Hotel for Dogs (2009)

Two kids secretly take in stray dogs at a vacant hotel.

Director:

Thor Freudenthal

Writers:

Jeff Lowell (screenplay), Robert Schooley (screenplay),

Stars:

Emma Roberts, Jake T. Austin, Don Cheadle

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Emma Roberts	...	Andi
Jake T. Austin	...	Bruce
Don Cheadle	...	Bernie
Johnny Simmons	...	Dave
Kyla Pratt	...	Heather
Troy Gentile	...	Mark
Lisa Kudrow	...	Lois Scudder
Kevin Dillon	...	Carl Scudder
Ajay Naidu	...	ACO Jake
Eric Edelstein	...	ACO Max
Robinne Lee	...	Carol
Yvette Nicole Brown	...	Ms. Camwell
Maximiliano Hernández	...	Officer Mike (as Maximiliano Hernandez)
Andre Ware	...	Officer Jeff
Jonathan Klein	...	Evan

Storyline

Animals are strictly forbidden at Andi and her little brother Bruce's foster home. But for Friday, the adorable dog they secretly care for, they're ready to risk everything. They finally find him an ideal shelter, a huge abandoned hotel that Bruce transforms thanks to his engineering genius. In what has become an incredible paradise for dogs, Friday is soon joined by all kinds of furry friends, so many in fact that their barks alert the neighbors...and the local pound, who can't understand the disappearance of all the stray dogs. Andi and Bruce will have to call on all their friends and all their imagination to stop the hotel's secret from being discovered.

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Plot Keywords:

dog | foster home | abandoned hotel | pet store | pitbull | 

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Taglines:

Who let the dogs in?

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Genres:

Comedy | Family

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for brief mild thematic elements, language and some crude humor

Details

Official Sites:

DreamWorks / Paramount [fr] DreamWorks / Paramount [us]

Country:

USA Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 January 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hotel para perros

Filming Locations:

Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£1,500,298 (UK) (13 February 2009)

Gross:

$73,023,275 (USA) (22 May 2009)

Company Credits

Production Co:

DreamWorks SKG, Nickelodeon Movies, Cold Spring Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The birds flying past the camera from behind at 04:04 were added digitally (mentioned in the commentary).

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Goofs

At the party, a drink is spilled only down the front of Andi's dress (at around 1h 02 mins). When she returns to the hotel, the stain is all over the back and the front of her dress (at 01:06:45 and 01:06:57).

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Quotes

Bernie: You sold a guy a rock in a box for $20.

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Connections

Spoofs Easy Rider (1969)

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Soundtracks

"Reason Why"
Written & Performed by Rachael Yamagata
Courtesy of RCA Victor
By Arrangement with Sony BMG Music Entertainment

User Reviews

Not a Dog :-)

Saw a preview of Hotel For Dogs with my wife and kids (4&7 year old boys) last weekend and I have to say we all thoroughly enjoyed this film. In fact I would have to say it is the best live-action kids film I've seen in years. Sure, as an adult you'll be able to see predictable plot devices coming at you from around every corner, but the movie is so likable, well acted and well directed that you just don't care. There are holes in the story and the whole movie is one big implausibility but it just doesn't matter. Hotel for Dogs will be the first big hit of 2009. It's a great family film that 4-12 year olds are just going to eat up.