Hotel for Dogs (film)

***Hotel for Dogs*** is a 2009 American family comedy film based on Lois Duncan's 1971 novel of the same name. The movie, directed by Thor Freudenthal, was adapted by Bob Schooley and Mark McCorkle (both of *Kim Possible* fame) along with Jeff Lowell. The picture stars Jake T. Austin, Emma Roberts, Troy Gentile, Kyla Pratt, Johnny Simmons, Lisa Kudrow, Kevin Dillon and Don Cheadle. It tells the story of two orphans, Andi and Bruce (played by Roberts and Austin), who attempt to hide their dog at an abandoned hotel after their strict new guardians tell them that pets are forbidden at their home. They also take in other dogs to avoid the dogs being taken away by two cold hearted animal pound workers and police officers.

The film is Nickelodeon's second film to be produced by DreamWorks Pictures[2] after *Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events* and the first Nickelodeon film ever to be produced outside of Paramount Pictures, which still distributed the film for DreamWorks. Shooting began in November 2007 and filming took place entirely in the cities of Los Angeles and Universal City, California.[3] The dogs in the film were trained for several months before shooting. Nearly 80 boys auditioned for the role of Bruce before Austin was ultimately selected.[4] The film was released in the United States on January 16, 2009, and grossed approximately $17 million in its opening weekend in 3,271 theaters.

## Plot

In Central City, Louisiana, orphans Andi (Emma Roberts) and Bruce (Jake T. Austin) rip off a pawn shop owner in order to buy food to feed their dog, Friday. However, they are quickly caught and brought to the police station where they get picked up by social worker, Bernie Wilkins (Don Cheadle) who takes them back to their foster parents, Lois and Carl Scudder (Lisa Kudrow and Kevin Dillon, respectively), who appear not to care for either Andi or Bruce. When the two demand to know where their foster children have been, Bernie covers for them, telling them that it was his fault they were late. Despite his sympathy for the two siblings, he warns them they are playing a dangerous game by deliberately getting into trouble in order to escape Carl and Lois. Their conduct could cause them to be placed in separate foster homes. Friday returns home during the visit and Bruce quickly bustles Bernie out the door, desperate to keep his presence secret.

The next morning, Andi and Bruce are horrified to find that Friday snuck downstairs and is dangerously close to being discovered by Lois. After a close call, Andi and Bruce rush Friday upstairs to their bedroom, where Friday promptly goes looking for food again. This time Friday is caught by Animal Control. Desperate and worried, Andi and Bruce go into a local pet shop to ask if anybody has seen him. They meet Dave (Johnny Simmons) and Heather, (Kyla Pratt) who advise them to check the pound. They learn that Friday is indeed in the Pound but cannot be claimed without their parents present. Andi pays for Friday's return and suggests to Bruce that they find him a new home. They're walking home when they discover a gang of youths breaking into an abandoned hotel. The gang flees when the police arrive. Andi urges Bruce to hide in the hotel rather than be discovered at the scene. They look for Friday, who has already begun to explore the hotel. They find a tiny Boston Terrier and an English Mastiff and name them Georgia and Lenny. Confident the three dogs will get along, Andi and Bruce leave Friday at the hotel for the night.

Andi and Bruce return to the hotel the next day. Andi warns her younger brother not to get too attached to the two stray dogs. Bruce stays at the hotel to keep the dogs quiet and creates a machine that allows them to play 'Fetch' whenever they like. Andi heads to the pet shop to get some food for the strays, claiming that her parents rescue dogs. Dave asks her to take in three more dogs-Shep, Romeo and Cooper- that nobody seems to want to adopt. Andi reluctantly agrees. When Dave and Heather arrive at the hotel they immediately agree to help the two siblings out. With six dogs to look after, the friends set about trying to get the hotel in a decent state to accommodate the dogs' needs, which includes building running machines, automatic feeders and a car simulator. A local boy named Mark offers his assistance as more stray dogs move in and occupy the hotel.

Back at the Scudder's household, Bernie eagerly tells them of a couple of new foster parents he's found for Andi and Bruce. The catch is that these new foster parents live hours away. The siblings turn the offer down in order to continue looking after the dogs, much to Bernie's bewilderment. While thinking over her decision, Dave invites Andi to a party. She accepts his invitation. Mark, meanwhile, makes various efforts to gain Heather's attention. Bruce is caught stealing a hairdryer from Lois while everyone else is at the party, and is immediately interrogated by his foster parents. The party is ruined for Andi when she bumps into an old acquaintance who accidentally reveals to everyone that Andi is an orphan. Bruce manages to escape his house, only to find the hotel in a state. Lois and Carl follow him and the police are called, the dogs quickly rounded up sent to the Pound. Bruce and Andi are taken away by two police officers. When Lois and Carl refuse to take Andi and Bruce back, Bernie is forced to send them to separate foster homes.

The dogs are all scheduled to be put down the next day, but Friday manages to escape captivity. He rushes over to find Dave, Heather and Mark, who in turn find Andi. They all rush to find Bruce. Meanwhile, Bernie explores the hotel and discovers that they left one dog behind, a beagle named Harley. He realizes why the kids loved doing what they did. Andi and Bruce manage to break into the Pound and release the dogs. Bruce entices the horde of dogs to follow Dave's van through the city with sausages in an attempt to get them to a "no-kill" shelter where they will be safe. However, the dogs break from the pursuit and Bruce realizes that they are heading "home." The strange event attracts the attention of the police, who follow the dogs to the hotel where Bernie is waiting. A large crowd gathers outside the hotel. Bernie tells them how Bruce, Andi and everyone else managed to create a family of dogs. He introduces all the dogs who live at the hotel and tells the stories of their past owners. The crowd is deeply touched and won over. The dog catchers are arrested, the pound is shut down and the police who always kept a close eye on the kids allow to keep the dogs together.

As people eagerly explore the hotel, Bernie reveals to an overjoyed Andi and Bruce that he and his wife have decided to adopt them. The hotel re-opens as a grand 'Hotel For Dogs', where people can either adopt strays or board their dogs. Although Lois and Carl are invited to provide entertainment for the 'Dog Lounge,' the dogs quickly grow bored with their act, and the two are sent offstage in disgrace. Meanwhile, Andi, Bruce and Friday happily settle into their new family.

 ***Nickelodeon Movies***