Best Dog Movies - Animated and Not

I decided to change the order of my next posts. Rather than the All-American List, in honor of the new addition at our house - the canine variety - this week's post features movies about dogs. I have broken it down into animated and non-animated.

An aside first - the Boulder International Film Festival is coming up - February 13-15, mainly at the Boulder Theater. The lineup, once again, looks exceptional. Last year Patty and I saw about 25 films (many were shorts) over the three-day weekend. Some of the best films I have ever seen. So, if you are local, check out the schedule and go. (http://biff1.com/biff09_program_complete.pdf).

If you're like me the DOG category is often filled with sentimental tripe. Yes, there are some non-tear jerkers in the category but many more catch you surreptitiously wiping your sleeve pretending that your eyes are tired. And, almost all the movies in the category are family fare. So, not a lot of Academy worthy films but still some very famous ones that most of us remember from our childhood. Before we get into that, here's a picture of our new dogger.

We don't have a name for her yet. She is part Australian Shepherd, Corgy and Jack Russell Terrier. She is awfully cute. We got her in Monument, CO (where we used to live) from a family who grew up in Boulder (where we now live). Nice folks. She was born on December 4th (make sure that is on all your key dates lists). So far it's a lot like a new baby. Up all night, cries, eats, sleeps and you know whats the rest of the time.

Most people I ask about the category immediately come up with one dog film that moved several generations and that is the one that tops my list:

Old Yeller - Just mentioning the name brings a small tear to my left eye. The movie poster brings back great old memories. A boy and his dog. What could be better than that. Until the dog dies...

Then there is another really sad one - Sounder - Paul Winfield and Cicely Tyson are wonderful in this emotional ride. Both were nominated for the Oscar, as was the picture and the script.

In third place - The Shaggy Dog (no trailer for the original, only for the lousy remake with Tim Allen). This is the first film I remember going to as a kid. It was at the Center Theater in Durham with my Grandma on a warm Saturday afternoon. I fell in love with Shaggy (actually, I just wanted to be him).

#4 - Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey - an excellent family film about three animals who band together to get home from a far. Also a tear jerker. Michael J Fox, Sally Field and Don Ameche play the voices for Chance, Sassy and Shadow, respectively. A very fun film.

#5 - Turner & Hooch - Tom Hanks in an early role. Hooch had the greatest jowls ever and some of the greatest slobber ever also.

#6 - Best in Show - Christopher Guest's finest. A day at the pedigree dog show. It couldn't be more wonderful. The people and their dogs. Amazing stuff. And the cast is wonderful. Another great clip.

#7 - Lassie Come Home - The original dog was truly amazing. She could do anything. Our bubble got burst when we found out that there was a total of about 44 lassies, each with their own little niche. Roddy McDowall, and Elizabeth Taylor starred.

#8 - Cujo - I saw this movie mainly because it got so much play in the TV show Friends, where it was often mentioned as Joey's favorite film. Well, it wasn't that great but it was pretty entertaining. Not going to cry over this one. A Stephen King story.

#9 - Eight Below - Somehow the dogs made it through an Antarctic winter on their own. And they say it is based on a true story. Pretty predictable but still entertaining to watch.

#10 - Rin Tin Tin - Starred in about a dozen films from 1923-1947. Rinty I - III were used over the years.

There were a bunch of films that have had interesting dog scenes, like the one where Atticus Finch has to shoot the rabid dog in To Kill a Mockingbird, the roller skating dog in The Truth About Cats and Dogs. or the scenes from Dumb & Dumber where Jeff Daniels is a dog hairdresser. This category also does not include the famous Thin Man series even though they had one of the best movie dogs of all - Asta. Nor does it include Boys from Brazil where a Doberman has Laurence Olivier by the neck. Those movies don't count - they are not fundamentally about the dog. If you are interested to see an incredibly comprehensive list of every dog ever to be in a movie, go here.

Other movies that didn't make it out of the pound:

Beethoven - Funny/silly movie, with Charles Grodin

K-9 with Jim Belushi

Benji, Bingo & Top Dog

I have not seen My Dog Skip or Marley & Me and they probably both bear consideration.

On to the Animated Doggie Films

The Top Five

# 1 - TIE - Lady & The Tramp & 101 Dalmatians - Two all-time Disney favorites. Glen Close was pretty good as Cruella De Vil in the 1996 version but the overall film was poorly done.

#3 - All Dogs Go To Heaven - Voices by Dom DeLuise and Bert Reynolds.

#4 - The Plague Dogs - Not exactly a kid's movie. Two dogs being hunted as carriers of "The Plague."

#5 - Probably going to be Bolt, nominated as best full-length animated film this year; but I haven't seen it yet. The trailer looked good and the animation excellent.

Next Week - "Show Business"