HispanicBusiness

"Viva Chihuahuas" just may be the new "Yo quiero Taco Bell." The Chihuahua craze that began with the infamous commercials is about to explode yet again, with the opening of Disney's new movie, Beverly Hills Chihuahua.

The film's promotion began with a viral YouTube video entitled "Viva Chihuahuas," in which a Chihuahua named Papi gives an impassioned speech calling for the end of usging his breed as an accessory, a fad led by Paris Hilton and the Legally Blonde movies:

"Will we be dressed in sweaters and carried in purses? No mas! Will we obey? No mas! Will we fetch? No mas! ... The day is upon us! Viva Chihuahuas!"


The family movie is about a spoiled Chihuahua named Chloe (voice of Drew Barrymore) who gets lost during a trip to Mexico and must find her way back home. Upon hearing that the dog he loves from afar is lost, Papi (voice of George Lopez) organizes a search party to rescue her. During her journey, Chloe begins to find herself and embrace her Hispanic heritage.

Directed by Raja Gosnell (Home Alone, Pretty Woman) and written by movie newcomers Jeff Bushell and Analisa LaBianco, the all-star cast includes Manolo Cardona, Jamie Lee Curtis, Piper Perabo, and the voices of Andy Garcia, Placio Domingo, Edward James Olmos, Paul Rodriguez and Cheech Marin.

That the film features some of the biggest names in Hispanic cinema is a testament to the producers' quest to keep the film true to its meaning. "One priority was to attract the kind of talent that would uphold the film's largely Mexican setting," said producer Todd Lieberman.

"I think audiences are going to be surprised at the scale of the movie. It's a huge adventure. It's a sweeping trek through Mexico with beautiful landscapes, amazing locations, and really special dogs, who I think will just steal everybody's heart. But, it's also got a soul and it's made with a lot of love, and I think they're going to feel that," explained Director Raja Gosnell.

The casting of the dogs was true to the idea that a dog's life is about more than the purebred experience of spa treatments and designer clothes. Of the more than 200 dogs in the movie, many were rescued from shelters in Los Angeles and Mexico, including the Chihuahua who played Papi.

"People can get very caught up in whether a dog is purebred, and it really doesn't matter. A great dog is a great dog. The trainers could train the dogs found in rescues, and within six months, these dogs were performing like superstars. It really goes to show if a dog is given a good home he can be the best dog in the world," said lead trainer and animal coordinator Mike Alexander.

After filming finished, rescued dogs were adopted by their trainers, cast and crew members, or placed in "other loving homes."

Although they monitored the movie's animal care, The Humane Society of the United States has expressed concern about the movie's effects, saying "as history has shown, when a particular breed is featured in film or television, demand goes up and puppy mills are only too happy to breed more dogs to cash in on the craze."

At the film's premier, a group of protesters held signs urging moviegoers not to buy a Chihuahua on impulse, and if they do buy one to adopt from a shelter.

Disney, perhaps due to the rise and fall of Dalmatian popularity that followed their film 101 Dalmatians, took the initiative to curb any Chihuahua craze by displaying a note at the end of the film and on the main page of the movie's Web site, which emphasized the serious responsibilities that come with owning a dog and that the decision to buy a dog should not be taken lightly.

"We felt this was an important message to visibly relay," a Disney spokesperson told the media.

The Humane Society emphasizes the importance of adopting from shelters. In Los Angeles, perhaps the center of the Chihuahua craze, a Humane Society survey of animal shelters found Chihuahuas in the top five breeds in their facilities.

But while owning a Chihuahua might not be right for everybody, Beverly Hills Chihuahua is a way that all audiences can join in the craze and proclaim "Viva Chihuahuas!"