The Dog Who Saved Christmas

2009 1h 29m EN

😐

5.0

MID

★5.0TMDB · 43

FamilyComedyTV Movie

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Zeus, a Labrador Retriever and a former police dog, has lost his bark after his barking ended up blowing off a five-year investigation and his partner can't shoot straight again and ends up at the pound. He is adopted by a father as both an early Christmas present and as a guard dog for the house, but the mom remains hesitant.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Gary Valentine
George Bannister
Elisa Donovan
Belinda Bannister
Dean Cain
Ted Stein
Mario López
Zeus (voice)
Adrienne Barbeau
Cat Lady
Charlie Stewart
Ben Bannister
Sierra McCormick
Kara Bannister
Caia Coley
Donna Jameson

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Michael Feifer
Writers: Michael Ciminera, Richard Gnolfo, Michael Ciminera
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

89 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 17 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "The Dog Who Saved Christmas Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Michael Feifer, shot by Hank Baumert Jr.. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Andres Boulton. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Matt Steinauer shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Gary Valentine and Elisa Donovan and Dean Cain carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt1356395 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Michael Feifer directs. Hank Baumert Jr. behind the camera. Andres Boulton scores. Matt Steinauer cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

189 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Released 17 years ago.
3Part of the "The Dog Who Saved Christmas Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by Michael Feifer, shot by Hank Baumert Jr.. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Andres Boulton. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Matt Steinauer shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Gary Valentine and Elisa Donovan and Dean Cain carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt1356395 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 43 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Hank Baumert Jr.
Original score: Andres Boulton
Editing: Matt Steinauer
Production design: Richard G. Calderon
Costume design: Heather Hershman
Makeup / hair: Claudia Londoño
Sound: Andres Boulton
Runtime: 89 min · 1h 29m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: The Dog Who Saved Christmas (2009)

Part of

The Dog Who Saved Christmas Collection

The Dog Who Saved Christmas is a TV movie starring Dean Cain, Gary Valentine and the voice of Mario López (and later Joey Lawrence). It was written by childhood friends Michael Ciminera and Richard Gnolfo, and premiered on ABC Family on November 29, 2009 during their Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas programming block.