Amazing Stories: Steven Spielberg Presents Brad Bird's Family Dog

When I was a kid in middle school in 1987, I was completely obsessed with the "Family Dog" episode of Steven Spielberg's NBC series, "Amazing Stories." The film was written and directed by Brad Bird (director of Disney Pixar's "The Incredibles" and "Ratatouille"), and was different from anything seen on TV at the time. It wasn't just the quirky character designs (by Tim Burton). This was not a Saturday Morning kid's cartoon.

I remember being slightly surprised when Skip Binford (voiced by multi-talented veteran voice actor Stan Freberg), the father character, complained about "that cheap damn dog food!" Gasp! It was rare to hear a cartoon character curse back then. Annie Potts (probably best known for her role as Mary Jo on the series "Designing Women") gives an outstanding performance as mother Bev (she would later voice Bo Peep in Disney Pixar's Toy Story and Toy Story 2---it's too bad she wasn't in Toy Story 3). Scott Menville (a prolific voice and screen actor, who was Wayne Arnold's friend Wart on "The Wonder Years" TV series) played Billy, the nasty little boy that terrorizes the poor Dog. Brooke Ashley is Buffy, the little girl that is somehow cute and a bit bizarre. I think my favorite part of the film is the "Home Movies" section, narrated by the family. The interplay between Bev and Buffy here is hilarious. The cast also includes Brad Bird, Mercedes McCambridge, Marshall Efron, Stanley Ralph Ross, and Jack Angel.

The animation was created by some well known animators, including Duncan Marjoribanks (he was the lead animator for Sebastian the crab in Disney's "The Little Mermaid" and Abu in "Aladdin"). I think I can spot some of his animation when the Dog is riding in the car with the robbers (the scene where the fat robber is upset with being called "The Dog Gang" and suggests they get a cat, which triggers an attack from the Dog).

I ripped this advertisement out of TV Guide magazine. On the back, it shows what was on TV the night "Family Dog" debuted in 1987.


Nickelodeon viewers could catch episodes of "You Can't Do That On Television" and "DangerMouse." HBO was still showing Jim Henson's "Fraggle Rock." In reruns were shows like "Bosom Buddies" (starring Tom Hanks) and "The Facts Of Life" (what was Tootie up to this week?) plus older favorites like "The Jeffersons," "The Honeymooners" and "Donna Reed." Newer programs included "Kate and Allie," "MacGyver" (what will he make out of a Dixie Cup and a rubber band to save the world this time?), "ALF," and "My Sister Sam" (many remember this Pam Dawber sitcom being in the news due to the tragic death of star Rebecca Schaeffer).

"Family Dog" proved to be very popular, and it was spun off into its own series from Universal, Amblin, Warner Brothers and Nelvana Animation in 1992. The show featured a new cast, and the magic of the original was missing. It did not last very long.

As I write this, you can find the original on YouTube:





I feel sorry for the poor Dog. Would you want to live with this family?





I wonder if the actors got to ad-lib anything. The dialogue sounds very natural.




Buffy's burping baby doll and Bev's reaction is one of my favorite parts of this show.

I wonder if it's just a coincidence that "Family Dog," Tim Burton's "Frankenweenie" and "Toy Story" all feature Bull Terriers as main characters. Maybe it's because there's something inherently funny about their appearance.

When Two Holidays Collide-Nightmare Before Christmas Treats

This is Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!

When Tim Burton's stop-motion animated film, The Nightmare Before Christmas, debuted in 1993, there wasn't much merchandise tied to the film. There were watches at Burger King, gift items from Applause, and a line of action figures. A good bit of that merchandise wound up getting marked down. Times have changed, and Jack Skellington and his crew are quite popular among collectors. The Jack plush toy above was a Disney Gram sold through the Disney Catalog.

When "Nightmare" debuted, it was actually released by Disney's Touchstone Pictures. There was some concern that the film was too dark. I believe the film was originally a Walt Disney Pictures release, but executives got cold feet and switched it to Touchstone.


The Disney Catalog has released a huge assortment of merchandise over the years. This cover featuring Lock, Shock and Barrel is from 2005.

I love seeing Halloween inflatables in neighborhoods. I have yet to see these, but I like them (especially Jack's flailing arms!).


Sally was also available. It looks like she and Oogie Boogie were stationary.




If you wanted, you could really give your home a Halloweentown makeover.



How about dressing up like Nightmare Before Christmas characters for Halloween? You can even dress up your dog, though your dog may not appreciate that.


It looks like it would be really tough to see out of that Jack Skellington mask.

Don't forget to decorate your front porch!


Those carved pumpkins look really impressive! There's lots of designs to choose from...



I really like these eerie lights.



How about decorating your Christmas tree with Jack Skellington heads? The animators working on the movie had different heads to pop on to the puppets. These ornaments show a few of Jack's facial expressions.



How about an Oogie Boogie candy dish for Halloween? Maybe you could fill it with gummy worms.


You can make your own Halloweentown with different miniature buildings.


It takes a village to create Halloween.

In 2005, Hawthorne Village created their own version of Halloween Town.

Hawthorne Village brought many of the buildings and characters from the movie to life (in light-up form).

I'm not sure if that cool moonlit background was included with the set.

Go ahead and get every piece in the set.  It's only money.

Hawthorne Village created other town themed collectibles, too.

You may want to check out It Takes A Universal Studios Monsters Halloween Village.

High-end collectors should not feel left out. The Disney Catalog offered limited edition pieces, too, like a Jack Skellington mask.


How about a mirror for your haunted dining room?


I like the character designs used for this nesting doll set.




I also think these felt ornaments are great...



As are these fun Christmas stockings!



Here's a great cuckoo clock by artist Addis Zaryan (he created some fantastic stylized Lion King merchandise for the Disney Catalog, too).


I've seen lots of Nightmare Before Christmas snow globes.

This one features the song "What's This?" I love the Christmastown Carousel with its Beluga Whale and other critters.

Ten years ago, Disneyland in California started changing its Haunted Mansion for Halloween and Christmas (Tokyo Disneyland in Japan also does this).



In October 2008, I got to visit Disneyland in California to experience "Haunted Mansion Holiday" for myself. It was one of my favorite parts about the trip.



New Orleans Square got mighty crowded with folks eager to see what was going on in the Haunted Mansion.


I did not even try to take pictures inside the attraction. I especially love how the Stretching Room is changed, and the Gingerbread House in the Grand Hall sequence (it is animated and smells wonderful).

I did manage to get some souvenirs!


Jack and his ghost dog, Zero, replace the Haunted Mansion's Caretaker and dog in the wonderful winter wonderland Graveyard scene. The Singing Busts have pumpkins on their heads.

Disneyland also had a great Jack Skellington bobblehead. Actually, I only saw this at the Disneyland Hotel, which is a short walk from Disneyland.


This bobblehead can also be found at Walt Disney World.

The hot item at Disneyland was a pair of Jack Skellington Mickey Mouse ears. I got a pair, of course!



Yes, I even had it personalized!


Happy Halloween, and Merry Christmas!

In Memory of William Glenn Scott (Glenn Shadix)

This week at work, I met an artist named Lisa Opielinski.  She was creating something to honor the memory of her friend, William Glenn Scott, who died September 7, 2010.  Today I learned from Lisa that her friend had a successful career as an actor, and went by the name Glenn Shadix.  He played Otho in the movie "Beetlejuice" and provided the voice of the Mayor in "Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas," among many other memorable film and television roles.  Much to my surprise, he was an Alabama native, and he died in his house in Birmingham.

I felt very fortunate that Lisa decided to tell me about Glenn, and very sad that he had passed away.