The 12 Dogs of Christmas (2005)

A girl who uses dogs to teach people about the true meaning of Christmas during the Depression.

Director:

Kieth Merrill

Writers:

Emma Kragen (book), Steven Paul Leiva (screen treatment),

Stars:

Jordan-Claire Green, Tom Kemp, Susan Wood

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jordan-Claire Green	...	Emma O'Conner
Tom Kemp	...	Douglas O'Conner
Susan Wood	...	Cathy Stevens
Adam Hicks	...	Mike Stevens
Jim Jackman	...	Melvin
Richard Riehle	...	Mayor Nobel Doyle
Roland Pelletier	...	Clerk-Sherriff
John Billingsley	...	Dogcatcher Doyle
Cathy Worthington	...	Woman in Furs
Bonita Friedericy	...	Aunt Delores
Dorothy Brodesser	...	Mabel
Michael Howard	...	Old Jake Charles
Mindy Sterling	...	Mrs. Walsh
Kapri Merrill	...	Mrs. Clancy
Eric Lutes	...	Coach Cullimore

Storyline

A girl who uses dogs to teach people about the true meaning of Christmas during the Depression.

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Plot Keywords:

christmas | dog | puppy | child's point of view | school | 

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Genres:

Family

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Certificate:

G

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 November 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

12 chiens de Noël

Filming Locations:

Bethel, Maine, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alchemist Productions, Ken Kragen Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Even though it was filmed during May in Maine, most of the snow had to be trucked in from the local ski resort and entire yards had snow shoveled onto them.

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Crazy Credits

No animals were harmed in the making of this film... only producers.

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Soundtracks

"SNo"
Written by Shaun Johnson and Greg Banworth
Performed by Tonic Sol-Fa

User Reviews

Above average direct-to-video family film

Every year there are several movies that pop up in stores that have the appearance of being quality family entertainment. Generally, most of them are disappointing at best. To my surprise, "The 12 Dogs of Christmas" isn't among the disappointments, though it does have its share of flaws.

Young Emma's father leaves her with her aunt in a small town that has just outlawed dogs. In an act of heroism, she rescues a puppy from the town's maniacal dogcatcher, and finds that she has a deep-rooted for canines. Along the way, she befriends the town's supposedly crazy "dog lady" and her son, as well as the local coach, a Russian dog-sledder and her initially angry aunt. In the process, she also makes enemies of the mean-spirited dogcatcher and his brother, the town's mayor. Yes, some of the characters are cookie-cutter, and the results are more than predictable. However, the movie uses the characters' -- and the viewers' -- love for dogs to bring about some very warm and pleasant results.

After viewing, we realized we enjoyed this movie enough to add this DVD to our holiday collection. I recommend it in the best spirit of a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!