Granny Ranny's Coming Attractions

Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2 is an irresistible Disney comedy with tons of adventure that is perfect for the entire family! It is directed by Alex Zamm and written by Dannah Feinglass, Danielle Schneider, and Jeffrey Bushell.

Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2 is about two newlywed Chihuahuas named Papi and Chloe who start a family. Chloe gives birth to 5 impetuous and reckless puppies, but the pups soon get their act together when they find out their human owners have trouble paying off the mortgages for their house. The dogs decide to enter the Beverly Hills dog show in hope for the $50,000 prize to help their owners keep the house, but unfortunately, the dogs do not win. However, a bank robbery occurs and the pups decide to stop the crime. Their mischievousness leads them to capturing the robbers and saving the day, but will this good deed be enough to stop the bank from foreclosing their human owners’ house?

The voice over of the movie is excellent. The dogs’ voices fit their personalities well and the voice over contains a lot of emotion. For example, Delgado (voiced over by Miguel Ferrer) who is a sleuthhound, had a husky voice which matched well with his appearance as well as his role in the movie. Papi’s voice also adjusted well to things that were going on in the movie. For example, when he told his pups nightly bedtime stories, his voice would become low in pitch and he would sound mysterious.

The movie is also very comical. I found myself giggling in almost every scene! This movie overall is exhilarating and it contains heartwarming messages such as “true love is worth any risk,” “love fearlessly, and help others share their hearts as well,” “family is about who you love, not just who you are born to,” “we are stronger together than we are alone,” and “stick by your loved ones, even in hard times.” The message “stick by your loved ones, even in hard times,” is perhaps the most significant message in the movie because Papi’s entire family as well as his owners’ family tried their best to prevent the bank from foreclosing their home. 

I would recommend this movie to ages 6 and up.  Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2 is a splendid family film, but if director Alex Zamm created more suspense while the dogs were enjoying their escapades, the movie would have created a bigger impact on the audience and hence, become more captivating. Nevertheless, all in all, this film is perfect for anyone who wants to watch a humorous entertaining adventure about talking dogs! 

Review by Gabriella Chu, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic (age 14)

This movie takes place in Beverly Hills where dogs are treated like humans. The movie is about two Chihuahuas, Chloe and Papi. They get married and have 5 puppies. Chloe and Papi find out that Sam’s (Papi’s owner) parents are about to lose their house, because Sam’s father hurt his back and cannot work, so they can’t afford to pay the mortgage.

Chloe and Papi decide to enter a dog show to try and help get the money to save the house. Unfortunately they don’t win! Their puppies accidentally get kidnapped by 3 bank robbers, and with the help of Delgado and his sons, they help the police track down the 3 robbers they have been searching for, for 3 months. Sam who is Papi’s owner gets the reward money. Is it enough to save the house! You have to go see the movie for yourself to find out. 

My favorite parts are when Papi realizes that it’s not easy being a father and says. ” This dad business is harder than I thought, I should have read the manual.”  This sounds like something a human dad would say. Also when the people from the bank come to inspect the house, and the dogs attack them. I thought they were smart and funny. My favorite dog/characters are Chloe and Papi because of their love for each other, the puppies because they help reunite Delgado and his sons by telling them why he left them and Pedro because of his silly smile. The costumes were great especially Chloe in her wedding dress and Papi in his tuxedo. I thought the special effects were great. The dogs looked like they were really talking. My favorite song in the movie was This Is My Paradise. I rate this movie 5 out of 5 stars, and I recommend it to kids 5 and up.

Review by Ny’Asia Bell, age 7, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic

I love this movie. It is really great. My favorite part of the movie is when Papi and Chloe get married. I like that part the best because it looks like it is going to be a wedding for two people and then you see it’s really for the dogs. It is pretty funny. 

My favorite characters in the film are Papi, Chloe, and their kids. I like them because they all see the true importance of family and sticking together. One part that shows this is when all the dogs enter a dog show to try to save the family’s house. Another instance is when they help with a bank robbery.  They prove to be true Chihuahua warriors. 

I really liked the music in the movie too. My favorite song in the movie is called “This is my Paradise” sung by Bridgit Mendler. Every time it is on I sing along. I also enjoy watching her on a Disney show called “Good Luck Charlie.”

I would recommend this movie for ages five and up. There are not a lot scary parts in the movie and it is really great. It made me laugh a lot. I recommend that you go out and see this movie as soon as it comes out on DVD.

Review by Anthony Aranda, age 8, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic

Do you love cute little dogs? Do you like adventure? Then you will love Beverly Hills Chihuahua II. The story has a surprise opening with a fancy wedding and party in a luxury mansion. The bride and groom wear the latest wedding styles of course, because this is Beverly Hills. It’s not long before Papi and Chloe have a family, a fuzzy litter of tiny fur-balls, and that’s when the fun really begins.

You’ll love all the dog fashions, and it’s exciting to see what they will wear next. But this movie is more than just cute little puppies dressed like Hollywood Stars — there’s an exiting adventure too. Papi’s owners need money to save their house and the family of Chihuahuas are going to help. I giggled the whole way through and I think you will too.

My favorite characters are the puppies because they always find trouble and that leads to funny things happening. Their mom, Chloe, gets mad at them for all the messes they make, but they are as cute and cuddly as your favorite teddy bear and you’ll just want to snuggle up with them. 

