History Trivia / AllDogsGoToHeaven

* RealitySubtext: Creator/JudithBarsi's murder during the film's production had a significant influence on it, such as changing Carface's machine gun to [[FamilyFriendlyFirearms a completely made-up laser gun]] and some minor design changes to [[InkSuitActor make Anne-Marie look more like her late actress]]. It unarguably has had an effect on audiences as well, who often find both the themes of morality and Anne-Marie's woobie background all the more emotional.

** When the heavenly whippet looks in Charlie's records, his mother and father are named "Loni" and "Burt", and look like canine versions of Creator/LoniAnderson and Creator/BurtReynolds (who were together at the time.) Loni also appears in the film as one of Charlie's "close friends".

* TheRedStapler: Watching this movie WILL make you want to get a German Shepard.

* AcclaimedFlop: While not as universally beloved as Don Bluth's previous efforts, it still found its fans and admirers among critics despite being pummeled at the box office by the release of ''The Little Mermaid''. It went on to be the highest-grossing VHS release of 1990, selling more than 3 million copies in its first month alone.

** When the heavenly whippet looks in Charlie's records, his mother and father are named "Loni" and "Burt", and look like canine versions of Loni Anderson and Burt Reynolds (who were together at the time.) Loni also appears in the film as one of Charlie's "close friends".
** Don Bluth's birthday is also September 13, 1937. The idea that every human year is seven dog years is a myth -- Charlie is about 25. Even though he seems older.
* CelebrityVoiceActor: As well as Burt Reynolds voicing Charlie, the German dub has him voiced by the equally rascally Harald Juhnke.

** Burt Reynolds is on record for saying that there was supposed to be some casual swearing in the dialogue, all of which was removed to make the film [[AnimationAgeGhetto more appropriate for children.]] An artifact of this can be heard on the soundtrack album, when Charlie angrily mumbles to himself "Damn, that Carface, I'll kill him!" In the movie, the "damn" is awkwardly cut out.

* NamesTheSame: [[InvokedTrope Invoked]]. The title came from a book Don Bluth's teacher had read to him when he was a child. It was an anthology of stories about a noir-style dog detective. Bluth only remembered the title and looked it up years later when he became a filmmaker, but after writing one treatment of a straight adaptation under the name "Canine Mysteries" decided that he didn't like the story and created an entirely new one off of the title.

** Subverted, considering the fact that Burt Reynolds, Dom [=DeLuise=], Ernest Borgnine, and Charles Nelson Reilly all get songs over the course of the series. It seems that the one thing each installment had in common was giving songs to actors who couldn't sing.
* TheOtherDarrin: Save for Dom [=DeLuise=] and Charles Nelson Reily as Itchy and Killer, respectively, none of the actors from the first film are in the sequel or TV show.

* WagTheDirector: [[JustForPun Haha, but seriously...]] Burt Reynolds and Dom [=DeLuise=], who had developed a repertoire with one another after starring in several movies together, insisted that Don Bluth leave the room during recording sessions so that they could improvise off one another better. Despite his initial chagrin, Bluth would later admit that some of the film's best lines came from their improv.

** The project began as a star vehicle for Burt Reynolds, who wanted Bluth to give him an animated role similar to the ones he'd given his frequent co-star Dom [=DeLuise=] in his other movies. [=DeLuise=] wasn't even cast as Itchy until later, when Reynolds needed someone to better ad lib off of.

* AcclaimedFlop: While not as universally beloved as Don Bluth's previous efforts, it still found its fans and admirers among critics despite being pummeled at the box office by the release of ''The Little Mermaid''. It went on to be the highest-grossing VHS release of 1990.

* WagTheDirector: Burt Reynolds and Dom [=DeLuise=], who had developed a repertoire with one another after starring in several movies together, insisted that Don Bluth leave the room during recording sessions so that they could improvise off one another better. Despite his initial chagrin, Bluth would later admit that some of the film's best lines came from their improv.

