Lassie (1994)

User Rating:

5.5/10   

Director:

Daniel Petrie

Writers (WGA):

Eric Knight (character of Lassie)
Matthew Jacobs (written by) ...

Release Date:

22 July 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Family | Adventure

Tagline:

Best friends are forever.

Plot:

The dog everyone loves now leaps into the '90s in this all-new exciting, updated version of Lassie! Determined to start a new life in the country...

Plot Keywords:

Dog | Boy | Lassie | Rural | Based On TV Series

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Tom Guiry	...	Matthew Turner (as Thomas Guiry)
Helen Slater	...	Laura Turner
Jon Tenney	...	Steve Turner
Brittany Boyd	...	Jennifer Turner
Frederic Forrest	...	Sam Garland
Richard Farnsworth	...	Len Collins
Michelle Williams	...	April Porter
Joe Inscoe	...	Pete Jarman
Yvonne Brisendine	...	Mrs. Jarman
Clayton Barclay Jones	...	Josh Garland
Charlie Hofheimer	...	Jim Garland
Jody Smith Strickler	...	Mildred Garland
Margaret Peery	...	Mrs. Parker
David Bridgewater	...	Customer
Earnest Poole Jr.	...	Highway Patrolman #1

MPAA:

Rated PG for some pre-teen mischief, mild language and suspenseful action.

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:All | Argentina:Atp | Peru:PT | Australia:PG | Finland:S | Portugal:M/6 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | USA:PG | Brazil:Livre

Filming Locations:

Hinton, West Virginia, USA

Company:

Broadway Pictures

Trivia:

Film debut of Michelle Williams.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: A wild wolf pack is shown in the movie that takes place in Virginia. There are no wild wolf packs in Virginia.

Quotes:

Matthew Turner: This dog stinks.

Movie Connections:

Version of "Lassie" (1997)

A bit corny, but nice

Yes, I'm a sap, but there were a couple of places where this movie really tugged at my heartstrings. There were some almost inevitable Lassie-type scenes, but it was fun getting to see Lassie act like a Collie for once.

One thing that I noticed missing from the credits was Robert Weatherwax's name. Without Robert Weatherwax's training, the amazing things that this Lassie does would not be possible. As a dog trainer myself, I recognize the difficulty that accompanies training dogs to do even simple behaviors, so I think that he should be acknowledged.

One thing that made me laugh, though, was the kid's comment about getting another kind of dog for sheep dog: a (German) Shepherd or EVEN A LAB. (Caps mine, from horrified amazement) If a Labrador retriever can herd, the canine star of this movie can give birth to puppies. I'm sure that the problem was that the writer didn't want to say "border COLLIE or Bearded COLLIE or Australian SHEPHERD, but why not "Corgi," or "Sheltie," or "Tervuren?" There's an entire Herding/Pastoral group out there, people! A Lab . . . *rolls eyes*