Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Believe it or not, this extremely juvenile outing from the Disney studio ended up being the eleventh highest grossing American movie in 1966! Tastes must have been very different back then, because I can't see this working for most people nowadays. Actors Dean Jones and Suzanne Pleshette do try their best, giving appealing and likable performances that almost make the movie watchable. But their characters are written to be so predictable and dim-witted that their efforts are for pretty much nothing. "Predictable" and "dim-witted" is the best way to describe the rest of the script as well as the direction - most likely viewers will find the gags and the (very minimal) story very familiar stuff. And the part of the movie that involves Japanese characters will displease many viewers since it smacks of racism. While the slapstick and dogs will be appealing to very young viewers, anyone older will most likely find the movie to be quite tough to sit through.

Advertising designer and his wife are at odds over their canine brood: her four Dachshunds to his friendly, clumsy Great Dane. Noisy comedy from Walt Disney buttresses the endless husband-and-wife arguments with four-legged slapstick chaos and sight gags, some of which will no doubt please the impressionable. Slick, empty nonsense with unconvincing marrieds at the center; Dean Jones and Suzanne Pleshette, sleeping in separate twin beds, lovingly refer to each other as "Dear" and "Darling" without any genuine affection between the them. Everything is cued-up in advance, processed for infantile reaction, and then cleared away without anything to remember the next day. *1/2 from ****

i don't think anyone but a hardcore Disneyphile would make a argument for this as great cinema. however there is enough adorable doggie scenes to make it memorable. hardly the outstanding family classic that 'Old Yeller' is, but it's still one of the cutest 'doggie' flicks produced.when the movie begins with footage of the newborn puppies in a box at the vet's with their eyes still unopened, any true dog fancier is going to get to get hooked in a little. the cuteness doesn't end with the sleepy newborns, it just keeps coming in major doses. Disney always did make some of the most satisfying "animal lover" films of all Hollywood products. this film is most certainly commercial product then actual cinema, but it knows what it's selling and it does it with economy and efficiency. probably not as easy as it appears on screen given the extremely lightweight subject matter.i saw this film a couple of times while growing up and was curious to see it again after many years. i was pleasantly surprised that it offered more for the adult viewer than i had remembered. there are no children's roles in this movie, which is a good thing since it mostly aims for a "kiddie flick" audience and it's taste in comedy is purposely low brow and slapstick in order to appeal to the younger set.not that the slapstick chaos isn't funny. as a kid i always thought this film was a real hoot. now that i'm much older i was surprised that the "canine comedics" actually seemed funnier and even a bit more real. as a pet owner myself for many years, i can only attest to the destructiveness and trying behavior of household pets. especially undisciplined and untrained ones. the evolution of Great Dane Brutus from overgrown oafish slob to champion dog show society, was very amusing and all too real. especially in the hilarious moment when he leaps onto the bed with Suzanne Pleshette in order to gain attention from the little Daschunds she is coddling.even though the adult relationship between Dean Jones and Suzanne Pleshette is one dimensional and superficial, it is adult enough to distract older audience from all the canine cuteness. there are even some good statements about sharing and equality in married relationships that are accurate and insightful enough as to be a learning experience for more mature viewers. not to mention Jones and Pleshette are likable and charming and very "human". their "humaness" seems especially essential to a film where the doggies are the true stars.competently handled by Disney director Norman Tokar, the movie holds true even today and is a primed example of efficiency if not ground breaking cinema.Disney always did warmth and sentimentality better than most of the other studios which tended to shy away from such congeniality. something essential when making a film not just about animals, but about our ever lovable, and sometimes annoying, household pets which are so near and dear to so many of us.

This movie is excellent. Funny gags throughout the film and just a great comedic story. If you are a dog lover than you will be an "Ugly Dachshund" fan. The dogs are adorable and the actors do their part to make this wonderful family comedy. Totally under-rated.I suggest sitting down a group of young kids and asking them what they think of it, I'll bet that the movie keeps their attention from beginning to end. This is a classic Disney movie on the same level as the "Love Bug" series and all of the other great film s released by the company during those years.I recommend "The Ugly Dachshund" to anyone who loves family movies. *****