The short answer to that question in the headline is, "Probably not." The longer answer is that it's apparently doing what it can: Taking advantage of the new California state tax credit fund, filming right in the heart of Los Angeles, and pulling out all the stops on what might be one of the biggest direct-to-DVD productions in Hollywood history.
The LAT reports that the Disney sequel is currently, quietly in production all over town, from a wedding scene in Pasadena to a dog show in Sun Valley to a sequence in Union Station and numerous locations in between. More than 100 cast and crew are employed -- an unusually large group for a straight-to-video budget barely surpassing $10 million, but blame the dogs, each of which requires its own handler on the set. The paper also reports that the production will get nearly a fifth of that amount back in tax credits. So while you could probably find likelier heroes among the paucity of other films and TV series currently in production around town (seriously, Little Fockers, step it up), just remember to sneer a little less at this one when you see it on a grocery-store standee some time next spring.
ยท On Location: Nipping at the heels of runaway production [LAT]