The dog talks, the innocuous lead actors fall in love, in the end (as always) good triumphs over evil.
And, according to producer David Devine, Bailey's Billion$ is exactly the sort of movie the world needs right now.
No drugs, no sex, no violence.
It's not a religious philosophy that drives Toronto-based Devine Entertainment's squeaky-clean films, but a belief that too few appropriate children's movies are produced, especially for children aged 6 to 12.
"The best children's films are the films that can be watched by the whole family," says Devine, 49. "It's another option for parents who can watch what their kids are watching."
Bailey's Billion$ is a film about a talking golden retriever who inherits a company and a billion-dollar fortune from his elderly mistress and guides his wayward keeper in the habits of love and life. Opening Aug. 5, it has the usual round-up of classic characters: the lavish industrialists who use Bailey's company, a puppy mill masquerading as the Animal Rights and Research Foundation and the trio of do-gooders (and Bailey) who set out to stop them.
Bailey's Billion$, Devine added, is candy. But it's moral candy with a clear sense of right and wrong. "Films today are missing, in part, some form of wisdom and moral, ethical lessons," he says.
He describes the film as a bit like the old Warner Bros. cartoons. "I love the idea of freezing innocence for a moment longer," Devine says. "If I can do that, then I've done what I've set out to do as a filmmaker. . . . A moment in time for a child to be happy is satisfying."
He says the film didn't set out to make a political point, but he does hope it will inspire children to respect animals. "Puppy mills are a huge industry and a vulgar affront to the proper treatment of animals," he says. "They should be illegal."
Devine Entertainment has been creating children's programming for more than 20 years. Despite his experience, Devine says he can't define exactly how a producer decides what will translate into a great film. "A lot of it is a hunch," he says. "You have to love the story."
Bailey's Billion$ is the company's first break into feature film, but its television shows and specials have been nominated for five Emmys and five Gemini awards. "Our films try to educate the imaginations of children," Devine says.
Their best-known show, Emmy-winner Beethoven Lives Upstairs (1989), teaches kids about the life of Ludwig van Beethoven through the eyes of a child who lives downstairs.
Beethoven is part of a series of historical features for children that follow the lives of famous artists and inventors.
"You have to study the past to try to understand the future," he says. "We take the past for granted."
An upcoming film Devine is working on, entitled Red, is about a 17-year-old Red Riding Hood who develops amnesia, goes to high school and is trailed by a wolf-cum-teenage-boy. The two then fall in love.
When Bailey's Billion$ opens today, Devine is certain children will enjoy the film. His proof: Francesca, his four-and-a-half-year-old daughter, sat through the 93-minute flick three times and still wants to see it again.
"I just hope the kids leave the theatre with a big smile on their face."