By PHILIP WUNTCH
DALLAS MORNING NEWS

Benji Off the Leash! is no one-trick-pony. The film should win audiences of all ages and defrost even the most hardened canine-phobe. Both the movie and the mutt are that good.

Movies targeted for family trade often seem designed by committees hoping to lure all demographics. Happily, Benji Off the Leash! attains purity in every sense of the word; unlike many films of any genre, it reflects a unified vision. Benji producer/director/screenwriter Joe Camp has not stooped to conquer.

In direction, story construction, camerawork and performances both human and canine, Benji Off the Leash! is the best of the Benji canon. Its two-legged hero is Colby, a stalwart youngster who loves dogs. Its two-legged villain is Colby's harsh father, whose appropriate last name is Hatchett. He runs an illegal dog mill and mistreats all beings, both two-legged and four-legged.

Colby and Benji have parallel plights, dealing with the rescue of loved ones and strong maternal bonds.

Benji Off the Leash! has serious undercurrents, but it never turns grim. The film's canine comic foil is a character named Lizard Tongue, whom Benji befriends and then probably wonders if making friends with the rascally Lizard Tongue was a wise move. Two goofy dogcatchers and one eccentric recluse provide the human comedy.

As before, Mr. Camp films the canine scenes from the dogs' perspectives, and the desire to reach out and touch is irresistible. Benji interacts ga mely with Lizard Tongue, a chatty parrot named Merlin and even a cow. Don Reddy's cinematography exquisitely captures each moment.

With eyes born for movie camera close-ups, Benji is a female mixed-breed terrier, three and one-half years of age. She is a wonder-dog, but she doesn't hog the show. As played by Shaggy, a dog from the south side of Chicago, Lizard Tongue is also one formidable scene-stealer.

Two-legged stars also fare well. Nick Whitaker has the essential soulfulness for Colby, while Duane Stephens has some hilarious bits as the goofier of the two dogcatchers. Mr. Stephens also sings a lilting "It Had To Be You" over the closing credits. Neal Barth relishes each moment as town eccentric Zacharia Finch, fond of improvising quotes from phony sources.

Calling a movie "the best of its kind" often has a condescending tone. In the case of Benji Off the Leash!, no condescension is warranted. This Benji's a beaut, for all ages. Woof.

Benji Off the Leash!

A-

Starring Benji, Shaggy, Nick Whitaker, Duane Stephens and Neal Barth. Directed and written by Joe Camp. Rated PG (mild language, thematic elements). In wide release. 90 minutes.