Canine movie star Benji is ready for his close-up on Netflix

Netflix is hoping to learn some new tricks from an old dog.

The streaming video behemoth has acquired the rights to a new version of the classic family film “Benji,” featuring the canine character that became an unlikely box-office sensation in the 1970s and ’80s.

If the movie catches on with Netflix subscribers after it premieres in March, the company has the option to partner on sequels or a TV series, furthering its venture into kids’ programming.

Netflix faces more competition for young viewers. The company will soon be up against Walt Disney Co. for streaming customers, and young video consumers will be a key target audience.

Disney plans to have its own direct-to-consumer streaming service in 2019, and will remove its content, including kids-oriented fare, from Netflix.

That makes market conditions ideal for the Camp Brand, the company led by original “Benji” creator Joe Camp and his writer-director son Brandon, who have sought to bring their franchise to a new generation.

Benji’s journey into streaming offers a lesson in deal making in the Netflix era.

Joe Camp was a Dallasbased commercial producer and filmmaking neophyte when he wrote, directed and marketed his first “Benji” feature for less than $1 million. The film got nearly $40 million in box-office receipts, putting it in the top 10 for the year in 1974.

Camp was inspired by the animated Disney feature “Lady and the Tramp” to make a live-action movie with a dog that could really act. After a massive search he found one in Higgins, a soulful-eyed mixed breed who was plucked out of a Burbank animal shelter and became a regular on the CBS series “Petticoat Junction” in the 1960s.

The original “Benji” is seen from the dog’s point of view (cameras were mounted on skateboards to shoot Higgins at eye level). But Camp’s homespun, G-rated approach to the story of a dog who rescues two children being held for ransom was considered out of step with the times, even in the 1970s.

After “Benji” was turned down by every Hollywood studio, Camp put the movie out himself.

He handled his own distribution of the film, opening it market by market across the country, and custom designed an ad campaign for each city. The dog and his trainer Frank Inn traveled to promote the release on local TV and in public appearances. Camp’s wife handled the merchandising, putting Benji on lunchboxes and other products.

Camp stuck to his intimate storytelling approach in Benji sequels, two of which were among the top 10 box-office films in the years they were released. But his last film, “Benji: Off the Leash,” failed to break through in 2004, as his doit-yourself approach could not compete with studios that were spending up to $50 million to market and promote kids’ films.

Hollywood’s obsession with familiar titles led to interest in a Benji reboot, and for the last several years Camp’s son Brandon looked for a partner to do an updated version. But the Camps were not willing to hand over their beloved property to an outfit that would alter their vision.

Brandon Camp ended up with a surprising partner in Jason Blum, the founder of Blumhouse, who was familiar with his father’s track record as a film business maverick. Blum’s company, maker of the hits “Paranormal Activity” and “Get Out,” has specialized in low-budget hits that give filmmakers greater control.

While family fare does not exactly fit into the Blumhouse brand, Blum saw Joe Camp as a kindred spirit with the maverick approach he used to make “Benji” a hit.

Blumhouse helped finance the film and persuaded the Camps to let him offer it to Netflix instead of doing a theatrical release.

The new “Benji” was made for $6 million and Blum shopped it to Netflix. The companies did not disclose the price, but people familiar with the negotiations said Netflix paid more than $10 million for the rights.

FILE Promotional image from the original ‘Benji’ movie.