After seeing this video advertised on one of my children's television shows, I immediately sought it out. The animation reminded me of "My Neighbor Totoro" and "Kiki's Delivery Service" (both of which are among the best childrens' videos available, imho).

After peeling off the wrapper (which had a sticker on it which said it was suitable for ages 3 and up) I sat down to watch "The Dog of Flanders" with my two children (ages 7 and 9), and the three of us were bawling our eyes out by the end of the film (me primarily due to guilt for not screening it earlier!) My kids were devastated by the ending of this movie. This is NO Disney flick. Any of you familiar with Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Match Girl" will have an idea of how this story winds up.

I do, however, give this movie 5 stars because it is a beautifully rendered video of a classic tale. The characters are very well developed and the animation is really beautiful. However, this probably only served to contribute to the sense of horror my children experienced when the video was finally over. They were truly inconsolable.

If you do decide to purchase this video, please be sure to watch it yourself before screening it for your kids.

Where do I start, without giving anything away? I watched this movie yesterday with my daughter. We were thinking, "La-tee-da, a happy movie, with beautiful Japanese animation (in the tradition of Kiki's Delivery Service and Totoro), about a boy and his dog . . ." And boy, were we in for a loo-loo of a surprise. I never cried so much at an animated movie, I gave myself one mondo killer headache, attempting to retain some composure for my child's sake, but lost it in the end, and we both sat there, in her room and cried together. She summed things up pretty well, when she said, "Mommy, sometimes sad movies are still beautiful." And this one is a beautiful story indeed.
The movie is about a young boy and his love for his dog.(and vice versa) It's also about art/love and the beauty of art, as the young boy, the center of the movie, Nello, loves to draw, and does it well. He longs to see some of the paintings of Reubens, but cannot afford the cost of viewing the paintings.
I guess the overall message of the movie is that, God is beauty and art and love and the three of these things are all one giant amorphous blob of , well, blob of goodness . . .and that human lives are fragile and finite.
I wouldn't recommend this for the very young, and would suggest parents view the entire movie (with tissue nearby) before showing to the kiddies.

I remember my mom buying me a comic book of this story when i was 6 years old. It was in chinese and I couldn't read it, but I loved the book so much. I cherished that book. It's been 18 years since I seen it, this movie Is wonderful. I believe it is a bit mature for young children, but a must see for everyone. It isn't everyday that a cartoon movie can make a grown man cry.

This is a fantastic and superb account of Joe DiMaggio's baseball career and a sad account of his life after baseball. DiMaggio the player was without parallel. DiMaggio the man apparently fell way short of the mark.and is very sad to realize what a sad, lonely man he really was.Cramer has written a masterful biography of a very complex and complicated man.

Richard Ben Cramer has written a very interesting and well-written biography about Joe DiMaggio that is hard to put down. Be warned, however, that much of what is written about DiMaggio will make you realize that he may not have been as deserving of the pedestal on which the American public allowed him to live his life. Rather, Cramer makes DiMaggio less of an icon and more like what the rest of us are -- mere mortals and very human. Cramer certainly gives DiMaggio his due as an outstanding baseball player and worthy of the legendary status he still holds. However, he does not mince words in describing DiMaggio's frailties as a husband and father as well as his self-centeredness and, oftentimes, selfishness as a friend and business associate. While DiMaggio has been loved and worshiped by millions of people for his heroic baseball accomplishments, he appears to have lived much of his private life -- particularly his post-baseball life -- as a lonely and unhappy man.

Richard Ben Cramer's "Joe DiMaggio: A Hero's Life" is much more than a biography about a baseball player. It is a book that transcends the game and it's players and very clearly makes evident that the public image created by the media about our heroes may not be true representations of what these people are really like. Much controversy has surrounded this book in terms of the honesty in which Cramer portrays various episodes about DiMaggio's life. Regardless of how much of what is written is true, this is a book that is well worth reading and one I'd highly recommend.

While The Hero's Life is an excellent book about one of the three best baseball players who have ever lived, you have to wonder how much is true. Mr Cramer does list many sources and is wonderful at telling the story of Joe DiMaggio's life. DiMaggio kept the people whom he did not want in his life out and probably for good reason. The question does linger however that since he is basing most of the book on second hand information how much is true. An excellent book that was hard to put down I have recomended it many people. Having never seen Joe DiMaggio play and him seemingly in secrecy for most of his life I found him to be an "interesting" person. He was, is and should always be an American Icon; bringing a country that was embattled in war together for a brief point in history. If you dont know anything about Joe DiMaggio but would like to, this book is a must.