Hotel for Dogs

Adapted from YA author Lois Duncan's 1971 novel about kids transforming an abandoned hotel into a shelter for stray dogs, the title of filmmaker Thor Freudenthal's Hotel for Dogs pretty much says it all. Foster children Andi (Emma Roberts, Julia's young niece) and her younger brother Bruce (Jake T. Austin) sympathize with all of the stray dogs they see around town. Unable to bring pets home, the pair come across an abandoned hotel and decide to make it a residence for unwanted pooches, conspiring with friends to save the canines who would normally be rounded up by mean dogcatchers. Of course, you can't collect so many dogs without running into certain logistical problems, so the story finds the kids recycling some old Little Rascals routines as they jury-rig numerous mechanisms for feeding, housing, and entertaining their canine boarders. Roberts shows real promise, while Lisa Kudrow shines in a fine Cruella de Vil imitation in this fairly lightweight film that nevertheless serves up innocuous fun for younger viewers. A strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director Thor Freudenthal, producer Ewan “Jack” Leslie, and costars Emma Roberts and Jake T. Austin, “A Home for Everyone” making-of featurette (19 min.), 11 minutes of deleted scenes, a “K-9 Casting” segment (7 min.), a “That's the Coolest Thing I've Ever Seen!” featurette on the mechanical contraptions created in the film (6 min.), a “Bark on Cue!” animal training featurette (5 min.), photo galleries, a PSA, and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a halfway-decent family film.] (E. Hulse)