Dog Day Blogathon & Sunday Lists: My Favorite On-Screen Dogs

Today is the International Dog Day and Allie at Often Off Topic decided that it was a fine opportunity for everyone to share in a blogathon about dogs in movies. You find all the details of the blogathon when you click on the banner above or HERE. Its Sunday so why not get back to those long-awaited Sunday Lists as its the best opportunity to share My Favorite On-Screen Dogs.

This is in no particular order and will be updated if I remember or find other dogs to add to the list in the future! For the sake of the blogathon though, the initial batch is the 10 selections that I thought of (and yes, I cheated with some of these).

Balto – Balto (1995)

Review

Balto is a half wolf half dog and because of this, in the small town of Alaska, he is criticized for being wild in nature and untameable, even dangerous. However, when the town gets in trouble, Balto is the dog that goes out and brings the dog sled teams back in a snowstorm to deliver stranded urgent medicine for the infected.

Lady & Tramp – Lady and the Tramp (1955)

Review

One of my favorite Disney films goes to Lady and the Tramp. It may be one of the first Disney films that I saw because I remember it the most and it had the most lasting effect when I was younger (until Aladdin or other films came along). The story between Lady and Tramp is super awesome. It also happens to be one of my favorite Disney films as well so what more can I say?

Shadow & Chance – Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993)

Its been years since I’ve seen Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey but its always been one that I think about every once in a while. The bond between Sassy the cat and the two dogs, Shadow and Chance are incredible. Its nice to see two different types of dogs also because in reality (while they don’t talk), dogs tend to be the excited and not so obedient type and the smart and obedient type but in the end, they still care a lot about their owners and are loyal in their own way.

Toby – The Great Mouse Detective (1986)

The Great Mouse Detective is one of those films that are rarely referred to in everyday conversation however, I like it a whole lot. One of my fave moments are between Toby and the various characters. This dog is  a hound dog who has quite a bit of character and just so dutiful. He’s just a fun and odd character in a story about mouse detective and the mouse world.

Copper – The Fox and the Hound (1981)

Its an obvious choice to have on the list is The Hound in the The Fox and the Hound called Copper. Copper is one of those memorable characters when I was younger because you know, animals in movies are always such a heartstring tugging thing because of pets, right?  Copper is just so adorable, and the cutest puppy you know. Just look at him.

Snoopy – A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
(or any other Peanuts movie)

Review

Snoopy is an iconic Peantus character so while I use A Charlie Brown Christmas because that is the one I rewatch the most, he’s in a ton of other ones like the Great Pumpkin or Snoopy Comes Home or something. I watched a ton.

Rex & Fly – Babe (1995)

Babe is one of those films that when you tell someone who knows nothing about it, they kind of look at you weird because its about a talking pig and a farm of talking animals. But then, one of the best parts of the films is how these two dogs become of the parents of Babe in a certain way. Rex and Fly are fantastic parents both being great sheep dogs on this farm.

Goofy – A Goofy Movie (1995)

Another Disney choice and probably not limited to just A Goofy Movie, however Goofy made the most impressions to me as A Goofy Movie. It was a movie that initially my mom and my aunt had bought so my cousin and I could share and we used to watch it on repeat whenever we were together so at a certain point, I remembered know all the songs and how can you watch Goofy and not mimick his hyuck and his over the top screams. Memoriable as I said. Its why he still is a family favorite.

Quill – Quill: The Life of a Guide Dog (2004)

A little out of the left field with this choice as it is the only foreign movie selection here. A lot of people probably would have seen Hachi but I haven’t. My first sad dog movie was Quill: The Life  of a Guide Dog which is a Japanese film about exactly what the title says. We see him from birth to being selected to be a guide dog and then the bond he makes with his owner and his responsibilities and of course, to the departure. Thinking about it makes me want to cry. Its a sad and touching story and if you haven’t seen it, well, Quill is going to tug on some those heartstrings. Just remember that you will need your tissue box…like the entire box.

Dug – Up (2009)

Who can forget about Dug, right? The talking dog in Up. I would have used the “squirrel” moment also because I do that a lot when I’m anxious about something. Dug is just so hilarious and because he talks, its his words that just crack me up every single time as he interacts with every single character in Dug.

And one of the things for the blogathon was to talk about pets and well, I choose to share something about my dog who has passed away since 2010. Here’s a picture of him below. Isn’t he just like a fluffy bear? I miss him all the time. He was so awesome.

That’s it for this blogathon and Sunday Lists.
Thanks so much for Often Off Topic for putting together this blogathon. 

What are your favorite dogs in movies?

Ultimate 70s Blogathon: Snoopy, Come Home (1972) by Starry Traveler’s Road

We’re in the final week of Ultimate 70’s Blogathon! Kicking off this week is one of my segment co-hosts, Phoebe from Starry Traveler’s Road with her review of 1972 animated Peanuts film, Snoopy, Come Home. If you don’t know Phoebe, she is my Battle of Ingredients co-host and her blog focuses on parenting, from movies, books and events reviews and recaps that she shares with her little one along with some nice craft ideas. Head on over and check it all out, but first, check out her review in her Movies with Bun Bun style!

