DVD: Adventures of Bailey: The Lost Puppy

Studio: Platinum Disc

Director(s): Steve Frank

Cast: Liz Franke, Mark Stoddard, Rick Shew

Genre: Family and Kids

Run Time: 90 minutes

MPAA Rating: NR

Common Sense Says: Talking animal adventure without much peril for younger set.

Common Sense Rates It:

Parents need to know
Parents need to know that Adventures of Bailey: The Lost Puppy is a live-action talking animal movie with very few scares or moments of true peril making it a good choice for young kids and animal lovers of all ages. While incredulous pet owners may wonder why Bailey the puppy doesn't have a leash with tags or an implanted silicon chip to assist in his being found by his family, it's best to sit back and just enjoy sweet and playful Bailey interacting with manipulative cats, sinister monkeys, wise older dogs, gossipy cows, among other animals.

• Families can talk about the animals in the movie. What were they like? Did any of the animals' personalities seem like stereotypes or familiar types of characters?
• How was Bailey different from the other dogs he knew? How was the wildlife ranch different from the farm where Bailey lived?
• How would the movie have been different if the people spoke too?

What's the story?
While riding with the Baker family as they move from a farm to a new home in the suburbs, Bailey, a Golden Retriever puppy dog, escapes from the car at a gas station so he can frolic in a nearby field. The Bakers leave without realizing that Bailey has gone missing. While they try and find their lost puppy, Bailey finds his way to a wildlife ranch, where he befriends a wide array of animals -- older dogs, cows, horses, camels, llamas, and zebras, among others. Even as he learns how to be a hardworking dog on a ranch, Bailey misses his family, and does his best to remain patient in the hopes that the Bakers will find him soon.

Is it any good?
ADVENTURES OF BAILEY: THE LOST PUPPY is a cute (if predictable) tale of a personified Golden Retriever puppy's interactions with various animals. While best enjoyed by younger children, pet lovers of all ages should find something to enjoy about this movie. There are plenty of scenes of dogs and puppies frolicing in fields, along with animals voiced as evil monkeys, wise old dogs, manipulative cats, and sweet llamas, among many others.There isn't a great deal of ambition in this movie. The filmmakers set out to make a movie about a cute-voiced dog interacting with cute-voiced animals, and they succeeded. Nothing more, nothing less. But for parents looking for a movie for younger kids, who might be scared off by big moments of peril, this might fit the bill.