Benji returns after many long years with another cute, adorable story in benji. Benji and his friends try to save his mother from a puppy mill. The film begins with a young boy, colby, riding his bike through town, casting furtive glances this way and that as he avoids an old green pickup that zigzags across his path. Benji teams with a young boy to evade two bumbling dogcatchers and to bring the bad guy to justice. Toward the end of the film, benji stands in the middle of a residential street and the animal. Terrence hates having the nuisance dog around, but when he hears that a casting call has been made. National catholic register benji off the leash is undoubtedly the first dog movie ever made that thinks that a happy ending for a boy and his dog is not for the boy to get to keep the dog, but for the dog to go off to hollywood to make a motion picture. The film starts with the understanding that the makers of the benji films are going to various towns in the u. Much of the magic of the greatest family film of all time is translated remarkably well into these pages. Young colby nick whitaker rescues a puppy from his abusive dogbreeding stepfather, hatchett chris kendrick. Nick whitaker, chris kendrick, nate bynum, randall newsome, dane stevens, christy summerhays, carlton bluford, neal barth, melinda. Benji introduces lizard tongue to recluse zacharia finch neal barth while repeatedly trying to free his mom from the inhumane conditions where shes kept. Lost and alone on the streets of a small mississippi town, benji struggles to save his mom from a backyard puppy mill, avoiding two dopey. It may also be the first family film in which the happy ending involves the father getting.
Off the leash is not one of the great dog movies, but its a good one, abandoning walltowall cuteness for a drama about a homeless puppy. Set in gulfport, mississippi where the new benji was found, this movie follows the adventures of a loveable mutt named benji, who enters into an unwanted partnership with a shaggy dog named shaggy, as the pair struggles to save benjis mother from a greedy backyard breeder. This movie had benji, nick whitaker, shaggy, gypsy the cockatoo in the lead roles of the film. Joe camp film writerdirector, author, speaker, animal. Though the world premiere on thursday of benji returns. The story of this new benjis early life is the backdrop for benji. Companies mulberry square productions title editor release date august 20, 2004. Because of that, i wasnt really expecting much from this 2004.
Off the leash a new generation of benji fans will delight in this uplifting tail err, tale of an unwanted mutt on a mission to free his mom from a backyard puppy mill while easily outwitting a pair of bungling dog catchers hot on his trail. Directed by joe camp and starring benji, nick whitaker, chris kendrick and christy summerhays. Its use of animals as the only special effects makes it an oddity in the cgi era, as does the unapologetic earnestness and desire to hammer home a positive message about caring for animals and taking stands against bullies. Benji the dog has his day, free from hollywoods leash. Amounts shown in italicized text are for items listed in currency other than canadian dollars and are approximate conversions to canadian dollars based upon bloombergs conversion rates. Off the leash a slightly different breed of benji film by jane horwitz, special to the postintelligencer updated 10. Off the leash is not one of the great dog movies, but its a good. Get phone numbers, email addresses, org charts and more from virtually everyone working in entertainment. Benji canine movie superstar dog adoption official website. It stars nick whitaker, chris kendrick, christy summerhays, randall newsome, duane stephens, and animal actors. Set in gulfport, mississippi where the new benji was found, this movie follows the adventures of a loveable mutt named benji, who enters i. Camp continues to break new ground by examining issues that will inevitably provoke meaningful conversation between parents and their children, a feat rarely accomplished in modern family entertainment. Off the leash about 90% of the time, i can find a good hollywoodmade movie that i can enjoy.
