All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 is a 1996 American romantic musical comedy-drama film, and a sequel to Goldcrest Films' 1989 animated film All Dogs Go to Heaven. Produced by Family Entertainment and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Animation, it is co-directed by Paul Sabella and Larry Leker. Dom DeLuise (being the only original voice actor) reprises his role from the first film, while Burt Reynolds, Vic Tayback, and Melba Moore are replaced by Charlie Sheen, Ernest Borgnine, and Bebe Neuwirth, respectively. Tayback was replaced by Borgnine due to his death from a myocardial infarction in 1990. New characters are voiced by Sheena Easton, Adam Wylie, and George Hearn.
The film was released on March 29, 1996. Don Bluth, the director of the original film, had no involvement with it. It was the second theatrical sequel to not be directed by Don Bluth (as most sequels to Don Bluth films, such as The Land Before Time, and The Secret of NIMH, were direct-to-video); the first being An American Tail: Fievel Goes West. This was MGM's last theatrically released animated film until 2008's Igor. It had a DVD double feature release with the first one on March 14, 2006 and January 18, 2011. It was also released on Blu-ray on March 29, 2011.
Plot:
Charlie B. Barkin welcomes his friend, Itchy, to Heaven, but states he is bored by the afterlife. Carface Caruthers, their old enemy, steals Gabriel's Horn, attempts to pass through the Pearly gates using the music they perform in order to open it so he can leave Heaven with the horn, but it closes on him to protect it from being stolen. He winds up getting stuck on it when he tries to head to the other side and then pops himself out of it. Before heading to Earth, he tries to take off his uniform, but knocks the horn down to Earth, causing him to dive into the purple cloud hole and catch it before it lands into the ocean, but loses it after getting hit by an airplane and sucked into the engines. Continuing to fall to Earth, he sees that the horn ended up somewhere in San Francisco.
The dog angels are alerted of the horn's theft by Anabelle, the head angel, who sends Charlie and Itchy to Earth to retrieve it, and gives them one miracle to use. Upon arrival in San Francisco, they discover themselves as ghosts and therefore unable to interact with the physical world. At a tavern where Charlie falls in love with a flirtatious and beautiful Irish Setter named Sasha La Fleur, Carface appears in a corporeal form granted by a red dog collar created by Red, an elderly dog fortune teller who gives Charlie and Itchy equivalent collars effective for a single day. Shortly thereafter, unbeknownst to the duo, Red reveals his true form as a demon who intends to take the horn for himself with Carface's help.
Charlie and Itchy meet Sasha and a human boy, David, who ran away from home to become a street performer, the former leading him to believe that he is his guardian angel. Before leaving for "Easy Street", Charlie uses his miracle in the form of a passionate kiss (which Sasha does not take kindly to) to grant Sasha the ability to converse with David. Upon seeing the horn being taken into a police station, they retrieve it, with Carface failing to steal it from them. Refusing to return to Heaven, Charlie conceals it in a lobster trap. On Easy Street, they entertain an audience with magic tricks, but a rainstorm and David falling into a fountain ruins the act. He thereafter reveals his belief that his father and stepmother, who are expecting a new baby, will care less for him once it's born; but is persuaded otherwise by Charlie. As Charlie and Sasha embrace, his collar vanishes, and he and Itchy become ghosts again.
Carface then kidnaps David and demands that Charlie bring Gabriel's horn to Alcatraz Island and give it to Red in exchange for David's life. Determined to fulfill his promise to get David home, Charlie approaches Red, who presses him to give him the horn. He does so, and Red uses it to capture Heaven's canine angels and send them to Earth in the prison cells, including Anabelle. Charlie, Itchy, Sasha, and David fight Red and steal the horn, which Charlie plays to free the angels and send Red back to Hell. Carface comes out of hiding and attempts to downplay his involvement. However, he does offer a genuine apology, hoping to finally make amends with Charlie. Red drags Carface into Hell after himself, which reveals to everyone that Carface unknowingly sold his soul to him in exchange for his collar.
Charlie gives the horn back to Anabelle in exchange for his life and says goodbye to Itchy, who decides to remain in Heaven. After he reunites with Sasha and David, they head to the latter's house where he returns and reunites with his parents. His stepmother is happy that he is alive and explains she has been worried about him and says just because she is pregnant does not mean she does not love him and that they are a family. They then adopt Charlie and Sasha, and the two share a kiss, before enjoying their new life together.
Cast:
Main Voices
- Charlie Sheen as Charlie B. Barkin
- Jesse Corti as Charlie's singing voice
- Dom DeLuise as Itchy Itchiford
- Sheena Easton as Sasha la Fleur
- Adam Wylie as David
- Ernest Borgnine as Carface Caruthers
- George Hearn as Red
- Bebe Neuwirth as Annabelle
Additional Voices
- Wallace Shawn as Labrador MC
- Hamilton Camp as Gavin
- Dan Castellaneta as Tall Customs Dog
- Pat Corley as Officer McDowell
- Jim Cummings as Jingles
- Bobby Di Cicco as Thom
- Annette Helde as Claire
- Marabina Jaimes as Officer Reyes
- Tony Jay as Reginald
- Maurice LaMarche as Lost & Found Officer
- Steve Mackall as Short Customs Dog
- Kevin Michael Richardson as Ace the St. Bernard, Officer Andrews
Gallery
Trivia
- Three characters were written out of the sequel:
- Anne Marie was written out of the story due to the murder of Judith Barsi in July 25, 1988, as Anne Marie was replaced with David.
- Killer and Flo were written out of the story because Charles Nelson Reilly and Loni Anderson chose not to return to their roles from the first film (although Reilly returned for the third movie and the TV series).
- The settings in this movie took place in 1995 (while this film was in production).
- The building Trees and other Scenery of the Movies of the American Tail The Land Before Time, An American Tail: Fievel Goes West, Fireman Sam, TUGS and props make their scene Since Thomas And Friends Bob the Builder debut.