Hotel For Dogs (PG) ***

Who knew the dog house would be this much fun?

A scene from Hotel for Dogs.

By Connie Ogle, The Miami Herald

One can only imagine the chaos on set, but on screen Hotel for Dogs is a lively, funny, imaginative film that should appeal to kids and their pet-loving parents, especially if mom and dad are still sniffling over the harsher realities of Marley & Me.

The film, about two plucky foster kids (Emma Roberts and Jake T. Austin) who rescue strays in the big city, admirably doesn't sugarcoat what happens to unwanted dogs captured by animal control workers -- sorry, kids, they don't go to that special farm your parents told you about -- but it's subtle about conveying the uglier facts while relaying the positive message that adopting a pet and saving a life is an important thing to do.

At first, orphaned siblings Andi and Bruce are merely protecting their dog Friday, an adorably naughty terrier that can smell a hot dog a mile away and is clearly smarter than some of the editors with whom I work. But he's unwanted by their meathead, metalhead foster parents (Lisa Kudrow and Kevin Dillon), so the kids struggle to come up with new ways to hide him, running afoul of the law and an exasperated but kindly social worker (Don Cheadle, who manages his role with more dignity than a lesser actor could muster).

Then they stumble across an abandoned hotel, and, with the help of a cute boy who works at the pet store and a couple of other kids, they create a stray dog's dream house, complete with fetching machines, automated meal service and assembly-line toilets. (This movie is for kids, so be prepared for a few dog poop jokes.) The Rube Goldbergesque designs add tremendously to the movie's already potent charm.

Naturally there is peril, with Friday proving himself to be every bit as heroic as his young owners. It's all silly but remarkably fun and should wring smiles from even the grouchiest cat lover. The credits end with photos of the cast and crew with their pets, which only enhances the film's upbeat message: Dogs are an important part of the family.

Cast: Emma Roberts, Jake T. Austin, Don Cheadle, Lisa Kudrow, Kevin Dillon

Director: Thor Freudenthal

Screenwriters: Jeff Lowell, Robert Schooley, Mark McCorkle. Based on the book by Lois Duncan.

Producers: Jonathan Gordon, Ewan Leslie, Lauren Shuler Donner

A Paramount release. Running time: 100 minutes. Thematic elements, language, some crude humor. Playing at area theaters.