* AcclaimedFlop: While not as universally beloved as Don Bluth's previous efforts, it still found its fans and admirers among critics despite being pummeled at the box office by the release of ''The Little Mermaid''. It quickly went on to be the highest-grossing VHS release of 1990.

* AcclaimedFlop: While not as universally beloved as Don Bluth's previous efforts, it still found its fans and admirers among critics despite being pummeled at the box office by the release of ''The Little Mermaid''. It quickly went on to be a huge hit on VHS.

* SleeperHit: The first film, it did poorly in the box office but became one of the greatest-selling home video releases of all time. This is what prompted MGM to have the sequel made.

* NamesTheSame: [[InvokedTrope Invoked]]. The title came from a book Don Bluth's teacher had read to him when he was a child. It was an anthology of stories about a noir-style dog detective. Bluth only remembered the title and looked it up years later when he became a filmmaker, but decided that he didn't like the story and based an entirely new one off of the title.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: The film was originally meant to be the third collaboration between Bluth and Creator/StevenSpielberg, but Spielberg quit after the two butted egos on ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTime''.
** Charlie was a detective in the original draft and the film was going to be an anthology of three short stories.

* RealitySubtext: Creator/JudithBarsi's murder during the film's production had a significant influence on it, such as changing Carface's machine gun to [[FamilyFriendlyFirearms a completely made-up laser gun]] and some minor design changes to [[InkSuitActor make Anne-Marie look more like her late actress]]. It unarguably has had an effect on audiences as well, who often find the themes of morality and scenes of a little girl in danger all the more emotional.

** The Hell sequence was supposed to be a lot longer than it was in the movie.

** Subverted, considering the fact that Burt Reynolds, Dom [=DeLuise=], Ernest Borgnine, and Charles Nelson Reilly all get songs over the course of the series. It seems that the one thing each installment had in common was giving songs to actors who couldn't sing professionally.

* RealitySubtext: Consider the [[http://z7.invisionfree.com/thegangoffive/index.php?showtopic=981 circumstances]] surrounding Creator/JudithBarsi's untimely death. Now try to watch the film without cringing violently. This may also explain the FamilyFriendlyFirearms.

* WagTheDirector: Burt Reynolds and Dom [=DeLuise=], who had developed a repertoire with one another after starring in several movies together, insisted that Don Bluth leave the room during recording sessions so that they could improvise off one another better, to Bluth's chagrin.

** Burt Reynolds (voice of Charlie) stated once that there was supposed to be some swearing in the film, and he distinctly recalls recording cuss words in his dialogue. All of it was removed to make the film [[AnimationAgeGhetto more appropriate for children.]]

* DuelingMovies: Released on the very same day as (and promptly slaughtered by) ''Disney/TheLittleMermaid.''

* PrecisionFStrike: While recording, Burt Reynolds had come up with this "dog voice" for Charlie that he thought had sounded cute, but that both Don Bluth and Dom [=DeLuise=] both didn't like. Burt had insisted on it, but Dom finally knocked some sense into him and told him, "Burt, don't be an asshole.", and Burt decided to use his normal voice from then on.

* NonSingingVoice: In the first film. While Judith Eva Barsi was only Anne-Marie's speaking voice, the film developers had adult actress, Lana Beeson, to do the singing voice for Anne-Marie in the SugarWiki/{{heartwarming|Moments}} TearJerker song, "Soon You'll Come Home". Barsi did audition for the singing part but [[PaterFamilicide because she broke down in stress from events at home during the audition]], the filmmakers decided not to push her.

* WagTheDirector: Burt Reynolds and Dom [=DeLuise=], who had developed a repertoire with one another after staring in several movies together, insisted that Don Bluth leave the room during recording sessions so that they could improvise off one another better, to Bluth's chagrin.

