The Shaggy Dog (franchise)

{{further|The Hound of Florence}}

The 1923 Austrian fantasy children's novel by Felix Salten, set during the early eighteenth-century Austria and Italy, served as the inspiration for The Walt Disney Company's Shaggy Dog franchise. The story follows the teenage main character, Lukas Grassi. Grassi lost his parents and lives in Vienna, Austria, in poor conditions, and great poverty, but longs to return to his native land Italy, having desires to study art in Florence. Through supernatural means his wish is magically granted, he must endure taking the form of the archduke's dog, named Kambyses, every-other-day. Grassi travels from Vienna to Florence, and learns that he must continue to live this duality he is cursed to until the archduke will leave Florence for Vienna. However, ending in tragedy, the archduke stabs the dog to death with a dagger, inadvertently killing Lukas.{{cite book | last=Ehness | first=Jürgen | title=Felix Saltens erzählerisches Werk: Beschreibung und Deutung | location=Frankfurt am Main | publisher=Peter Lang | date=2002 | isbn=3-631-38178-6 | page=221 | language=German | url=https://archive.org/details/felixsaltenserza0000ehne/page/221}}

The novel was first translated into the English language in 1930 by Huntley Paterson. The ending of the book in this iteration differs greatly from the original release. Following the events of the original novel, a wholly new ending of six additional pages was written where LucasIn the English translation, the names are spelled "Lucas Grassi" and "Cambyses". survives, receives medication, and is united with a courtesan.

Walt Disney originally purchased the film rights to Salten's novel Bambi, a Life in the Woods in 1937. In May 1941, Disney purchased the rights to five more of the author's novels, which included options to Salten to adapt them. The novels were Bambi sequels: Bambi's Children and Perri: The Youth of a Squirrel, as well as Renni the Rescuer: A Dog of the Battlefield, City Jungle and The Hound of Florence. Salten did not want to make Bambi's Children, and didn't want anyone else to make it either. He did however intend to for the other books to be adapted into animated films.{{cite news |last=Churchill |first=Douglas W. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1941/05/05/archives/walt-disney-acquires-rights-to-5-works-by-felix-salten-fox-seeks.html |title=Walt Disney Acquires Rights to 5 Works by Felix Salten |work=The New York Times |date=May 5, 1941 |page=13 |url-access=subscription}} Before these additional films could be made, Salten died in Zurich in 1945.

By 1952, ABC wanted Walt Disney to develop a television series for the network. He pitched them The Shaggy Dog, a concept he described as "a story that treated the younger generation and its problems in a light manner". After the pitch was declined, Disney stated: "They turned me down flat. I was hopping mad when I went back to the studio, so I called in Bill Walsh and said 'Let's make a feature of it.'"{{cite news |last=Hopper |first=Hedda |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/376514138/ |title=Looking at Hollywood: Hedda Gets the Lowdown on Walt Disney's Success |work=Chicago Tribune |date=January 1, 1965 |at=Section 2, p. 2 |url-access=subscription |via=Newspapers.com}} The film's star, Tommy Kirk later acknowledged that the film was originally shot to be a two-part introduction to the television show, stating that the segments were spliced together at the last minute to make a feature film.{{cite news |last=Nott |first=Robert |title=The Big Picture Takes on Film |work=The Santa Fe New Mexican |date=March 10, 2006 |page=A-48}}

Upon its release, The Shaggy Dog was the most profitable film at that time produced by Disney.{{cite news |last=Hopper |first=Hedda |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/376193855/ |title=Looking at Hollywood: Annette Funicello Is a Dream at Wedding |work=Chicago Tribune |date=January 13, 1965 |at=Section 2, p. 4 |url-access=subscription |via=Newspapers.com}} This spawned the continued adaptations and installments in the franchise.

{{main|The Shaggy Dog (1959 film)}}

Wilby Daniels, the son of a dog-hating former-mailman named Wilson, accidentally becomes a canine himself when he acquires an ancient Borgian ring and receives its curse. Inadvertently invoking a magical spell engraved upon the centuries-old jewelry, Wilby begins turning into an Old English sheepdog at unpredictable times. Managing his transformations and his personal life becomes more complicated when he overhears a plot to steal secret government information while in dog-form. Wilby sets out on an unexpected adventure, in attempts to stop the criminals from succeeding.{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/1958/film/reviews/the-shaggy-dog-1200419262/|title=The Shaggy Dog|date=February 25, 1959|website=Variety}}

