How to watch

All Dogs Go to Heaven arrived in 1989 from Don Bluth, the animator behind The Land Before Time and An American Tail. The film follows Charlie B. Barkin, a German Shepherd con artist voiced by Burt Reynolds, who sneaks back from heaven to settle a score and ends up protecting an orphan named Anne-Marie. Its success spawned a theatrical sequel, a syndicated animated series, and a holiday movie that served as the series finale.

🕐 Release Order

Release order follows Charlie's adventures exactly as audiences first saw them, from the original film through the final Christmas special.

1. All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989)
2. All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 (1996)
3. All Dogs Go to Heaven: The Series (1996)
4. An All Dogs Christmas Carol (1998)

The franchise is refreshingly linear. The TV series follows on from the second film, with Charlie and Itchy working as guardian angels, and the Christmas special wraps everything up.

📖 Story Chronology

Chronologically, the order is the same as release. The second film brings Charlie back to Earth to recover Gabriel's Horn, the series continues his heavenly missions, and the Christmas Carol riff closes the story.

1. All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989)
2. All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 (1996)
3. All Dogs Go to Heaven: The Series (1996)
4. An All Dogs Christmas Carol (1998)

Which Order Should You Choose?

Watch in release order. The original film is the must-see entry, with Don Bluth's moody hand-drawn animation and a surprisingly emotional ending that still makes viewers tear up decades later. All Dogs Go to Heaven 2, with Charlie Sheen taking over as Charlie, is lighter fun. The TV series is optional and episodic, so dip in for a few episodes before finishing with An All Dogs Christmas Carol, a fitting send-off that mirrors Charles Dickens' classic.

🔗 Related Guides

• An American Tail Watch OrderGuide
• The Land Before Time Watch OrderGuide
• Balto Watch OrderGuide

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