Beethoven's 2nd VHS, the 1993 Universal St. Bernard family comedy Beethoven's 2nd VHS. MCA / Universal Home Video, 1994 home video release of the December 1993 theatrical sequel. The one with Beethoven, Missy, and the four puppies (Tchaikovsky, Chubby, Dolly, Mo). Charles Grodin and Bonnie Hunt back as the Newton parents, Nicholle Tom and Christopher Castile back as the kids. One copy on the shelf. The film Beethoven's 2nd hit US theaters December 17, 1993. Rod Daniel directing, Universal Pictures distributing, Len Blum on the story credit. The setup picks up after the 1992 original: George Newton (Charles Grodin) is still resigned to having a 200-pound St. Bernard in the house, his wife Alice (Bonnie Hunt) and the kids are still all-in on the dog, and the family rhythm is going fine until Beethoven meets Missy, another St. Bernard, in the park. Four puppies follow. Missy's owner Regina (Debi Mazar) turns out to be using Missy as a divorce-settlement bargaining chip and wants the puppies for the cash value. The Newton family takes the puppies in to keep them away from Regina, and the second half of the film runs the chase and rescue beats. The supporting cast holds it together. Debi Mazar and Chris Penn play the antagonist couple. Sarah Rose Karr is back as the youngest Newton kid Emily. The puppies do most of the visual heavy lifting. The film grossed $118 million worldwide on a $15 million budget, which made it more profitable on paper than some of the bigger 1993 holiday releases that came in alongside it (Mrs. Doubtfire, Wayne's World 2, Schindler's List in the prestige slot). Where it fits in the Beethoven series Beethoven's 2nd is the last theatrical Beethoven film. The 1992 original opened the franchise and put the St. Bernard on the map as a movie dog alongside the era's Lassie revival and the Air Bud series that came later. Everything after Beethoven's 2nd was direct-to-video: Beethoven's 3rd (2000), 4th (2001), 5th (2003), Big Break (2008), Christmas Adventure (2011), Treasure Tail (2014). Universal kept the series alive on home-video shelves for two decades, but the theatrical run stopped here, which makes the 1993 tape the second of two theatrical-cut Beethoven home video issues. The 1990s family-comedy VHS shelf The early-to-mid 1990s family comedy slate on VHS is its own collector category at this point. Home Alone, Beethoven, Beethoven's 2nd, Mrs. Doubtfire, Free Willy, The Mighty Ducks trilogy, Cool Runnings, Sister Act, Three Men and a Baby, all of them moved through Universal, Disney, and Warner Home Video on the same release cadence: theatrical run in late autumn or summer, VHS pressing six to nine months later, holiday-season home-video promo cycle. Beethoven's 2nd shipped to home video in July 1994, hitting the back-to-school and fall family-rental window. The cover art put Beethoven center frame with the four puppies in front and Charles Grodin's exasperated face in the background, a layout that became the visual shorthand for the whole franchise. Why dog movies hold The dog-movie subgenre stayed in print through the home-video era and into streaming because the audience kept renewing. Kids who watched Beethoven's 2nd at six or seven in 1994 were the parents buying it for their own kids on DVD a decade later, and the streaming-era reissues kept the franchise live for the next generation after that. The 1994 VHS pressing is the original home-video format-of-record, the one with the Universal logo card and the trailer reel from the 1993-1994 release window before any of the subsequent reissues retooled the front matter. Format and condition VHS cassette, MCA / Universal Home Video, 1994 home video pressing of the 1993 theatrical film. Pre-owned. The slipcover, tape shell, and label are visible across the photo set, and we shoot every angle so what you see is what ships. Tape playback is not warranty-tested, this is a collector format and we sell on cosmetic condition. Sourcing and policy This piece came through our Las Vegas storefront at 707 E Fremont, sourced through estate buys and trade-ins the way every VHS in our case gets here. One copy, one shelf life. Online orders accept returns within 14 days of delivery, buyer ships return; in-store sales are exchange or store credit only. Questions before you buy, [email protected] or (702) 605-3332.