{{main|The Shaggy D.A.}}

Years after the first film, Wilby Daniels is now a successful lawyer. After returning from vacation only to find his house has been ransacked by burglars, he decides to rid the town of crime by running for district attorney against the corrupt John Slade in the upcoming election. Just as Wilby begins his campaign, he learns that the Borgian ring that has the power to turn him into a large old English sheepdog has been stolen from a museum. Realizing that the precious jewel and its curse are once again transforming him into a sheepdog at the most inconvenient times, Wilby continues his campaign for D.A. with a greater determination to win the election, regardless.{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/1975/film/reviews/the-shaggy-d-a-1200423587/|title=The Shaggy D.A.|date=December 15, 1976|website=Variety}}

{{main|The Shaggy Dog (2006 film)}}

A modern-day adaptation of the film series, The Shaggy Dog (2006) includes elements from the two previous theatrical films.

Deputy District Attorney Dave Douglas is a workaholic, and often places his job responsibilities before his family. After accepting a court case which involves an animal laboratory, he gets bit by a sheepdog. The infection, with a top-secret serum, begins a cycle of transforming Douglas into a Bearded Collie dog. His time as a canine begins to give Dave a new perspective on the importance of his time with his family. He realizes that but before he can make things right with his wife and kids, he must find evidence and prove that those individuals responsible for the concoction that causes his affliction are criminals.

During the late 1980s, a sequel to The Shaggy Dog and prequel to The Shaggy D.A. was released exclusively through television broadcast. The film's events take place during the seventeen years between the two stories, and was deemed a success. After this production, The Walt Disney Company continued this trend through the remainder of the '80s and early-'90s, with a number of made-for-television remake films of classic Walt Disney Productions. Produced and released as a part of The Magical World of Disney series, among them, was a television remake of The Shaggy Dog.

{{main|The Return of the Shaggy Dog}}

Wilby Daniels, now a successful lawyer, is engaged to his girlfriend Betty. A dying Professor Plumcutt bequeaths the ancient Borgian ring to Daniels, only for the professor's evil caretakers to plot a heist in attaining the inherited item for their own nefarious plans. After Wilby attains the ring, the curse that transforms him into a sheepdog is reactivated in the process of foiling the criminals' plans. With the help of his younger brother "Moochie", Wilby sets out to find a way of once again breaking the curse, while assisting his Moochie – an upcoming casting director – in creating the perfect commercial for dogs. The pair seek to stop the henchman, in addition to once again breaking the curse before Wilby and Betty's imminent wedding day.{{Cite web|url=http://www.rinkworks.com/movies/m/the.return.of.the.shaggy.dog.1987.shtml|title=At-A-Glance Film Reviews: The Return of the Shaggy Dog (1987)|publisher=www.rinkworks.com}}

{{main|The Shaggy Dog (1994 film)}}

Wilby is a 16-year-old who loves studying science, but can never seem to catch the attention of the girls at school. He learns from his father that the House of Borgia used magic in ancient times to conjure up love, only to unintentionally gain possession of an ancient Borgia ring. Wilby decides to see if improves his love life, and to instead be turned into an Old English Sheepdog. He sets off on a series of comedic adventures, seeking to break the curse.{{Cite web|url=http://www.moviefone.com/2018/08/06/disney-remakes-you-have-forgotten-about/|title=10 Disney Remakes You Have Completely Forgotten About|publisher=www.moviefone.com}}

• 1959 – The Shaggy Dog – released in 1959
• 1960s – The Return of the Shaggy Dog – released in 1987
• 1976 – The Shaggy D.A. – released in 1976

{{Cast indicator|V|}}

{{hatnote|For more details on the reception of each film, see the "Reception" section on each film's article.}}

|-

! style="text-align: left;"| The Shaggy Dog
{{small|(1994)}}

| {{N/A}}

| {{N/A}}

| {{N/A}}

| {{N/A}}

| {{N/A}}

| {{N/A|not available}}

| {{N/A}}

| {{N/A|}}

|-

! style="text-align: left;"| The Shaggy Dog
{{small|(2006)}}

| $61,123,569

| $26,010,711

| $87,134,280

| #1,365

| #2,610

| $60,000,000

| $27,134,280

|{{Cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/releasegroup/gr926241285/|title=The Shaggy Dog|website=Box Office Mojo}}

|-

! Totals

! ≙$61,123,569

! ≙$26,010,711

! ≌$106,634,280

! ~x̄ #1,403{{efn|This is an approximate average, based on the all-time standing of each theatrically released film.}}

! ~x̄ #1,404{{efn|This is an approximate average, based on the all-time foreign standing of each theatrically released film.}}

! ~$60,125,000

! ≌$94,384,280

!

