Beverly Hills Chihuahua (Walt Disney Pictures)
A Doggone Good Movie For the Kids
It is nice to know that Disney still has the magic when it comes to family movies. Their latest Beverly Hills Chihuahua is a perfect example of a movie aimed at the kids but entertaining enough for adults. It is warm, funny and exciting in a kid pleasing sort of way, and should rack up even more dollars when it hits the streets as a DVD.
Chloe (voiced by Drew Barrymore) is the princess pet of Beverly Hills. She belongs to Viv (Jamie Lee Curtis) who dotes on her. But one day Viv has to go away on a business trip and her dog nanny has just had a baby. This means Vivs niece Rachel (Piper Perabo) is stuck with being in charge of Chloe.
It doesnt take long for Rachel to tire of being a babysitter to a dog. When two friends invite her to go to Mexico she packs Chloe in a bag and is off. But while she is there Chloe gets loose to wander the streets and is picked up by men who arrange dogfights. Now why they would want a Chihuahua in a dog fight is another matter all together.
The rest of the film concerns Rachel trying to find Chloe and get her home safe and sound before Viv returns. Along the way in this adventure Chloe meets a protective dog named Delgado (voiced by Andy Garcia) and a horrible Doberman named Diablo (voiced by Edward James Olmos).
All of the actors who provide voices are perfectly matched with their characters. Outstanding is George Lopez who provides the voice for Papi, a Chihuahua who is crazy about Chloe.
What makes this movie so enjoyable for the kids is the humanness of the animals. They seem to show emotion even in their eyes. It is a far cry from the early days when the mouths moving didnt look right and there was no emotion of any type in the animals. In one scene one of the dogs even cries!
The movie is rated PG for mild violence.
Chloe, Papi, Delgado and the rest of the animals are worth watching over and over again. It is a pretty sure bet they will return for more adventures in the future. These dogs arent through having their days in the sun.
I scored Beverly Hills Chihuahua a flealess 7 out of 10.
