Animals in Movies: The 10 Best

Animal lovers agree that an animal character makes any movie better, whether they star as a main character or play a supporting role to humans. Not all animals in movies are the same, though. Some are known for being smart, funny, heroic, loving, or beautiful, while others are terrifying. Continue reading for A-Z Animals’ picks for the ten best animals in movies and the adjectives that describe them.

10. Sweet: Bambi

Bambi, an American animated film released in 1942, is considered a Disney classic for its lush hand-drawn animation and its sensitive, effective narrative. The main character, Bambi, is curious and adorable. He loves his mother, and when she is killed by hunters, he has to survive on his own. Fortunately, he has many forest friends, including the rabbit, Thumper, to care for him. He grows into a stunning buck and finds love. Interestingly, despite Bambi being a boy, his name became fairly popular for girls, and women often identify with the sweet-natured character.

9.Wise: Old Yeller

Another Disney classic, this 1957 film tells the story of a yellow dog that everyone loves, Old Yeller. A teenage boy finds a stray dog that comes to his house and reluctantly adopts him. People first believe him to be a good-for-nothing mutt until the dog protects the boy against wild animals. This movie is a coming-of-age story for the boy who learns about love and loss and doing the right thing even if it hurts. It’s emotional and will make you cry, with one of the saddest ending scenes in an animal movie. Although Old Yeller is depicted as a black mouth cur, he was played by a 170-pound yellow mastador, a Labrador retriever/English mastiff mix named Spike. Spike also appeared in The She-Creature (1956), where Marla English’s character takes him for a walk along the beach.

8. Romantic: Lady and the Tramp

Lady and the Tramp is a 1955 romantic animal movie. Yet another Disney classic, the film stars Lady, a cocker spaniel. Feeling neglected at home, Lady ventures outside. She eventually meets Tramp, a stray mutt who is a troublemaker. However, Tramp protects Lady and shows her what life on the streets is like. They end up falling in love, returning to her home, and having a litter of puppies. The movie’s most iconic scene is when they share a spaghetti noodle and kiss.

7. Heartwarming: Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey

Believe it or not, 1993’s Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey is another Disney classic. The main characters are Chance, an adventurous young American bulldog; Sassy, a fussy but funny Himalayan cat; and Shadow, an old, wise golden retriever who knows his way around. The three get lost after their human family drops them off at a friend’s ranch for a vacation. Believing themselves to be abandoned, they decide to find their way home. This adventure-comedy is perfect for the whole family.

6. Funny: Ice Age

Introducing children to the concepts of prehistoric times and animals has never been more fun than with this movie. Ice Age is a 2002 computer-animated comedy from Blue Sky Studios and 20th Century Fox. The film stars four animals. Diego is a sarcastic saber-toothed tiger. Sid is a noisy sloth. Manny is a serious woolly mammoth, and Scrat is a fictional sabertooth squirrel who serves as the mischievous main character. They find a human baby, and humor and hijinks ensue as they work together to return the baby to its family.

5. Heroic: The Lion King

The animated 1994 musical drama The Lion King was produced during the Disney Renaissance. It is a magical story of a kingdom of African lions with Simba as the main character. The story begins with the young lion Simba being advised by his father, Mufasa, on how to be the next king of the Pride Lands. In a cruel twist, Simba’s uncle, Scar, murders Mufasa and illegitimately seizes the throne. With the help of his friends Nala, another lion, Timon, a meerkat, and Pumbaa, a warthog, Simba grows into a capable leader and overthrows his uncle.

4. Fun: The Jungle Book

The Jungle Book was released in 1967 and is based on the novel of the same name by Rudyard Kipling. In the Disney animated adventure-musical-comedy, a boy named Mowgli is known as the man-cub. His friends Baloo the bear and Bagheera the panther try to convince him to return to civilization. However, a tiger named Shere Khan wants to kill Mowgli in vengeance for humans scarring him with fire. Mowgli decides to leave the forest to keep his friends safe, but is kidnapped by a band of monkeys whose king demands that he start a fire. Mowgli escapes with the help of his friends and confronts Shere Khan, but accidentally starts a forest fire and must then save everyone.

3. Suspenseful: Finding Nemo

With a truly star-studded cast, Pixar’s 2003 Finding Nemo has become one of the most iconic animal stories of all time. The movie was a box office hit, grossing $871 million worldwide, and later spawned a sequel, Finding Dory, released in 2016. The original film follows the misadventures of Dory, a blue tang (Paracanthurus hepatus), and Marlin, an ocellaris clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris). After Marlin’s son, Nemo, is captured by human divers, Marlin meets Dory, who offers to help him find Nemo. The film’s charm lies in the characterizations brought to life by the voice actors, including Albert Brooks as Marlin and especially Ellen DeGeneres as fan favorite Dory.

2. Cute: One Hundred and One Dalmatians

The 1961 animated adventure comedy film One Hundred and One Dalmatians is about Cruella de Vil, a villainous woman who kidnaps a litter of 15 dalmatian puppies to make their fur into coats. Perdita and Pongo, the puppies’ parents, go on a mission to rescue them. The story ends with their rescue, as well as that of 84 other Dalmatian puppies Cruella had bought from pet shops, totaling 101. The film is based on the novel, The One Hundred and One Dalmatians, by Dodie Smith, inspired by her own experiences. Dodie Smith had nine dalmatians, one of which was named Pongo. Only six of Perdita and Pongo’s 15 puppies have names.

1. Incredible: Jurassic Park

The 1993 science-fiction movie Jurassic Park uses animatronics and computer-generated imagery to create realistic-looking, massive, and terrifying dinosaurs. Based on the 1990 novel of the same name by Michael Crichton, the plot follows the creation of cloned dinosaurs for a theme park. Directed by Steven Spielberg and produced by Universal Pictures, the film wasted no time becoming the highest-grossing film of all time in 1993. It is a triumph of science fiction, suspenseful filmmaking, and storytelling, captivating audiences around the world with the perfect mix of spectacle and substance.