendency to nick-name Charlie as 'Chucky'.
• The Wild Pack: A bunch of mean street dogs, led by Otto, who has a particular animosity for Charlie. Otto is exceptionally dim, unable to even count past three without help. Another member, unnamed, resembles a yellow version of the canine dragon in Charlie's dream/vision of Hell from the first movie, albeit far less menacing.
• Gerta: (voiced by Tress MacNeille) A waitress at The Flea Bite. She is Sasha's friend and confidant. It is revealed in Sidekicked that she is practiced at picking locks, although this talent is never explained.

Episodes

See List of All Dogs Go to Heaven episodes.

Home Video History

In the 1990s several VHS editions of the series were released, each containing 2 episodes. In 2006 two volumes of the series were released by MGM entertainment, each containing 4 episodes. There is currently no plan to release more episodes of the series on DVD. Also, every episode of the series can now be viewed on iTunes.

Broadcasting History

• United States
  • First-run syndication (1996-1997)
  • Fox Family Channel (1998-1999)
  • Toon Disney (2006)

External links

• All Dogs Go to Heaven: The Series at IMDb
• All Dogs Go to Heaven: The Series at TV.com