Upstream: 5 best dog movies to stream right now
IN honour of the release of Wes Anderson’s new film Isle of Dogs, here are five doggone movies you can go fetch for the kids on home streaming.
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IN honour of the release of Wes Anderson’s new film Isle of Dogs, here are five doggone movies you can go fetch for the kids on home streaming.
BOLT (2008) ***1/2
Netflix
Lively, loveable animated comedy about a canine TV star (voiced by John Travolta) who thinks he has secret superpowers. After falling into a package that transports him across the country, our shaggy little hero must find his way home with the help of a strange entourage of stray pets. For very young viewers, the story is exceptionally easy to follow, and the vocal cast keep the hammy, hey-listen-to-me! stuff to a minimum.
ODDBALL (2015) ***
Stan
Delightful Australian family film set on Victoria’s beautiful southwest coast, where a shrinking colony of fairy penguins is nearing total oblivion. A cheeky chook farmer (Shane Jacobson) saves the day with a scatterbrained pooch who loves shielding birds from dangerous predators. As a cleverly-crafted Australian production aimed primarily at young children, real sincerity and warmth counts for everything here.
REVIEWS: A QUIET PLACE IS A SUBPERB THRILLER
HACHI: A DOG’S TALE (2009) ***1/2
Google, iTunes
We all know Marley & Me is the Citizen Kane of dog movies that can drain all tear ducts. However, this one (also based on a true story) runs an honest, heartbreaking second. It all starts when Richard Gere finds a lost Akita puppy near a local railway station. It all ends when ... sorry, I can’t tell you any more, but I can assure you canine fanciers of all ages won’t want to be far from a tissue box throughout.
RED DOG: TRUE BLUE (2016) ***
Foxtel Now, Stan
A better title would be Red Dog: The Early Years. With a sequel to the mighty Red Dog out of the question, a prequel filling in some of the blanks on the heroic Pilbara pooch’s sketchy bio was the only option. The narrative tape is rewound to the turn of the 1970s, where a little dog named Blue is experiencing all the life lessons that will one day come in handy when he hits the open road. Stars Levi Miller, Bryan Brown.
HOTEL FOR DOGS (2009) ***1/2
Foxtel Now
A modesty inspired little modern fairytale about precocious pooches. Emma Roberts and Jake T. Austin play orphan siblings who find themselves secretly running a five-star shelter for runaway mutts. Naturally, the dogs are the star of the show here, and some of their feats (unaided by computer effects) must be seen to be believed. Some great homemade inventions on display, too.
Originally published as Upstream: 5 best dog movies to stream right now
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