Hotel for Dogs (2009) on Netflix
Orphaned siblings Andi and Bruce must hide their dog Friday from foster parents who forbid pets. Animal control takes him, and they find him in a vacant hotel.
- Netflix3.6/5
- IMDb5.5/1026,762 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes46%
Trailer
Plot summary
After their parents die, Andi and Bruce live with foster parents Lois and Carl Scudder, who allow no animals in the house, so the siblings keep their dog Friday out of sight. Friday is caught by animal control, and at a pet store Dave and Heather advise the children to check the pound, where he is held. They get him back and find him taking shelter in an abandoned hotel with a Boston Terrier and a mastiff, whom they name Georgia and Lenny. Bruce, who has a knack for mechanics, works to make the place fit for dogs. Andi runs into Dave and Heather again, and Dave asks her to take in three more dogs nobody wants to adopt, so more strays arrive at the hotel.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Hotel for Dogs (2009)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Jake T. Austin was a late arrival to the audition process for Bruce, trying out only after nearly 80 other boys had already auditioned for the role.
- Animal trainer Mark Forbes and his team spent about four months preparing the film's dogs before shooting began, starting untrained dogs on basic commands like sit and roll over before moving them on to retrieving objects and waving.
- Special effects supervisor Michael Lantieri built one of Bruce's dog-fetching gadgets from a bicycle and a mannequin hand, timed so the wheels turn and a magnetic ball sticks to the hand until it swings round and launches for the dog to chase.
- Most of the dogs cast in the film were rescues, including the lead dog playing Friday, who had been rescued only about six months before shooting; crew members later helped find adoptive homes for the abandoned dogs and several adopted dogs themselves.
