January 11, 2000
Web posted at: 4:19 p.m. EST (2119 GMT)

From Lauren Hunter
CNN Entertainment News Correspondent

LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- "My Dog Skip" opens in limited release on Wednesday, starring a canine with quite a pedigree.

Skip is the offspring of Eddie in "Frasier." In this movie, Skip's canine character drags a boy out of his shell and teaches him life lessons on love, friendship and forgiveness. The coming-of-age tale is based on a best-seller by Willie Morris that recounts growing up in Yazoo City, Mississippi, in 1942.

Director Jay Russell says the movie's themes still apply today. "It's about friendship and loyalty, and those are timeless themes," he says.

Frankie Muniz -- the star of FOX's new sitcom "Malcolm in the Middle" -- portrays Willie, a shy, gawky only child with an overprotective father (Kevin Bacon). His mother, played by Diane Lane, gives Willie a Jack Russell terrier puppy on his 9th birthday to keep him company and perhaps give him some freedom.

A family film, the production gave father and son -- Skip and Eddie -- a chance to work together. Eddie made a cameo appearance as the older Skip. Another perk for Skip included his own air-conditioned trailer.

"I'm always jealous of any animal that gets better treatment than me," Bacon says. "I remember one time we had dogs on 'The River Wild' (1994). We had to be helicoptered in and out of the location every day. Everything was fine until I saw that they were loading the dogs on before me, onto the chopper. ... That's where I had to pull some star power."

Bacon says he's a dog lover, though. He's got one named Paulie. "He's a Labrador 'deceiver' -- some kind of a black mutt-thing happening," he says.

Skip's energy was a change of pace for Muniz, who has an 18-pound cat at home. "The cat just sits there and sleeps and eats," he says. "That's what my cat does because he's so fat. The only thing he can do is meow when you say, 'Do you want to eat?'"

Muniz says he bonded with Skip. "He was my pet," he says, "because I was always with him every day -- all day -- hanging around with him. He's just so great."

How great?

"This dog could do the most amazing tricks imaginable," director Russell says. "It could drive a car. It could play football. It could play baseball. I mean, my dog, you know, can barely get up in the morning. "

So on this film, it's clear who's top dog.