Apparently people really love horses and puppies. This isn’t a judgment, it’s just an observation when going through some of the most popular movies ever that star animal.
There are a lot of animal films in the world, so we are focusing on movies that star real-life animals, just to narrow down the options a little bit. So we’re not listing animated movies for sure, or anything that uses too much CGI. If you want to watch something real (and usually heartwarming) look no further. Puppies, horses, pigs, cats, farm animals, these movies are better than a zoo and thankfully they don’t come with the usual smell.
Old Yeller
Lots of people like to mention Lassie first, but Old Yeller is the original tear-jerker hero dog. How do we know? Because Old Yeller even gets a shoutout on Friends. Spoiler Alert: as Phoebe doesn’t know, Old Yeller does die at the end of the movie, after rescuing the entire family of course.
A runaway dog on a ranch in Texas makes for quite the scenery and, even without any voiceover work, it’s always clear just how Old Yeller is feeling on screen. Back in the day when Disney wasn’t yet afraid of traumatizing the children in the audience Old Yeller was heartbreaking, but that’s what made it such a classic.
Best in Show
We’re keeping with our theme of puppies here at the beginning of the list and Best in Show certainly features a lot of them. This film follows well-bred dogs and their handlers in the hysterical lead up to the Mayflower Dog Show competition.
Again, these dogs speak for themselves, rather than with voice over talent, but they probably wouldn’t get a word in any way with how their owners, trainers, and groomers talk. Unlike Old Yeller, this movie is a comedy all the way through, so if you’re looking for dry eyes at the end of your feature, Best in Show may be for you.
Air Bud
We’re gonna keep going with stories starring silent but loveable dogs and introduce the first (and really the only classic) in the Air Bud franchise, Air Bud. While there are now eleven Air Bud films the original, about a basketball-playing golden retriever that was released in 1997.
With his incredible skills to bounce a basketball off his noes and into the hoop the story on screen was just about believable (much more so than many of the other Air Bud sports films that followed). In the style of Old Yeller most of the film focuses on the relationship between a boy and his best furry friend, but this time there’s a happy ending.
Homeward Bound
Again Disney comes to bat with the heart-wrenching adventure movie, Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey. Finally, we have a film that uses voiceover talent for its four-legged stars on the list. It’s a cross country trip that three pets must make, two dogs, one cat, to be reunited with their young owners.
Back in 1993, Disney wasn’t killing its animal stars at the end of films anymore, but they still wanted to make viewers sweat. This movie does not come free of stress and worry. But, as it follows the animals without human guides or translators for most of the film it’s an impressive feat that keeps viewers glued to the screen anyway.
Dunston Checks In
Just so you know it’s not all puppies and horses, here is the 1996 comedy starring Dunston, the Orangutan, who ends up escaping from his handler at The Majestic Hotel and befriending the concierge’s son, who happens to live at the hotel.
Hilarity ensues as the boy tries to take care of and hide his new friend while his nefarious owner scours the hotel for his lost property. While Best in Show is also a comedy, Dunston Checks In is more fun for the whole family than its puppy focused predecessor.
101 Dalmatians
Don’t worry, we’re not throwing in a cartoon just to confuse you, here we’re talking about the live-action 1996 movie starring Glenn Close. People may debate which of Disney’s new “live-action” films based off of old animated properties is the best, but the truth is nothing has yet been made to top this 90’s classic.
Starring Jeff Daniels and Hugh Laurie, alongside Close, the talent was certainly already lining up to update classic Disney properties. Forget 2017’s Beauty and the Beast or 2019’s Aladdin, 101 Dalmations tops them all.
Beethoven
The 1992 film spawned its own series of 8 Beethoven movies over the years. It’s a little shy of Air Bud’s total, but still very impressive. The best of them, like Air Bud, happens to be the original, starring the beloved St. Bernard. Released in theaters in 1992, the film follows the Newton family and their decision to keep the St. Bernard puppy who finds its way into their home at the story’s beginning.
Things get a bit crazy after that, the plot involving unethical animal experiments and the kidnapping of large breed dogs, but the heart of the movie remains the extra-large dog and his extra-large antics, and the extra love he finds in his new family.
Seabiscuit
Horses were promised, and here they finally are. Seabiscuit is a film chronicling the true story and racing history of the horse, Seabiscuit, during the Great Depression.
Alongside the horse himself starred Tobey McGuire, Jeff Bridges, Elizabeth Banks, and Chris Cooper. This is the first movie on our list with Academy Award nominations to its name (seven of them to be exact), so obviously horses are well-loved on the big screen.
Babe
Babe has it all. Babe has a cast that’s mostly animals, with spectacular voice talent and a wholesome happy ending. Babe may be a pig, but he dreams of being a sheepdog. Babe, like Seabiscuit, was also nominated for seven Academy Awards and won one, for best visual effects (you know, they did have to make it look like the animals were talking).
That’s right, it’s a family-friendly, animal-focused, award-winning film. What more could you ask for? “That’ll do, pig.”
War Horse
Unlike Babe, War Horse was only nominated for six Academy Awards, but it also boasted Steven Spielberg as its director. Based on a book of the same name, the film follows a horse through its experiences in World War I. Again, we get to see the experience of the animal without listening to it speak in voice-over.
You have to respect any animal that can carry a film without communicating with its audience in their own language. That’s the real test of any animal star.
