All Dogs Go to Heaven

All Dogs Go to Heaven is a 1989 animated musical fantasy comedy drama film directed by Don Bluth and co-directed by Gary Goldman (his directorial debut) and Dan Kuenster. Set in New Orleans in 1939, it tells the story of Charlie B. Barkin (voiced by Burt Reynolds), a German Shepherd mix who is murdered by his former friend, Carface Carruthers (voiced by Vic Tayback). Charlie escapes from Heaven to return to Earth where his best friend, Itchy Itchiford (voiced by Dom DeLuise), still lives, in order to take revenge on Carface. Instead, he ends up befriending a young orphan girl named Anne-Marie (voiced by Judith Barsi in her final film role). In the process, Charlie learns an important lesson about kindness, friendship and love. The film is an Irish, British and American venture, produced by Goldcrest Films and Sullivan Bluth Studios Ireland Limited. On its cinema release, it competed directly with Walt Disney Feature Animation's The Little Mermaid, released on the same day. While it did not repeat the box-office success of Sullivan Bluth's previous features, An American Tail and The Land Before Time, it was successful on home video, becoming one of the biggest-selling VHS releases ever. It was followed by a theatrical sequel, a television series, and a holiday direct-to-video film.