* HeyItsThatVoice:
** Charlie Barkin is [[Film/SmokeyAndTheBandit Bandit]].
** Carface is [[Series/{{Alice1976}} Mel]]. Kiss his grits.
** Itchy is [[Film/{{Spaceballs}} Pizza the Hutt]], [[WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfNIMH Jeremy]], and [[WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTail Tiger]].
** Anne-Marie is [[WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTime Ducky]]. [[CatchPhrase Yep, yep, yep!]]
** King Gator is [[WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas Oogie Boogie]].
** Killer is VideoGame/{{Gex}}, [[WesternAnimation/RockADoodle Hunch]], [[WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants The Dirty Bubble]], and a panelist on Series/MatchGame.
** In the sequel series, Annabelle and her evil cousin Belladonna [[TalkingToHimself are both]] [[Series/{{Cheers}} Frasier Crane's wife Lilith]]. [[note]]Does that make Frasier a bigamist?[[/note]]

** Subverted, considering the fact that Burt Reynolds, Dom [=DeLuise=], Ernest Borgnine, and Charles Nelson Reilly all get songs over the course of the series. It seems that the one thing each installment had in common was giving songs to actors who couldn't sing.

** In Italy and Sweden, David was [[Film/{{Matilda}} Mikey Wormwood]].

** During his VillainSong, Red puts Carface in a barber's chair and proceeds to shave him, a clear ShoutOut to ''Theatre/SweeneyToddTheDemonBarberOfFleetStreet''. George Hearn, who voiced Red, was also one of the many actors to have played the titular barber in the aforementioned musical.

* TheDanza: Creator/CharlieSheen as Charlie in the sequel. Also an example of TheOtherDarrin, as Burt Reynolds was Charlie in the first film.

** In the film that started it all:
*** Charlie Barkin is [[Film/SmokeyAndTheBandit Bandit]].
*** Carface is [[Series/{{Alice1976}} Mel]]. Kiss his grits.
*** Itchy is [[Film/{{Spaceballs}} Pizza the Hutt]], [[WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfNIMH Jeremy]], and [[WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTail Tiger]].
*** Anne-Marie is [[WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTime Ducky]]. [[CatchPhrase Yep, yep, yep!]]
*** King Gator is [[WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas Oogie Boogie]].
*** Killer is VideoGame/{{Gex}}, [[WesternAnimation/RockADoodle Hunch]], [[WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants The Dirty Bubble]], and a panelist on Series/MatchGame.
** In the sequel:
*** [[WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants Mermaid Man]] voices Carface in the sequel.
*** Red is the second actor (replacing Len Cariou in 1980) to ever play the titular character in Sondheim's ''Theatre/SweeneyToddTheDemonBarberOfFleetStreet'' (see ActorAllusion above).
*** Sasha also sang some songs on ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb''; plus, she was Doofenshmirtz's ex-girlfriend in said show's episode "Chez Platypus".

* [[CurbStompBattle Curb Stomp Battling]] [[DuelingMovies Movies]]: Released on the very same day as (and promptly slaughtered by) ''Disney/TheLittleMermaid.''

** Subverted, considering the fact that Burt Reynolds, Dom [=DeLuise=], Ernest Borgnine, and Charles Nelson Reilly all get songs over the course of the series. It seems that the one thing each installment had in common was giving songs to actors [[{{YMMV}} who couldn't sing]].

* WagTheDirector: Burt Reynolds and Dom [=DeLuise=], who had developed a repertoire with one another after staring in several movies together, insisted that Don Bluth leave the room during recording sessions so that they could improvise off one another better, but to Bluth's chagrin.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: The film was originally meant to be the third collaboration between Bluth and StevenSpielberg, but Spielberg quit after the two butted egos on ''TheLandBeforeTime''.

** Subverted, considering the fact that Burt Reynolds, Dom [=DeLuise=], Ernest Borgnine, and Charles Nelson Reilly all get songs over the course of the series. It seems that the one thing each installment had in common was giving songs to actors who couldn't sing.