Movies with Bun Bun: Snoopy, Come Home (1972)

Hello everyone! Mega big thank yous to my awesome Battle of Ingredients co-host Tranquil Dreams and Drew for hosting the Ultimate 70s Blogathon! The last two Blogathons were fun so here I am again with my Bun Bun for a new movie review!

I am a huge fan of Snoopy for as long as I remember. I have all kinds of collectibles from a pretty battered tin box to a chess board with Peanuts characters as chess pieces. Given this is an Ultimate 70s Blogathon, I decided to show her one of my favorite movies that I watched again and again on those heavy and shiny LaserDiscs called Snoopy, Come Home.

I am lousy at summaries, so I will go straight to IMDb’s:

Snoopy travels to see his sick former owner and then feels obliged to return to her permanently. – IMDB

I watched many Snoopy movies as I adore the dynamic between Snoopy and Woodstock. I am not sure why this one stands out, but I guess the music (the whistling and The Best of Buddies song) and the fact Snoopy tried to go back to his old owner played a role in all this. Also, the catchy and grave voice emphasizing on “No Dogs Allowed” is funny too –

It took me a few tries before Bun Bun settled down on watching the movie with me. One conclusion is, it may be a little bit long for a toddler’s attention span. Bun knows that I like Snoopy as she pointed to my mug when she saw the character (Yes, I drink from a Snoopy mug that says, “Relaxation is an ART. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE”, very fitting for a mom.) Instead of climbing on furniture and banging on my keyboard like last year, she was asking “whatz this?” or commented “Oh no!” every now and then, so I had to occasionally stop and explain what is going on to her. The movie took FOREVER to finish… it was quality time as we watched it twice together. The first time was cut into two due to her bedtime (obviously tantrum ensued) and we watched it in one shot the second time around while eating brunch.

There are actually a few things that I realized from re-watching this movie as an adult and mom. Societal norms have changed a lot over the last 30-40 years! I stopped and commented a lot to bun bun during this segment:

I told her how tying thick ropes and pulling hard were not the way to treat animals, especially a dog. Not to mention spanking a dog or anything/anybody is not a nice thing to do as it hurts; therefore, she needs to play nicely!

Every time bun bun saw a crying scene, she pointed and said, “Oh no!” It is nice to see she understands emotions and other things as she progressively learns more about the world.

This is it for our movie review! Hope you enjoy the rest of the Ultimate 70s Blogathon!

Happy Saturday with Charlie Brown Medley!

I would love to wish EVERYONE  a happy Saturday! Take this for a workout or for just a little moving around or to wake you up on this fine day!

I also know that there is a good amount of you that are Peanuts fans!

Enjoy and HAPPY SATURDAY! Lets kick off this weekend in style! Smiling, dancing, tapping our feet, swaying, clapping..whatever works for you 🙂

Christmas Marathon: A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)

A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS

A lot of people probably already know this one.  However, if you don’t, I will still do a short little summary.  Christmas is just around the corner and Charlie Brown sees that everyone around him, his friends and family seems to have lost the Christmas spirit and is influenced by the commercialism of the holiday.  In need, he seeks out Lucy’s “psychiatric” help and she advises him to direct the Christmas play.  Because of this, he tries to get everyone to have Christmas spirit with a little tree that he buys.  Little does he know that this will bring everyone together and helps everyone find the true meaning of Christmas.

This is one of my favorite Christmas movies, however, I just managed to get it last year.  The Peanuts gang always puts a smile on my face.  Linus with his security blanket and how he manipulates it in every way possible so that Lucy can’t take it away. Schroeder with his musical talent and love for Beethoven and Lucy trying to get his attention all the time is just adorable.  We also have Snoopy and Woodstock that tries to be Santa Claus and his little helpers.  We have the one who brings the most commercialism and its Charlie Brown’s little sister, Sally with her material and monetary desires.  This is a cute flick and after so many years, its held up quite well to the general audience.

My DVD also had the short TV flick called Its Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown.  That was quite fun as well.  Part of the Peanuts gang are all preparing for the school play and everyone is working hard to practice for their parts.  While Charlie Brown tries to save up enough money to get the red hair girl a pair of gloves as a Christmas gift.

Who is your favorite in the Peanuts gang?

Hong Kong: Snoopy’s World

On Tuesday afternoon, I ended up going to Shatin where there is the New Town Plaza. By chance, we exited at the Snoopy’s World. I’ve been around this area a lot and I’ve always wanted to stop here to see it. Unfortunately, when I went before, I never had the chance. This time, I realized that its free. Its a Peanuts themed playground for children.

Aside from that, there are also little games and jungle gym for children.  The decor around it include lampposts with little Woodstock and Snoopy around.

Its lots of fun stuff here. We all need a bit of Peanuts to keep a bit of the child in us. I loved being surrounded by Peanuts cast everywhere. There were a few girls taking their graduation pictures there.

That was my Tuesday in Hong Kong! Awesomeness, right? What do you think of Snoopy? Do you enjoy Peanuts also?