The Shaggy Dog franchise consists of American science fiction-fantasy-comedy films, with three theatrical releases, and two made-for-television films. The overall story is based on the 1923 novel titled The Hound of Florence by Felix Salten.^[1][2][3][4] The overarching story of each installment, follows Wilbur "Wilby" Daniels (portrayed by varying actors in each individual film) who is cursed and transforms into a large Old English Sheepdog after attaining an ancient Borgian ring and reciting its inscription.

A reimagined-live-action remake was released in 2006, with Tim Allen in the starring role. Though the overall concept was similar, many aspects of the previous films were changed, and thus has more in common with a reboot. The main character David Douglas becomes a Bearded Collie, after being bitten by a 'sacred dog'. The film genre takes on a slapstick comedy style.

The films were met with mixed to positive critical reception, while the television remake was met with poor reception. Additionally, the second remake was met with predominantly poor box office and critical reception. It made less in box office returns, than its budget. In 1999 the Shaggy Dog films, along with a number of other Disney film series, were expanded as a Walt Disney Parks franchise through a themepark attraction, with elements included from each film.^[5]

The 1923 Austrian fantasy children's novel by Felix Salten, set during the early eighteenth-century Austria and Italy, served as the inspiration for The Walt Disney Company's Shaggy Dog franchise. The story follows the teenage main character, Lukas Grassi. Grassi lost his parents and lives in Vienna, Austria, in poor conditions, and great poverty, but longs to return to his native land Italy, having desires to study art in Florence. Through supernatural means his wish is magically granted, he must endure taking the form of the archduke's dog, named Kambyses, every-other-day. Grassi travels from Vienna to Florence, and learns that he must continue to live this duality he is cursed to until the archduke will leave Florence for Vienna. However, ending in tragedy, the archduke stabs the dog to death with a dagger, inadvertently killing Lukas.^[6]

The novel was first translated into the English language in 1930 by Huntley Paterson. The ending of the book in this iteration differs greatly from the original release. Following the events of the original novel, a wholly new ending of six additional pages was written where Lucas^[7] survives, receives medication, and is united with a courtesan.

Walt Disney originally purchased the film rights to Salten's novel Bambi, a Life in the Woods in 1937. In May 1941, Disney purchased the rights to five more of the author's novels, which included options to Salten to adapt them. The novels were Bambi sequels: Bambi's Children and Perri: The Youth of a Squirrel, as well as Renni the Rescuer: A Dog of the Battlefield, City Jungle and The Hound of Florence. Salten did not want to make Bambi's Children, and didn't want anyone else to make it either. He did however intend to for the other books to be adapted into animated films.^[8] Before these additional films could be made, Salten died in Zurich in 1945.

By 1952, ABC wanted Walt Disney to develop a television series for the network. He pitched them The Shaggy Dog, a concept he described as "a story that treated the younger generation and its problems in a light manner". After the pitch was declined, Disney stated: "They turned me down flat. I was hopping mad when I went back to the studio, so I called in Bill Walsh and said 'Let's make a feature of it.'"^[9] The film's star, Tommy Kirk later acknowledged that the film was originally shot to be a two-part introduction to the television show, stating that the segments were spliced together at the last minute to make a feature film.^[10]

Upon its release, The Shaggy Dog was the most profitable film at that time produced by Disney.^[11] This spawned the continued adaptations and installments in the franchise.

• 1959 – The Shaggy Dog – released in 1959
• 1960s – The Return of the Shaggy Dog – released in 1987
• 1976 – The Shaggy D.A. – released in 1976

In 1999, the theme of Journey into Imagination was changed and re-titled to include Figment. The ride features Dr. Nigel Channing, from Honey, I Shrunk the Audience!, who "hosts" an area known as the Imagination Institute. The story states that Channing's grandfather established the institute, while the area features references to Dean Higgins (Head of the Medfield College, where the events of The Shaggy D.A. transpire) from the Dexter Riley films, Wayne Szalinski from the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids franchise, as well as Dr. Philip Brainard from Flubber. Walt Disney and Thomas Edison also make an appearance.^[27][5]

The Medfield College appears in The Shaggy D.A. as a primary location. The fictional college appears in two other Disney film franchises, including both the Flubber and the Dexter Riley film series. Collectively, the three separate film series take place within the same fictional universe.^[28][29] Additionally, the Merlin Jones film series take place at the in-universe sister-school, Midvale College,^[30] while The World's Greatest Athlete is set at the related academic school of Merrivale College.^[31]