Beethoven (film) Jones as Dr. Herman Varnick. It features music composed by Ludwig van Beethoven. Principal photography began on May 1, 1991, in Los Angeles, California. A group of puppies are stolen from a pet store by two thieves. A St. Bernard escapes and sneaks into the Newtons' home. The workaholic father, George Newton, doesn't want the responsibility of owning a dog, but his wife, Alice, and their children, Ryce, Ted and Emily, convince him. When Emily plays a portion of Ludwig van Beethoven's Fifth Symphony on the piano, he barks along and they name him Beethoven. Beethoven helps the children overcome
Beethoven (film) praised as heroes by the news and George takes a new liking to Beethoven. Ryce also gets a phone call from her crush. The family then goes to sleep, saying good night to Beethoven and all of the dogs they rescued, who are all sleeping in the Newtons' bedroom. The dogs featured in the film were owned and trained by Eleanor Keaton. Beethoven is played by canine actor Chris, age 12. The film received negative reviews from critics. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, it has an approval rating of 33%, based on reviews from 27 critics, with an average score