Sophisticated Acquaintance

Hotel for Dogs is a 2009 American family comedy film based on the 1971 novel by Lois Duncan. It was directed by Thor Freudenthal and written by Jeff Lowell, Bob Schooley, and Mark McCorkle. It stars Emma Roberts, Jake T. Austin, Kyla Pratt, Lisa Kudrow, Kevin Dillon, and Don Cheadle. The film tells the story of two orphaned siblings living in foster care who secretly take in stray dogs along with their family dog at a vacant hotel. Shooting began in November 2007 and took place in the cities of Los Angeles and Universal City, California. The dogs in the film were trained for several months before shooting began. Nearly eighty boys auditioned for the role of Bruce before Austin was ultimately selected. John Debney composed the score for the film. Hotel for Dogs was released in the United States by DreamWorks Pictures (through Paramount Pictures) on January 16, 2009. It received mixed reviews from critics and was a box-office success, grossing $117.3 million on a $35 million budget.