Benji the Hunted (1987)

Benji is left in the wilderness after an accident. Can he survive?

Director:

Joe Camp

Writer:

Joe Camp

Stars:

Red Steagall, Frank Inn, Benjean

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Benjean	...	Benji
Frank Inn	...	Self
Red Steagall	...	Hunter
Nancy Francis	...	Mary Beth McLaulin
Joe Camp	...	TV Director (voice)
Steve Zanolini	...	Producer (voice)
Mike Francis	...	TV Cameraman
Ben Vaughn	...	Engineer's hand
Karen Thorndike	...	Countdown (voice)
Guy Hovis	...	The Balladeer (voice)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kiefer Davis	...	Boat Crewman
Ben Morgan	...	Self

Storyline

In this children film Benji the Hunted, the show dog Benji is lost at sea and winds up in the wilderness of Oregon to fend for himself. Benji's one and only plan is to get back into his master's arms as soon as possible, until he finds four orphaned cougar kittens whose mother was shot by a hunter. Now his ultimate task is to get the four orphaned kittens into the care of another mother cougar with her single child while avoiding the threatening animals of the wild.

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Plot Keywords:

lost pet | animal in cast credits | lion | survival | dog | 

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Taglines:

Benji's Back! In the most exciting adventure of his life!

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Genres:

Adventure | Family

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Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

The black timber wolf in this film was portrayed by Dimitri. He was a German Shepherd-Alexander Archipelago wolf hybrid in reality.

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Goofs

Grizzly bears are not modernly found in Oregon. This bear species has been extirpated from this northwestern American state since the early 20th Century. They can modernly be found in western Canada and Alaska. Timber wolves currently inhabit Alaska, Canada, portions of the Great Lakes region and northwestern American states (specifically Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming).

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Quotes

Mary Beth McLaulin: Tonight, Benji is missing at sea. He was with his trainer, Frank Inn, in a small open fishing boat just off the coast when the boat capsized. Mr. Inn was rescued. He was taken here to the Coast Guard station in Newport where he apparently is in good condition, but Benji is still missing.

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Crazy Credits

After the credits are over, a still of Benji appears and the text reads "woof."

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Connections

Referenced in Fantozzi Retires (1988)

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Soundtracks

Too Many Yesterdays
Music by Betty Box and Euel Box
Lyrics by Joe Camp
Performed by Guy Hovis

User Reviews

The best Benji movie I've seen so far!

I remember seeing the first two Benji movies as a kid, but when this came out, I was in high school and didn't have an interest in seeing it during that time in my life. Just now watched this on DVD, twenty years later after it was released in theaters, and I can honestly say that my girlfriend and I truly enjoyed this movie. Some of the peril might be a little upsetting for small children or sensitive viewers, but it simulated drama that was more compelling than the first two Benji movies. The first movie will always be a classic, but this movie seemed to be more effective, probably due to the setting and the plot. Having less cheesy human dialog like the first two movies had was refreshing as well. Just letting the animals "act" made for an enjoyable movie watching experience. Anyone who is an animal lover will really love this movie! I highly recommend it!

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 June 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Benji på eventyr

Filming Locations:

Newport, Oregon, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$21,530, 7 June 1987

Gross USA:

$22,257,624

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$22,257,624

Company Credits

Production Co:

Embark Production, Millenium Productions, Mulberry Square Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1