The Chihuahuas enter a dog show, which is basically a dog beauty contest. You guessed it, more dogs in colored tutus and more fun. If the Chihuahuas win, they will get money to save the house, but they’ll have to beat a prize poodle that has won three years in a row. I can’t tell you who wins, although the dog show is one of my favorite parts of the movie.

Beverly Hills Chihuahua II has a large cast of characters, starring more than just Chihuahuas–there’s poodles, miniature poodles, bulldogs, German shepherds and even some people too. Although most of the characters are the same as the first Beverly Hills Chihuahua, this movie is very different. The new storyline is interesting and keeps moving with lots of action. I loved the Beverly Hills Chihuahua II soundtrack. The runway music during the dog show matches each dog’s personality perfectly.

Kids of all ages will like this movie. I watched it with my dog, and he liked it too. I give it five out of five stars. Who is going to save the day? Will it be the puppies? Will it be the grown-ups? Or will they lose their home? If you like cuddly puppies, fabulous fashion and LOL silliness, get this movie on DVD today! (It made me want to watch the original all over again, so you might want to get it too.)

Credit: Makai Weber Colvin, Age 9, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic

Do you like to laugh and laugh until your side hurts? I do, and that why I like the film The Dogfather. The story is about a bulldog named Sonny that is a rich man’s pet. The rich man is a gangster Boss. The men in the gang have to call him “Godfather” and they have to call Sonny “Dogfather.” When the Godfather feeds Sonny a meatball from his hand, Sonny accidentally eats the ruby ring off the Godfather’s finger along with the meatball. When the Godfather sees the ring is gone, he thinks Sonny has turned against him. Sonny gets scared and runs. The Godfather tells two of his men, “Get Sonny and my ring back dead or alive.” And the chase for Sonny is on!
 
 Sonny gets hauled off to the pound, where a boy with a heart problem wants to adopt him. The pound has a lot of cute fluffy little dogs, but the boy wants the big drooling bulldog. The boy really loves Sonny and his mother loves him too, but the boy’s father can’t seem to get along with him.
 
 My favorite character in Dogfather is the bulldog Sonny. He’s a great comedian. He plays goofy jokes on people. The funniest part is when Sonny leaves a surprise in his new owner’s shoe. When the father takes Sonny for a walk, Sonny pulls so hard, it’s actually the dog walking the man.
 
 Things get super silly when the father tries playing his own tricks. He builds a doghouse for Sonny that looks like a prison. But Sonny ends up sleeping in the father’s bed and guess where the father sleeps?
 
 The Italian gangsters chasing Sonny talk with Italian accents and they’re not too smart but really funny, even though they’re bad guys. They walk around so cool except they are afraid of a tiny puppy.  It’s silly. Who would be afraid of a puppy?
 
 The Dogfather soundtrack helps make a happy and exciting mood. I found myself smiling and laughing during the whole movie. It’s just plain ridiculous and I love a movie that lets me feel like that.
 
 I recommend this film for kids of all ages. I think parents and kids would enjoy watching it together, as long as the grownups don’t mind a few poop jokes. Will the two Italian gangsters catch Sonny? Where is the Godfather’s ring? Will the father let the little boy keep Sonny the slobbery bulldog as his pet? If you’re ready for some good laughs and a brilliant story, get this movie on DVD today! (streets 1/18/11)
 
By Makai Weber Colvin, Age 9, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic

From the production company Weston Woods, New Video offers the perfect DVD compilation for MLK Day and Black History month, Lincoln and Douglas: An American Friendship… and More Stories to Celebrate U.S. History. 

“This movie takes place in 1865, 145 years ago – long before I was born. The movie is about two men, Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. They have a very special, but unusual friendship. Lincoln is a white Congressmen who believes that slavery is wrong. Douglass is a black slave who ran away form his master. The one thing they have is common is they both hate slavery.  My favorite character is Lincoln, because he wants to end slavery. My favorite part is when Lincoln walks five miles to return five cent because the clerk gave him too much change. I thought that was very honest of him. I guess that’s why they call him honest Abe. I rate this movie 4 out of 5 stars, because even though It’s a true story, and very educational. I thought it was very violent. So I would recommend this movie to ages 7 and older. There are 3 other stories on the DVD.” by Ny’Asia Bell, age 7.

Four stories are offered on this DVD plus an interview with Lincoln and Douglass: An American Friendship Author Nikki Giovanni. The films include: 1) Lincoln and Douglas: An American Friendship (Written by Nikki Giovanni, illustrated by Bryan Collier, narrated by Danny Glover) The story of an unusual, historic friendship between two great American leaders – Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.2) THE PILGRIMS OF PLIMOTH (Written and illustrated by Marcia Sewall) When the Pilgrims set out for America they brought with them a dream for the future. With hard work they made that dream come true. 3. JOHN, PAUL, GEORGE, & BEN (Written and illustrated by Lane Smith, narrated by James Earl Jones) A humorous and factual history of five lads who grew up to become the Founding Fathers of our Country.4. THE JOURNEY OF THE ONE & ONLY DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE (Written by Judith St. George, illustrated by Will Hillenbrand, narrated by Jeff Brooks) This witty, gritty and factual story tells all about the document that has defined American freedom for over two centuries.