If you love watching pet movies with your favorite companion, there’s plenty to choose from. Animal movies have been popular for decades, and that’s not going to change any time soon.
Here are just a few movies featuring that you might want to consider watching during the holidays.
Check Out These Adorable And Endearing Pet Movies To Watch This Holiday Season
Humans and pets alike love these animal movies. Whether you want to laugh with your pup or watch a film with your cat while keeping a Kleenex handy, this list of great pet movies will keep you and your furry friend entertained for hours.
The Secret Life Of Pets (2016)
Have you ever wondered what your dog or cat does when you leave for the day? This animated film provides some hilarious scenarios. Max is a dog who’s living a great life until his pet parent decides to add to the family by adopting another dog, Duke, from a local shelter.
One day, Max and Duke slip away from their dog walker. This sets up an adventure – one that involves a deranged bunny named Snowball – as the two dogs try to make their way back home.1
Trivia Time
- You’ll see a few scenes featuring some familiar faces and television shows in the background. For example, one includes a character from the movie Despicable Me. Others include billboards for YouTube, Saturday Night Live, and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
- In one scene, a group of cats attack Max. One of the cats resembles Garfield, while another resembles a cat from Lady and the Tramp (1955).
- The Secret Life of Pets was extremely popular. In fact, it was the first non-sequel film to gross more than $100 million in the U.S. during its opening weekend.2
Garfield: The Movie (2004)
Humans have loved Garfield for decades, so a lot of them couldn’t wait for this film to come out. As usual, Garfield is his old, “me-first” self. He gets so jealous of Odie, the new dog in the family, that he resorts to trying to get rid of the competition. Garfield lures the dog out of the house.
The plan goes awry, however, when Garfield starts to feel guilty after Odie wanders away. After he finds out Odie is in danger, he risks his own life to bring him back home.3
Trivia Time
- Bill Murray, who provided the voice of Garfield, said he regretted not including a line from the classic film Ghostbusters – “Dogs and cats living together – mass hysteria.” My the time he thought about adding the line, it was too late.
- Murray actually did most of the voice work while on a boat off of the coast of Italy. At the time, he was filming scenes for The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004).
- The role of the character Jon, the owner of Garfield and Odie, was originally offered to Ben Stiller. He had to turn it down because he was already working on Meet the Fockers (2004). It was also reported that Jack Nicholson was considered for the voice of Garfield before it was offered to Murray.4
Charlotte’s Web (2006)
This part live action, part animated film is one of the best animal movies around. Based on the beloved children’s book by E.B. White, Charlotte’s Web is a heartwarming story about a piglet that seems to be doomed. Wilbur is one of 11 baby pigs born on a farm – but the mother can only feed 10. The farmer’s daughter vows to take care of Wilbur, and that gives him a temporary reprieve.
Unfortunately, Wilbur winds up with the farmer’s brother, and he’s lonely. No one wants to be friends with him because he could well be slaughtered. That is, until a spider named Charlotte who lives in the barn comes up with a plan to save the day.5
Trivia Time
- Charlotte’s full name is Charlotte A. Cavatica. This is a nod to the scientific name of the spider – Araneus cavaticus.
- There are two Charlotte’s Web movies. One was made in 1973, with the other made in 2006. The 2006 version actually had 47 piglets that played the part of Wilbur. There were so many because piglets grow very quickly.
- The 2006 film was shot in Australia. The county fair scenes in the movie were supposed to have taken place in autumn. However, it wasn’t autumn during filming. As a result, workers colored trees yellow and orange (using non-toxic paint) to give them the desired fall look.6
Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993)
Two dogs, Chance and Shadow, along with a cat named Sassy, have to leave their home. Their owners are going on vacation, and they drop the trio off with a friend who lives on a ranch.
The animals start to get worried, figuring their pet parents are in some sort of trouble. They decide it’s time to go home to find out what’s going on. This sets the stage for a harrowing journey across the Sierra mountain range.7
Trivia Time
- Homeward Bound is a remake of 1963’s The Incredible Journey. Both films are based on a book titled The Incredible Journey. In the movie, Chance is an American bulldog. In the book, though, he’s a Labrador retriever dog named Luath. Shadow is a golden retriever in the movie. In the book, he’s a bull terrier dog who goes by the name of Bodger. Sassy, the cat, is named Tao in the book.
- There’s one scene where Chance is chasing Sassy, who winds up on a seesaw. As you might expect, Sassy soon goes airborne. In order to make this scene work, a trainer gently tossed the cat into a blanket held by crewmembers. This was shot in a way to make it look like Sassy had been catapulted several feet into the air. For the landing, the cat was filmed being dropped from a height of two feet.8
Other Great Animal Films To Watch With Your Furry Friend
Babe (1995)- Ice Age (2002)
- Ratatouille (2007)
- Lassie Come Home (1943)
- 101 Dalmatians (1996)
- Benji (1974)
- The Aristocats (1970)
- Air Bud (1997)
- The Lion King (1994)
The Fox and the Hound (1981)- Because of Winn-Dixie (2005)
- Balto (1995)
- Free Willy (1993)
- Bolt (2008)
- Hotel for Dogs (2009)
- Zootopia (2016)
What Are Your Favorite Animal Movies?
Whether a movie features man’s best friend, an adorable cat, or any other type of animal, pet films are very popular. There are plenty of other films, of course, that didn’t make this list.
A lot of people love dog movies like Lady and the Tramp, for example, while others might like The Adventures of Milo and Otis (1989) or something else. You might prefer watching the St. Bernard pup who stars in Beethoven (1992).
Whatever you prefer, hopefully you’ll have time this holiday season to curl up with your beloved dogs, cats, or other pets and watch a movie that tells a tale all of you will enjoy.
Learn More:
The Holidays Are Coming: Try These Awesome Presents For Dogs And Cats
Pet Holidays: Tips To Keep Your Dog Safe and Happy In Hectic Times
What Are The Benefits Of Having A Pet?
Sources
1 https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/from-illumination-entertainment-and-universal-pictures-the-secret-life-of-pets-300338777.html
2 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2709768/trivia?ref_=tt_ql_trv_1
3 http://www.fox.co.uk/garfield-the-movie
4 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0356634/trivia?ref_=tt_ql_trv_1
5 https://www.tvguide.com/movies/charlottes-web/review/284610/
6 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0413895/trivia?ref_=tt_ql_trv_1
7 https://movies.disney.com/homeward-bound-the-incredible-journey
8 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107131/trivia?ref_=tt_ql_trv_1
