"‘I, Chihuahua’ it’s all been done before... but with some good doggy-linguistic special effects, vibrant Mexican scenery, it'll put a spring in your step..."

Apart from that rather irritating ‘I, Chihuahua’ tune that will inevitably be hummed after watching Raja Gosnell’s new Disney comedy adventure, Beverly Hills Chihuahua is relatively inoffensive, pooch-pandering fun and adventure for all the family. Well, inoffensive that is, unless you have a problem with animated live-action dogs talking to you from a large screen, or the sight of Tinseltown’s obsession with perfectly preened canines to match their equally nipped-and-tucked owners. Then you’ll have a problem. But with a predictable, half-decent plot that’s designed not to be taxing on the brain, amusing odd one-liners, and a plethora of cuddly animals to rally behind and go gaga at, it’s classic Disney entertainment and totally virtuous.

Jamie Lee Curtis has some fun and hams up it up with great L.A. style as Chloe the Chihuahua’s (voiced by Drew Barrymore) obsessive, wealthy owner, Aunt Viv. It’s debatably whether Viv’s doggy neurosis is boarding on animal cruelty, but the actions of her vacuous niece, Rachel, played by pretty-girl Piper Perabo, is certain to be placed in that category. It’s Rachel’s self-centredness that puts little mutt, Chloe, in danger of being a dog’s dinner in Mexico, and kicks off the adventure that has some interesting tourist attractions along the way to keep everyone happy.

The film’s ‘clown’ is also one of its heroes. Mexican Chihuahua, Papi (voiced by George Lopez) doesn’t get a look in back home in Beverly Hills from high-brow Chloe and her mates, but with Zorro-style determination he sniffs out his true love in his homeland, and rescues her in the nick of time. However, it’s the other Latino hero of the hour, Delgado (voiced by Andy Garcia), a stray with a dark secret past, who steals with show - like a wise, old South American Lassie. Actually, during the course of watching this film, it’s Delgado’s fate that you really become more bothered about and would like to see closure (of a good kind) on. No Mexico-located film would be complete without the likes of Cheech Marin. Here, the funny guy voices a nibble-fingered thief rodent called Manuel who goes along on the dogs’ adventure with his trusted iguana friend, Chico (voiced by Paul Rodriguez), and finds true compassion on the way.

Morals - and there are always morals in Disneyland - are a-plenty. As expected all central characters journey down the road of true self discovery to become better human beings and animals, and all’s well that ends well. ‘I, Chihuahua’ it’s all been done before, and it will be done again, but with some commendable doggy-linguistic special effects, vibrant, sunny Mexican scenery, and touching animal character development, Beverly Hills Chihuahua will put a spring in your step on a cold winter’s day.

Synopsis

Chloe, a diamond-clad, bootie wearing Beverly Hills Chihuahua enjoys her luxurious lifestyle so much, she hardly notices Papi, a hilarious Chihuahua who happens to be crazy for Chloe. But when the most pampered pooch gets lost in Mexico with only a street-wise German Shepherd to help her find her way home, Papi heads south of the border — joining forces with a motley crew: three dogs, two humans, a sly rat and a nervous iguana - to rescue his true love.

Film Facts

Official UK site: http://www.disney.co.uk/DisneyMovies/chihuahua/

UK Release Date: 16th January 2009

Director: Raja Gosnell

Writer: Analisa LaBianco, Jeffrey Bushell

Cast: Drew Barrymore (’Chloe’ (voiced)), Andy Garcia (’Delgado’ (voiced)), George Lopez (’Papi’ (voiced)), Cheech Marin (’Manuel’ (voiced)), Paul Rodriguez (’Chico’ (voiced)), Piper Perabo (’Rachel Ashe Lynn’), Manolo Cardona (’Sam Cortez’), Jamie Lee Curtis (’Aunt Viv’)

UK Distributor: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures UK

Certificate: PG

Run-time: 100 mins

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