With nick whitaker, chris kendrick, nate bynum, randall newsome. For benji, its almost impossiblebecause, after all, hes just a dog, lost and alone, with nothing but a belligerent bird and a bungling stray mutt to help. In advance of release of the 2004 film benji off the leash, joe and his floppyeared star traveled the nation for months, appearing on television, radio, in newspapers and magazines, promoting the film while passionately making a case for hollywood to clean up their family films, and extolling the values of adopting pets from shelters. The movie opens on colby, a young man taking care of a dog and her pups. As with previous benji movies, the film is told from the dogs pointofview with no gimmicks no talking dogs, animation or narration. The eponymous canine character is a small, lovable mixedbreed dog with an uncanny knack for being in the right place at the right time, usually to help someone overcome a problem joe camp is the creator and director of the benji film franchise. I have seen all of the benji movies, including this latest one at a premier showing prior to release, and. While mere words on a page cant capture the depth of emotion and intelligence benji expressed visually in the film, the spirit, pathos, fright, wonder, and excitement of benjis heroic adventure are all here. Dvd susan s, 04112012 what a beautful and wonderful movie. When completed, the film was turned down by every major film distributor in hollywood, so camp and his partner ed vanston had to form their own dis tribution company, mulberry square releasing to release the picture themselves. Director joe camp wants to give us a movie without sex, violence, nudity, or profanity, and he does just that.
Off the leash a slightly different breed of benji film. Benji off the leash how is benji off the leash abbreviated. One wishes benji a complete and speedy recovery, and prays that. Joe camps original benji film blazed a trail and provided inspiration for independent filmmakers across the world. Benji is out to bust the system because some things are just not right. Lost and alone on the streets of a small mississippi town, benji struggles to save his mom from a backyard puppy mill, avoiding two dopey dogcatchers and an unwanted sidekick. Under colbys care, the canine grows up to be handsome benji, the mongrel hero. Three unlikely, unsuspecting souls who come facetoface with that moment in their lives when they must stand and be counted. About 0% of the time i can find a good familytargeted film that i like. Lost and alone on the streets of a small mississippi town, benji has to overcome overwhelming odds to become a hero, with only a belligerent bird and a bungling stray mutt to help. Frank baum never mentions what breed toto was, but in the film hes played by a black cairn terrier named terry.
Benji starred in about ten films, mostly recently the 2004 film benji, off the leash. The film was released on march 16, 2018 by netflix. Benji finds himself lost and alone on the streets of a small southern town. He mistreats the dogs and he mistreats his wife and son. Joe camps journal from the set was published here during production and. A band of unlikely comrades, brought together by the least likely of the bunch, for a common, courageous purpose. His son brandon camp helmed the 2018 reboot film for blumhouse productions. Benji off the leash theatrical trailer 2004 youtube. The film serves as a prequel of sorts to the benji franchise, and features.
Part scifi thriller, part social commentary, clean is a kaleidoscope of moments, both past and present, woven together to form. On the way, he also found time to help lonesome characters down on their luck. Claire goes on to speak wistfully of the degree she never finished and the. That same company released benji off the leash worldwide in 2004.
Mongrels are just as lovable as pure breeds, or maybe in the case of benji and shaggy, the stars of this film. I finally got around to seeing benjis 5th feature length film im counting oh. The lovable doggie benji returns in an all new adventure as benji tries to rescue his sick mum from a breeder who doesnt treat his dogs very nicely. In a small mississippi town, a freelance, abusive dog breeder named. The new benji finished filming benji off the leash, her first movie, in august of 2003. You see, when most hollywood moviemakers are making a. In what may be the first true mutt buddy picture in feature film history, the storyline finds benji in an unwanted partnership with a hapless but loveable stray dog. Mongrels are just as lovable as pure breeds, or maybe in the case of benji and shaggy, the stars of this film, more so. His father orders colby to abandon an adorable mutt pup.
Since the dog was found and adopted in mississippi, thats where the film is set, even though it was shot in utah and even though no one in the film even attempts a mississippi accent. Many dogs have played benji over the years, and benji. And like the original benji, these dogs can relate to the abandoned characters they portray. Benji off the leashwriterdirector joe camp, who created the original benji, brings back to beloved mutt in a familyfriendly adventure for all ages. Benji off the leash is undoubtedly the first dog movie ever made that thinks that a. While the characters were decently done, the acting was a bit to be. He struggles to save his mom from a backyard puppy mill, while trying to avoid a pair of bungling dogcatchers and a goofy stray mutt who manages to demolish everything he touches. Benji off the leash dvd, 2004 for sale online ebay. In benji off the leash, colby nick whitaker is the stepson of hatchett chris kendrick, an abusive man who runs a puppy mill in the back yard, forcing his dogs to have puppies he can sell, even when it ruins their health.
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