|}

{{main|Journey into Imagination with Figment}}

In 1999, the theme of Journey into Imagination was changed and re-titled to include Figment. The ride features Dr. Nigel Channing, from Honey, I Shrunk the Audience!, who "hosts" an area known as the Imagination Institute. The story states that Channing's grandfather established the institute, while the area features references to Dean Higgins (Head of the Medfield College, where the events of The Shaggy D.A. transpire) from the Dexter Riley films, Wayne Szalinski from the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids franchise, as well as Dr. Philip Brainard from Flubber. Walt Disney and Thomas Edison also make an appearance.{{Cite web |url=https://d23.com/epcot-by-the-numbers/|title=Epcot by the Numbers|date=October 31, 2017|website=D23}}

{{main|Flubber (franchise)|Dexter Riley (film series)}}

The Medfield College appears in The Shaggy D.A. as a primary location. The fictional college appears in two other Disney film franchises, including both the Flubber and the Dexter Riley film series. Collectively, the three separate film series take place within the same fictional universe.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nEGaj75GhXcC&q=medfield+college+appeared+in+various+disney+films&pg=PT145|title=Disney Trivia from the Vault: Secrets Revealed and Questions Answered: Secrets Revealed and Questions Answered|first=Dave|last=Smith|year=2012|publisher=Disney Electronic Content|isbn=978-1-423-17857-6|via=Google Books}}{{Cite web|url=https://the-avocado.org/2019/04/23/building-entertainment-the-animated-films-of-the-walt-disney-studio-live-action-edition-the-absent-minded-professor/|title=Building Entertainment: The Animated Films of the Walt Disney Studio. Live-Action Edition. The Absent-Minded Professor.|date=April 23, 2019|website=The Avocado}} Additionally, the Merlin Jones film series take place at the in-universe sister-school, Midvale College,{{cite web|url=https://whatsondisneyplus.com/disney-plus-missing-incomplete-franchises-sequels/|work=What's on Disney Plus|title=22 Missing Or Incomplete Disney+ Film And TV Franchises|author=Shepherd, Josh|date=January 15, 2021|access-date=January 28, 2022}} while The World's Greatest Athlete is set at the related academic school of Merrivale College.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nEGaj75GhXcC&dq=merrivale+college+disney&pg=PT145|title=Disney Trivia from the Vault: Secrets Revealed and Questions Answered|author=Smith, Dave|year=2012|isbn=978-1-423-17857-6|access-date=January 28, 2022}}

| rowspan="2"| Robert Stevenson

| colspan="3"| Bill Walsh

|-

! scope="row" | Son of Flubber

| {{start date|1963|01|16|}}

| colspan="2"| Bill Walsh & Don DaGradi

| Walt Disney and Bill Walsh

|-

! scope="row" | Flubber

| {{start date|1997|11|26|}}

| Les Mayfield

| colspan="2"| John Hughes

| John Hughes and Ricardo Mestres

|-

! colspan="6" style="background-color:#ccccff;" | Merlin Jones film series

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align:left" | The Missadventures of Merlin Jones

| style="text-align:center" | {{Start date|1964|02|11}}

| rowspan="2"| Robert Stevenson

| Tom August & Helen August

| Bill Walsh

| rowspan="2"| Walt Disney and Ron Miller

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align:left" | The Monkey's Uncle

| style="text-align:center" | {{Start date|1965|08|18}}

| colspan="2"| Tom August & Helen August

|-

! colspan="6" style="background-color:#ccccff;" | Dexter Riley film series

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align:left" | The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes

| style="text-align:center" | {{Start date|1969|12|31}}

| rowspan="2"| Robert Butler

| colspan="2"| Joseph L. McEveety

| Bill Anderson

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align:left" | Now You See Him, Now You Don't

| style="text-align:center" | {{Start date|1972|07|12}}

| Joseph L. McEveety

| Robert L. King

| Ron Miller

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align:left" | The Strongest Man in the World

| style="text-align:center" | {{Start date|1975|02|06}}

| Vincent McEveety

| colspan="2"| Joseph L. McEveety & Herman Groves

| Bill Anderson

|-

! colspan="6" style="background-color:#ccccff;" | Other films

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align:left" | The World's Greatest Athlete

| style="text-align:center" | {{Start date|1973|02|01}}

| Robert Scheerer

| colspan="2"| Dee Caruso
and Gerald Gardner

| Bill Walsh

|-

|}

{{Reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

{{Reflist}}

{{The Hound of Florence}}

{{Disney franchises}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shaggy Dog Franchise}}

Category:Disney film series

Category:Medfield College films

Category:Film series introduced in 1959