Don Bluth’s 1989 animated film, ‘All Dogs Go to Heaven’, at first glance appears to be a children’s movie, but it is filled with surprisingly adult moments and has a darker tone than is typical for projects aimed at a young audience.
The story follows Charlie B. Barkin, a German Shepherd with a troubled past, who embarks on a path of redemption alongside Anne-Marie (voiced by Judith Barsi), an orphaned girl with the ability to talk to animals. While the ending of this story is not the saddest possible, the film leaves a deep emotional impact not only on young viewers but on adults as well.
Tragically, the events surrounding the making of All Dogs Go to Heaven turned out to be far darker than many of the film’s most emotional moments. On July 27, 1988, more than a year before the movie’s release, the young Judith Barsi and her parents, József and Maria, were found dead in their California home in what was determined to be a murder-suicide. Judith was only ten years old. It was believed that József, described as an abusive husband and father, shot his wife and daughter, doused their bodies in gasoline, and set fire to the house before taking his own life.
In addition to her work on All Dogs Go to Heaven, Judith Barsi also starred in the 1987 film Jaws: The Revenge, which was her big-screen debut, and appeared as a guest star on a number of popular TV shows. Before her tragic death, she voiced another memorable animated project for Don Bluth.
A year before All Dogs Go to Heaven was released, Bluth brought out The Land Before Time, the story of five young dinosaurs, which is regarded as one of the greatest animated films of all time. Judith Barsi voiced the young Saurolophus, Ducky. Ducky’s catchphrase, “Yep! Yep! Yep!” became so beloved by audiences that it was later inscribed on Judith’s tombstone.
Bluth later recalled that this tragedy deeply shook everyone who worked on All Dogs Go to Heaven, so much so that production was temporarily suspended. He explained that they couldn’t hear her voice and that everyone would start to cry, so it stopped the work for a while.
