Hounded (2001) is an original movie from the Disney Channel that has a blend of family comedy, adventure and some antagonism. The film, directed by Neal Israel features Taj Mowry and Shia LaBeouf and tells the story of an adventurous boy and his consequences with a trouble-making dog.
Plot Summary:
The focus of the story is on Jay Martin (played by Taj Mowry), who is a stubborn high school student aspiring to win a lucrative scholarship. Jay’s major rival is Ronnie Van Dusen (played by Shia LaBeouf), a headmaster’s son. Ronnie does not care what means to use in order to achieve his goal and when he learns of a missing essay that is part of Jay’s winning scholarship application, Jay accuses Ronnie.
Determined to get his essay back, Jay breaks into Ronnie’s home where things go wrong and he finds himself ‘dog-sitting’ a rich and hyperactive Pomeranian called Camille. Circumstances make it hard for Jay to focus as Camille proves to be overly active and mischievous. The cutedog Camille is moreover involved in this as Ronnie and Ward “Van dusen” (portrayed by Craig Kirkwood) went searching for her leading to funny and awkward situations.
The tensions within the story rise up as Jay attempts to keep on course in as far as his scholarship targets are concerned, and at the same time contains Camille’s love for masked flings. While Jay and his sibling attempt to manipulate Ronnie and his influential parent, they are taught about things related to justice, rivalry, as well as truthfulness.
Key Cast:
Taj Mowry as Jay Martin: The main character who is depicted as an earnest, bright, and very hardworking student with a naked obsession for the scholarship.
Shia LaBeouf as Ronnie Van Dusen: A spoilt and very competitive classmate of Jay who does not hesitate to undermine Jay for his own benefit.
Craig Kirkwood as Ward Van Dusen: Ronnie’s unsparing father who is also the headmaster of the school.
Ed Begley Jr. as Mr. Martin: Father to Jay.
Sara Paxton as Tracy: A friend of Jay, with whom he might fall in love.
Themes:
Competition and Integrity: The story’s main concept is conflict, and how it is resolved in the movie plot is what makes this film interesting; in some cases fair competition while in others unscrupulous means are employed.
Family and Friendship: The movie also has some aspects of families, notably the case of Jay and his little brother and how friends should value truth in their friendships.
A Lot of Humour/A Lot of Chaos: The lady with the Duran Duran t-shirt is responsible for the most irreparable chaos in the movie and hence even though she plays a minor part, she becomes an icon. All the issues which Jay had to forge ahead, Camille, becomes the favourite pooch of the woman.
RECEPTION
Hounded was popular among the children and younger audience mainly because of its comic elements, decorated performance, and adolescent issues. Taj Mowry’s appearance is cast in a good light due to the character’s charm and humor, and a for-kid B-movie Shia LaBeouf impressively delivered comic timing for a bratty villain.
Although not revolutionary, Hounded will be cherished in fans’ collective memories as one of the cute and cheerful Disney Channel Original Movies that was packed with lots of light-hearted adventure, humour and just a small touch of a fair fight moral.