It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Have you seen it? No? There is likely a very good reason for that...it stinks.Like nearly ALL the endless remakes and reboots that have been plaguing movie goers for the past decade or so....all this is, is a heartless version of the original.It has no heart.It has no soul.It is a retelling of a film that we all love and cherish...and it adds nothing to the story. It improves nothing but the special effects--which held up very well over time--and in some cases belittles the fans of the original...particularly in the fact that they remade the movie at all, without adding anything clever to it.Like so many other remakes it is a hallow shell of the original.

The Shaggy Dog (2006): Dir: Brian Robbins / Cast: Tim Allen, Robert Downey Jr., Kristen Davis, Spencer Breslin, Zena Grey: Remake of the 1959 Disney classic about personality and distinction. For whatever reason there is an ageless sheepdog that is captured and in situations too lame to discuss in detail a lawyer played by Tim Allen is bitten by a dog thus gaining the habits and eventually appearance of a dog. Although Brian Robbins produces some unique point of voice aspect s, he is still directing the same dog dung as when he made Good Burger and Hardball. Varsity Blues remains his one recommended gem. Tim Allen scratches, pants, snarls, chases cats, fetches, and even uses the urinal with one leg lifted. Robert Downey Jr. should fire his agent after this embarrassing performance as a scientist doing illegal testing on animals. Kristen Davis is flat as Allen's wife. She is basically there to suspect nothing and be supportive while the kids eventually get wind of the situation and attempt to help out. Spencer Breslin and Zena Grey play the children who struggle to help their father figure this stupid dilemma out. The special effects pass the test but the screenplay is nothing more than a canvas for dumb dog jokes, most of which are expected. Theme of limitations done justice in the original while the makers of this film produce a remake that should be buried. Score: 3 / 10

Review originally published on March 7, 2006:Here we go with another remake of a film that wasn't all that great to begin with (see "Yours, Mine & Ours" "The Fog," and "The Hills Have Eyes" as recent examples). Original was released in 1959 and starred Fred MacMurrary and Tommy Kirk, among others, and wasn't the high mark of Disney entertainment, although it was not that bad.Competently directed by Brian Robbins (TV series "One Tree Hill"), this new version features Tim Allen ("Christmas With The Kranks") as a Los Angeles district attorney, Dave Douglas, trying to climb the corporate ladder – while ignoring his lovely wife, Rebecca (Kristin Davis, "Shark Boy & Lava Girl," the TV series "Sex and the City"), and two annoyingly cute kids, Carly (Zena Grey, "In Good Company") and Josh (Spencer Breslin, "Cat in the Hat").Dave is prosecuting Carly's teacher, who is accused of firebombing a local chemical company because they experiment on animals (fun family plot, so far), but, in a zany mix-up, the lawyer is bitten by a 300-year-old Tibetan sheepdog (although some sources identify this breed as a bearded collie).This causes the special effects to go into high gear, as he grows a floppy tongue, super sensitive hearing and the ability to run on all fours before finally turning into a sheepdog (or bearded collie) himself.Thank goodness he communicates through inner dialogue, though, and not creepy animated animal mouth movements. His effort to relate his new form to his family is also rather amusing (as they think he has abandoned them), using a Scrabble game to spell out his dilemma and finding out his son would rather be in "Grease" than play football (hey, who wouldn't?).Meanwhile, (as a pup) he finds out that corporate hack, Dr. Kozak (Robert Downey, Jr.) is indeed using animals to develop a fountain of youth drug. The effects are lacking somewhat when we see the beasts (a ridiculous dog-frog and cobra-canine mutations, as well as rabbits, monkeys and rats that bark), which are as cheap and silly as those featured in one of the worst films of 2005, "A Sound Of Thunder."Kids will like this, and adults will not be too put off, either, but you'd probably be wiser to just rent or buy the original, for its better acting, more interesting storyline and absence of Tim Allen.

I really enjoyed this movie. I can't believe right now it has a 3.5. Does anyone enjoy a good movie anymore? I am 44 and my mother is 76 and we absolutely loved this movie. Touching, funny, messages about family, good special effects on the animals, I would say this is just as good for adults as it is for kids. Why can't movies be something to sit down for 90 minutes and just be enjoyed anymore? I am assuming some of the ratings are from teens which brought down the rating. No swearing, killing, sex or blood, so it's a piece of junk to them. Wholesome entertainment is junk to most of them. Tim does an excellent job as does Robert Downey Jr, and the rest of the cast. This is a quality family film. I highly suggest it to everyone with a sense of humor and someone who has a heart and believes in family.