The Adventures of Milo and Otis

0 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

Horrible kids movie. Really bad., 2010-05-19
"Milo And Otis" br /-------------------------------- br /This is a wretchedly bad kids' movie... Shallow, poorly scripted, cruel to the animal actors and insincere about the cruelty (the narrator ascribes emotions to the animals that are clearly not what they are feeling ("happy" while obviously distressed, etc.) Plus, it's just dumb, simply moronic, insulting to the intelligence of the children it's aimed at. Really: don't bother. (Axton)

0 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

ANIMALS TREATED BADLY!!!!!, 2010-05-09
I'm not an activist. I rented this movie for my little 2 yr old. We thought it was cute in the beginning with all the little farm animals. UNTIL THE ANIMLAS WERE PLACED IN DANGEROUS SITUATIONS. The cat with a bear, the puppy with a bear, the kitten getting attacked by many seagulls, the kitten falling down the falls, and thrown off a cliff into the rocky coast,and a tired cold little dog in the freezing winter snow!!!! br / br /I really would not buy this movie for any child!! br / br /Animals were treated badly and killed!!!!!!!!! br / br /A little grafic!! YOU WILL ACTUALLY SEE THE CAT AND DOG GIVE BIRTH. I wonder if they were harmed in other movies as well!! br / br /Homeward Bound is MUCH MUCH BETTER!!!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

A cute animal story, 2010-04-03
I have always loved this movie. A cute dog and a cute cat, its the perfect basis for a charming film. Filmed in Japanese, Milo and Otis has been re narrated in English by Dudley Moore (he plays every characters so if you don't like him, don't watch) and also had English music added. The music is warm and folksy and perfectly fits the movie. The cinematography is great. In fact, it took four years for them to film this since they were working with live animals. br / br /It starts out on a small farm where a litter of kittens is being born. Milo is one of those kittens. From the very beginning he is always getting himself in trouble and is very eager to explore the world around him. He makes friends with Otis, a pug puppy who also lives on the farm. Together they have adventures, play games, and generally make a nuisance of themselves. br / br /One day, Milo takes it too far. Playing hide n' seek in a box in the river, the box becomes detached and starts traveling down the fast moving water. It travels a long way from the farm, with Otis trailing behind to try to save his friend. br / br /The adventure officially begun, the two animals must overcome many hardships to be reunited. They meet several wild animals, some friendly, some not. Milo just tries to survive while Otis searches for him. br / br /When they are finally reunited, something else comes along to break them apart. However, as it is not life ending, they are able to overcome it and become the best of friends, traveling to get back home. br / br /There has been a lot of controversy surrounding this movie. Claims of animal cruelty and animal death to make the movie abound. Having searched the web, I came to the conclusion that this can be neither proved nor disproved. Also, one must look at what actually animal cruelty is. A lot of people are upset about the scene between Milo and the crab, however, the director did not make the crab pinch him, they were two animals doing what came naturally. Also, there are complaints about the animals being distressed. I wonder if these same people complain about horses in distress in war movies that are made where the whites of their eyes are showing and they are forced onto the ground in mock battle. I'm not advocating animal cruelty or its use in movies, but I think its a very fine line to judge this movie as so. Until its proven, I believe the movie should be judged on its merits, not what people think happened to the animals. Innocent until proven guilty. And now I'll step off my soapbox. br / br /Suitability for very young children could also be questioned. There are live scenes of both a cat and a dog giving birth in the movie. The camera doesn't cut away, but instead shows one of each animal being born. This might be disturbing for some young viewers, however, more likely it will inspire loads of questions for mom and dad. While it wouldn't bother me to show it to my future children, some parents may want to be handy with the fast forward button. br / br /Since I was a child this movie has been one of my favorites. The way they filmed these animals was incredible and I always enjoy watching it again to reminisce.

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

Ignoring Scenes of Animal Distress = Enjoyable, Cute Movie, 2010-03-01
I would like to give this film more stars, as there are myriad adorable scenes in the film that brought a smile to my face. My husband and I enjoyed many aspects of the film to begin with, but as the film unfolded, we became increasingly disturbed by multiple scenes and "enactments" which we personally would not dream of subjecting our own cat or dog to, for ANY reason, animal handler involvement or no. Speaking as casual movie viewers, we couldn't help but speculate that much of what was filmed (in Europe or Japan?) in 1986, could not and would not be considered acceptable and/or legal in the film industry today. Theoretically speaking, other viewers and fans of the movie (perhaps within the context of their trusting the animal trainers/handlers) might feel perfectly loving putting their own pets through scenes that frankly disturbed us and occasionally horrified us. To each his/her own. br / br / br /Here's my "pros and cons" list on this film: br / br /Pros: br / br /- General animal charm and "cuteness" caught on film, at times combined with cinematic natural beauty br /- Scenes with the cat and dog playing together, other assorted playful scenes with animals br /- Scenes with the cat and dog cuddling/napping together, and cute scenes of the cat cuddling/napping with the following animals: a baby deer, a piglet, a family of pigs, and a cow. br /- Scene with a fox and pug playing together br /- Myriad scenes I enjoyed that appeared to me to be harmless and un-distressing to the animals being filmed br / br / br / br /Cons: br / br /- Sending a cat down a river in a box, through rapids, and down a waterfall. br /- Throwing a cat over a cliff into the ocean. br /- Placing a tiny pug and a young black bear in the water together to "enact" a fight scene. br /- Allowing a cat on a cliff to be attacked by a flock of seagulls br /- Stranding a distressed pug on a tiny rock in the ocean, surrounded by rising tide br /- Placing a cat in a tree with a snake br /- Placing a frightened cat in a tree with a black bear br /- Obviously the crab biting the cat's face hurt, no doubt, but personally, I think it paled next to some of the above scenes. br /- There were other smaller scenes that generally made me wince in empathy for the animal "actors". br / br / br / br /In conclusion, if you don't like the sound of the "cons" section above, I'd recommend checking out a film like "Babe", it's a delight, and I don't recall ever feeling disturbed or questioning the animals treatment by handlers while viewing it. I haven't seen "Homeward Bound" so I can't recommend it, although I've noticed it being mentioned by folks that found "Milo and Otis" objectionable. br / br /I do find it interesting how polarized and heated the comments are surrounding this movie, as well as the "was this review helpful or not" votes. There is clearly a heated war amongst viewers as to whether the filming process was distressful or cruel to the animal "actors".

2 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

It IS Cruel !, 2009-12-10
I bought this movie for my little one because I loved it as a child. However upon watching it again as an adult I can totally tell that it is cruel to animals.I then did some research and sure enough its very controversial. br / br /They do a number of cruel things to the creatures in here. br /I began to notice something was wrong when they sent the cat down river in a box,which includes it going over a falls(with a real cat in the box !!). br /That cat is unhappy and frightened,you can tell by the tone of his meows,and its a real cat w/a real voice .... br / br /When will we stop enjoying being "entertained" by the idea of animals in pain? The cruelty br /handed out to animals in this film,all for our entertainment reminds me of the movie King Cong,another movie where we sit and enjoy being entertained for an hour or so by viewing an animal that is unhappy.