Being a family who owns our own little zoo, we were excited to have the chance to review the newly released movie Hotel For Dogs on DVD. After we took our son to see the movie Bolt in the theaters, my 5yr old son had gained a new understanding that dogs had personality, independent thoughts, and feelings. I think this revelation helped him to enjoy Hotel For Dogs to its fullest. Even though these dogs did not speak, he could imagine what they were thinking.For those who have not had a chance to see this dog flick, it is about two orphaned children, played by Emma Roberts and Jake T. Austin, who have been moved around the foster care system quite a bit. They end up in a home where they receive minimal care and zero love. Their only two friends are their social worker, who has made every attempt to place them in a good home, and a cute little dog named Friday. In an attempt to keep their own canine companion safe and out of sight from their foster parents, these siblings inadvertently start the Hotel For Dogs. After saving one dog after another from the animal control officers, the children were forced to be inventive about how to care for these dogs while the were not able to be at the hotel with them.
What I thought about this movie as a parent:
1) I really liked how this movie showed my son how lucky he is to be in a loving home where he is given warm nourishing food, to have a family who wants to spend time with him, and to be on the receiving end of lots of hugs.
2) Hotel For Dogs is rated PG, but I think it is suitable for a 5yr old as well as older children. It covers the topics of teenage romance, but in a very innocent way.
3) The level of inventiveness shows children that being resourceful and thinking outside of the box is a good way to solve problems.
4) For an adult, this movie is very cute, but far-fetched. As with many movies, you must look past this and just enjoy the antics of these lovable dogs.
What my 5yr old son thought about this movie:
1) Because he bawled during the movie Bolt, I asked my son if he felt like crying during the sadder parts of Hotel For Dogs. He told me he did not and I believed him. I think he may be too young to be able to put himself in the children's places and imagine what it would be like to be separated from his own brother and sister.
2) He seemed to enjoy seeing all the different types of dogs, especially some that were Beagles like our own dog.
3) To my surprise, when I asked my son what his favorite part of the movie was, he said it was when one of the children's friends jumped on and knocked over the animal control officer.
Overall, I think Hotel For Dogs is a good family movie, especially if your family includes dogs. A huge part of the appeal of this movie for me was the vast amount of adorable dogs and their silly antics. If you are not an animal-lover, those parts of the movie may be lost on you.
What you can win:
One person will win their own copy of the Hotel For Dogs on DVD.
Limitations:
This giveaway is open to U.S. addresses only. You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address and be age 18 years or older. If you enter anonymously and do not include a valid email address in your comment entries, I will not be able to notify you should you win this random drawing.
How to Gain Entries:
Leave a comment telling me what kind of dog you own or would like to own. You must do this to be eligible to win this contest.
Extra Entries:
1) For an extra entry, visit HotelForDogsMovie.com , go to "The Lobby" and click on "Meet the Pups." Then leave a separate comment telling me the name of whichever pup is your favorite.
2) Add this blog to your Technorati Favorites. Then leave a separate comment telling me you did so and under what username. Add to Technorati Favorites
3) Blog about this giveaway linking back to this post AND to HotelForDogsMovie.com . Then come back here and leave a separate comment with the link to your blog post.
4) Follow me on Twitter. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your Twitter profile.
5) Tweet about this giveaway linking back to this post. Then come back here and leave the link to your tweet in a separate comment.
6) Subscribe to this blog's feed. Or you can follow me through Blogger or subscribe via email (widget is on sidebar). Then leave a separate comment telling me you did so.
7) Add my button or blog link to your blog's sidebar. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your blog.
8) Add my "Dr. Hippo" giveaway event button to your blog's sidebar. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your blog.
9) Add my "Father's Day Fling" giveaway event button to your blog's sidebar. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your blog.
(All entries will be verified prior to awarding this prize.)
Random Drawing:
This contest will be closed on Monday, May 11th, 2009 at 11:59pm EST. A random number drawing will be held shortly after. The winner will be announced here and will be contact via email or through their blog. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new number will be drawn.
Good luck in the drawing!
