The Return of the Shaggy Dog

Summary

The Return of the Shaggy Dog is a 1987 American two-part made-for-television comedy film produced by Walt Disney Television. The film is set in the 17 years between the events portrayed in The Shaggy Dog (1959) and The Shaggy D.A. (1976). It was broadcast on November 1 and 8, 1987 as a Disney Sunday Movie presentation on ABC.

The Return of the Shaggy Dog
GenreAdventure
Biography
Drama
Written byPaul Haggis
Diane Wilk
Directed byStuart Gillard
StarringGary Kroeger
Todd Waring
Michele Little
Cindy Morgan
Jane Carr
Gavin Reed
Music byDavid Bell
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducersJustis Greene
Harvey Marks
Markus S. McLean
Production locationVancouver
CinematographyFred J. Koenekamp
EditorsMichael F. Anderson
Dennis C. Duckwall
Jack Harnish
Running time100 minutes
Production companyWalt Disney Television
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseNovember 1 (1987-11-01) –
November 8, 1987 (1987-11-08)

Plot edit

The film follows the adventures of Wilby Daniels, now a successful lawyer, who has proposed marriage to his girlfriend Betty. However, an aged Professor Plumcutt dies and his last words are that his infamous enchanted Borgia ring that transforms people into Old English Sheepdogs is to be inherited by Wilby, which again sets another sheepdog transformation in progress when the professors' evil, bumbling caretakers seek it for themselves. Wilby's younger brother "Moochie", now a full-grown man, comes to Wilby's aid when the curse reactivates, and Wilby agrees to help him in exchange by getting cast as the perfect dog for a dog food commercial, as Moochie is a struggling casting director. Together, Wilby and Moochie must once again break the Borgia curse before Wilby's wedding to Betty, but this time by Wilby carrying out Professor Plumcutt's last wish to take ownership of the cursed ring and thus put an end to dog transformations.

Cast edit

Production note edit

  • This third feature marks the end of the original story with Wilby Daniels as the son of Wilson and Freeda Daniels.
  • Though this film is the third produced, chronologically it would seem to fit between the films The Shaggy Dog and The Shaggy D.A.
  • It was featured on The Disney Sunday Movie, being preceded by the 1959 film The Shaggy Dog. In keeping with the tradition that Walt Disney introduced films, The Return of the Shaggy Dog was introduced by Disney CEO Michael Eisner, who attempts to invoke the transformation on Wilby, but when Eisner states the words, he has passed on the curse from Wilby to himself.

External links edit

  • The Return of the Shaggy Dog at IMDb  
  • The Return of the Shaggy Dog at AllMovie