Hotel for Dogs Review

Hotel for Dogs is a comedy adventure about two orphaned siblings, a 16 year old girl, and an 11 year old boy, whose new foster parents won’t let them keep their dog. So they keep it with a couple of other strays in an abandoned hotel, gradually, they get the idea to transform the rundown building into an amazing home for not only their dog, but also all the stray dogs which they rescue, with the help of 2 teens. The little brother sets up elaborate contraptions to entertain the dogs, which will also entertain the children in the audience.

Rating: Three out of five buckets
Release Date: April 28, 2009
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 6+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Mild
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drug and Alcohol Content: None

See the trailer here!

Talking Points:

The film’s ideas are about loyalty and family.

The kids will do whatever it takes to save the dogs.

The kids are very clever; they teach the dogs how to use the toilet seat, and eat at the table.

The little brother’s contraptions are cute and clever: He sets up dinner bowls that come out on a conveyor belt. He also develops a car door simulator that lets the dogs pretend they’re riding through the countryside.

Even though the foster parents are mean, and don’t care about the kids, the social worker responsible for the kids provides adult guidance and truly cares for them.

Their devotion to the dogs has some negative effects; they lie, cheat and steal to take care of the dogs.

When we first meet the siblings they’re placing rocks in cell phone boxes and pawning them off to local merchants to get money to feed their dog.

Sexual Content: Mild

Two dogs hook up at a hotel, it’s implied that they’ve had sex.
Two characters (humans) kiss.

Violent Content: Mild

A child kicks a dogcatcher in the groin.
Dogs wreck a hotel, knocking over furniture and creates mayhem.
A Doberman barks so loud the dogcatcher locks himself in a cage because he’s so scared.
The kids break into the dog pound to release hundreds of dogs.

Crude or Profane Language: Mild