Tonight with the Family: Every ’90s kid grew up watching this great adventure film that’s unfairly forgotten 35 years later

There’s more to life than just Disney and this animated masterpiece proves it! In 1990, director Don Bluth, responsible for Fievel and the New World and Little Dinosaur, presented his new film: Charlie, My Hero.

From 6 years

This absolutely gorgeous feature film doesn’t get enough mention on the greatest films of the genre, and that’s totally unfair! A must see for all children, ages 6 and up. The story introduces us to Charlie, a gangster dog as greedy as a golden retriever for steak!

The latter eventually drops Bulldog Carcase and his sidekick Zyguile, two names already claiming the color. Go to paradise for our greedy dog! Sly as a fox, he finds a way to cheat the system and return to Earth.

In the company of his friend Gratuit, he plots his revenge until he meets Anna-Marie, a little seven-year-old orphan who can talk to animals, which, let’s face it, comes in handy when you’re dealing with a dog that’s come back from the dead. There, Charlie will take revenge against the terrible skeleton!

An animated gem

Highly effective, this cartoon is a real gem! Funny and comical situations follow each other at lightning speed, all enhanced by beautiful traditional animation! However, Don Bluth definitely doesn’t spare our little darling with a watery story.

The director, who escaped the tutelage of the big studios, was able to realize his unique vision, both colorful and sometimes very dark. While children may not necessarily understand the subtext of certain situations, older children will appreciate this more grown-up tone and be very touched by the film’s themes.

Note that at the time, Charlie, My Hero was a bitter commercial failure. It was released in the United States on November 17, 1989, alongside Disney’s The Little Mermaid, and did not survive the wave of Ariel and her friends. However, he experienced a second youth on video, becoming iconic over time.

What will they like?

– The animals that populate this work are more colorful than others, they are a joy

– Absolutely sensational VF, with Richard Darbois as Charlie, Jacques Franz Grattuy, Celine Monsarrat as Annabelle, or Philippe Petiteau as Zyguy.

– The story is both exciting and funny, as well as disturbing and sometimes dark. But it teaches us a great life lesson

– The end, painful and memorable

What might be bothering them:

– The topic of death, although treated lightly, can cause concern

– Some situations may seem a little difficult for the most sensitive people in a world inhabited by cunning animals.

Charlie, My Hero is available on the Prime Video platform.