The Shaggy Dog (1959 film)

The Shaggy Dog
Theatrical release poster
Directed byCharles Barton
Screenplay byLillie Hayward
Bill Walsh
Based onThe Hound of Florence
by Felix Salten
Produced byWalt Disney
Bill Walsh
Starring
Narrated byPaul Frees
CinematographyEdward Colman
Edited byJames Ballas
Music byPaul J. Smith
Production
company
Distributed byBuena Vista Distribution
Release date
  • March 19, 1959 (1959-03-19)
Running time
104 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budgetunder $1 million or $1,250,000
Box office$12.3 million (US and Canada rentals)

The Shaggy Dog is a 1959 American fantasy comedy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and loosely based on the 1923 novel The Hound of Florence by Felix Salten. Directed by Charles Barton from a screenplay by Lillie Hayward and Bill Walsh, the film stars Fred MacMurray, Tommy Kirk, Jean Hagen, Kevin Corcoran, Tim Considine, Roberta Shore, and Annette Funicello. The film follows a teenage boy named Wilby Daniels who, by the power of an enchanted ring of the Borgias, is transformed into a shaggy Old English Sheepdog.

The film was released on March 19, 1959, and grossed over $9 million during its initial release, making it the second-highest-grossing film of 1959. Its success led to a franchise of further films, beginning with the 1976 sequel The Shaggy D.A.. There followed a 1987 television sequel, a 1994 television remake and a 2006 theatrical live-action remake.