Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Mild
- Complexity
- Simple
- Violence
- None
- playful
- wholesome
- witty
- family movie night
- nostalgic weekend
What critics said
Critics generally regard the film as an amiable, commercially effective Disney family comedy whose charm rests on its easygoing performances and playful fantasy premise.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Wilby Daniels repeatedly changes from boy to sheepdog, turning ordinary family and adolescent situations into escalating magical chaos.
The spell can only be broken through an act of bravery, making moral courage the concrete route to reversing the curse.
The film places magical shapeshifting, a dog, and inopportune transformations inside a recognizable American family setting.
Produced by Walt Disney Productions, the film helped establish Disney's commercially successful cycle of lightly fantastical family comedies.
Films like The Shaggy Dog, and why
The Absent-Minded Professor
family-friendly fantasy comedy centered on an ordinary child transformed by magic
The Parent Trap
classic Disney family comedy blending domestic situations with fantastical transformation
Bedknobs and Broomsticks
lighthearted child-centered fantasy comedy built around magical disruption and comic concealment
Movie Details
- Director
- Charles Barton
- Release Date
- 1959-03-19
- Runtime
- 104 min
- Rating
- 6.2 / 10 (100)
Cast
- Fred MacMurray
- Jean Hagen
- Tommy Kirk
- Annette Funicello
- Tim Considine
- Kevin Corcoran
- Cecil Kellaway
- Alexander Scourby
- Roberta Shore
- James Westerfield
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Disney Plus
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Shaggy Dog about?
- A mischievous boy’s inconvenient transformation into a sheepdog turns family life into a quest for courage and a way to break an ancient spell.
- What is The Shaggy Dog like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Shaggy Dog as brisk, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as simple.
- Is The Shaggy Dog violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in The Shaggy Dog.
- What did critics think of The Shaggy Dog?
- Critics generally regard the film as an amiable, commercially effective Disney family comedy whose charm rests on its easygoing performances and playful fantasy premise.
- Which films are like The Shaggy Dog?
- Films with a similar feel include The Absent-Minded Professor, The Parent Trap, and Bedknobs and Broomsticks.
- How long is The Shaggy Dog?
- The Shaggy Dog runs 104 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Shaggy Dog?
- In United States, The Shaggy Dog streams on Disney Plus.
