Check yourself in for canine capers; Cinema.

Byline: TARA CAIN

HOTEL FOR DOGS (U)

STARS: Emma Roberts, Jake T Austin, Don Cheadle, Lisa Kudrow.

Director: Thor Freudenthal.

DIRECTOR Thor Freudenthal ignores all advice about working with children and animals to direct this family-oriented tale of two enterprising orphans, whose enduring love for their four-legged friends sparks a magical adventure.

The premise is barking mad and the scriptwriters unleash themselves from reality early on but there is a sweetness and innocence to the film, which proves charming, albeit with an excess of mawkish sentiment.

Adapted from the book by Lois Duncan, it tells the story of Andi (Roberts) and her younger brother Bruce (Austin) who find themselves in the foster care of musicians Carl and Lois, who care more about rehearsals than feeding the children.

So Andi and Bruce learn to take care of themselves, concealing their Jack Russell terrier Friday from the animal-hating couple.

The siblings stumble on an abandoned hotel, which turns out to be home for two strays - a bull mastiff called Lenny and a nervous Boston terrier called Georgia.

Friday takes a shine to the homeless duo and Andi and Bruce hit upon a novel idea - to employ the boy's knack for inventions to transform the disused building into a sanctuary for all strays in the city, thereby saving the animals from a trip to the pound and possible extermination.

Two pet store workers and a bored local kid lend helping hands and soon the streets are completely clear of animals, all living and pooping in perfect harmony in the hotel.

But the gang can't keep the hotel secret forever and when the soon-to-be-unemployed dogcatchers grow suspicious, the kids risk their own futures to save the animals.

Hotel For Dogs is cute and undemanding, engineering a happy ever after for the two diminutive heroes, who have suffered at the hands of an unwieldy care system.

And the stars of the show are the animal performers and the array of zany gadgets, apparently designed and engineered by Bruce to cater to every canine fancy.

There are electric sheep to hone a collie's herding skills, a vending machine filled with shoes and a dinner table delivery system based around a toy train set.

Great fun. *****