The film begins with two men, Harvey and Vernon, who are carrying a cage with a large dog into a warehouse where dogs are used for experiments. Their boss, Dr. Varnick tells them that he needs puppies. 

The next scene cuts to a pet store, where Beethoven, who’s a Saint Bernard puppy, is being adored by many. Things take a dark turn, though, when Harvey and Vernon break into the pet shop that evening. They kidnap the puppies, including Beethoven, and take them into their truck. A Jack Russell terrier manages to unlock its cage and even frees Beethoven. The two dogs escape.

Beethoven runs into the yard of the Newton family and then into their house. No one notices him.

The family does their usual. George has his wife, Alice, and two older children, Ted and Ryce, wake up. Beethoven runs past them, still not seen.

He climbs onto the bed of the youngest child, Emily, and licks her, which wakes her up. She is intrigued and shows him to her siblings and mother. Then she shows him to her dad, who becomes shocked. 

George resists the idea of having a dog in the family. But his kids love Beethoven. Alice even talks George out of taking the puppy away at the moment. So, he allows the kids to name him, which is, of course, Beethoven.

The next few scenes show the family taking care of the dog as he grows. George still loathes him, though. But Beethoven does kind things for the children.

Ryce is having trouble getting a boy at school to like her. Ted is being bullied. Beethoven succeeds in Ryce’s crush gaining interest in her. He also scares off Ted’s bullies. He eventually saves Emily from drowning.

Despite those nice things he’s done, George continues to hate him. He even makes him sleep in the backyard.

At some point, the Newtons take Beethoven to the vet. They meet Dr. Varnick, whom they don’t know mistreats animals and tests them. He convinces George that Saint Bernards can become aggressive and dangerous and to look out for any of those signs. 

As the story progresses, the kids’ love for Beethoven grows. Even Alice is starting to love him. But George still can’t stand him. He even supports the idea of having him put down.

What I appreciate about this movie is how it emphasizes loving a dog and considering it part of a family once it has one. I especially admire the Newton children and their love for Beethoven. They are completely realistic and relatable. Kids love their dogs. And we all know how common it is for them to convince their parents for dogs.

Although this is important to the story, I found George’s distaste for Beethoven to be too much. He even supported animal cruelty to some degree.

Which brings me to my next thought. Despite how lighthearted the film is, there are some moments of animal cruelty. That made me uncomfortable. Of course, since the movie is rated PG, the levels of mistreatment couldn’t go too high. However, it can still upset anyone, particularly those who are highly sensitive (like me), where cruelty of any kind hits them hard.

Another aspect to consider is that even though the movie is rated PG, there are a few minor uses of mild profanity. But kids will probably miss them. I watched this movie in elementary school and throughout my childhood. And I did not notice those little words.

Overall, the plot was well-executed, even including some twists and turns. The characters either pleased or displeased me. Because George could not stand Beethoven, I admire how Alice eventually did and would side with the kids.

I’d say that how much the children loved Beethoven and spending time with him was the crown jewel of this movie. It was so sweet. 

I give Beethoven 4 out of 5 stars and would recommend it.