Animal Movies for the Holiday Season

By Suzanne Alicie

The holidays are a time when even the most diehard Scrooges are often overcome with a warm fuzzy feeling. There are classic holiday movies that have been favorites for generations, then there are newer holiday movies that are well on their way to joining the established ranks. But when it comes to animal lovers, there are some holiday movies featuring various fuzzy creatures that will always top the list. After all, there’s nothing that will warm your heart like a great family movie featuring your favorite animal. Keep in mind that this list is based upon my personal opinion and includes holiday animal movies that we love to watch at my house.

The #1 Holiday Movie with Animals

Okay, so maybe there aren’t real reindeer with shiny red noses, or even any real reindeer at all in this movie; but Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer is a wonderful classic that will tug at your heartstrings as you gather to watch poor Rudolph save Christmas.

The #2 Holiday Movie with Animals

This is a new one we are looking forward to. The Dog Who Saved Christmas Vacation is a sequel to last year’s favorite, The Dog Who Saved Christmas. The new installment debuts on ABC on Sunday, November 28th and features Paris Hilton as the voice of Bella the French poodle, and Mario Lopez as Zeus. We enjoyed the first movie in this series tremendously and are excited to see how the new one stacks up. If you miss the TV showing, the DVD will be released on Amazon in early December.

The #3 Holiday Movie with Animals

Alvin and the Chipmunks may be about a lot of different things – singing chipmunks, the music biz, and a hapless human who hears talking animals – but it also has Christmas. With songs like The 12 Days of Christmas and Christmas Don’t Be Late, you and your kids can sing along as you enjoy the adventures of Alvin, Simon and Theodore.

The #4 Holiday Movie with Animals

101 Dalmatians has always been a favorite – who could resist that many adorable puppies? Apparently Cruella DeVille can. Whether you watch the Disney animated version or the newer version featuring real doggies and Glenn Close, you can be sure the family will enjoy the antics of the Dalmatians and their humans.

The # 5 Holiday Movie with Animals

This one is my personal favorite. A Dog Named Christmas tells the story of a child who convinces his parents to foster a dog over the Christmas holiday. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry and you’ll find yourself hoping that Todd gets to keep Christmas, even though the agreement with his Dad is that the dog goes back to the shelter on the day after Christmas.

There are several movies I enjoy watching around the holidays featuring animals, that aren’t exactly considered holiday movies. When you watch The Grinch Who Stole Christmas (which does have a dog, and I suppose the Grinch is some sort of animal) and get in a Dr. Seuss mood you can always watch The Cat in the Hat. Home Alone is a holiday favorite for many, and I’m pretty sure there is a pet tarantula, a bird and possibly a dog in that movie as well.

Heck, it’s your holiday season, you can pick whatever movies make you feel warm and cozy inside. If you feel that the Garfield movies put you in a holiday mood, go for it. Add the fat orange cat and his pal Odie to your holiday must-view list. If you aren’t in a holiday mood, be sure to check out our great lists of movies for dog lovers and cat lovers.

Read more articles by Suzanne Alicie

Great Movies for Dog Lovers

By Julia Williams

A few weeks ago I gave you some suggestions for good cat movies to watch, so it’s only fair that I recommend some good dog movies too. I thought selecting a few of my favorites would be far easier than it was for the cat movies. Upon further reflection, I realized there were so many really great dog movies to choose from, it was hard to pick just a handful. But I couldn’t include them all, or this article would stretch into next week! After much wrangling, I whittled my list down to five. Gather the family, pop some corn and curl up with your favorite canine to enjoy one of these delightful dog movies.

My Dog Skip (2000) is a heartwarming coming-of-age tale about the special friendship between a shy boy and his extraordinary canine companion. Young Willie isn’t good at sports, he has trouble making friends and his relationship with his Dad is problematic. Willie’s Mom gives him a dog for his ninth birthday, and his life changes for the better, largely because Skip becomes well loved by everyone and even helps the boy make friends. Set in the 1940s in the small, sleepy town of Yazoo City, Mississippi, My Dog Skip was loosely based on the best-selling memoir by the late Willie Morris, and stars Frankie Muniz, Diane Lane, Luke Wilson and Kevin Bacon.

Trivia: Six different Jack Russell terriers played Skip. One of those was Moose, the dog best known for his role as Eddie on the TV sitcom “Frasier.”

Because of Winn-Dixie (2005) is another “dog changes lonely child’s life” story, only this time it’s a girl. Though not nearly as endearing as My Dog Skip, it’s still a feel-good family film that’s enjoyable to watch, especially for children. Ten-year-old Opal adopts a stray dog and names him after the local supermarket where she found him. The two become constant companions, and the mischievous Winn-Dixie helps Opal make friends and meet all sorts of eccentric characters in their small Florida town. The movie was based on Kate DiCamillo’s children’s book by the same name, and stars Jeff Daniels and Cicely Tyson.

Trivia: Five different Picardy Shepherd dogs played Winn-Dixie. The Picardy Shepherd is a rare breed that’s also known as the Berger Picard.

Best in Show (2000), starring Eugene Levy and Parker Posy, is a hilarious comedy about dog shows that will have you howling with laughter, from the opening scene to the end. It’s presented as a mock-documentary of the obsessive owners (and handlers) of five show dogs—a Norwich Terrier, Weimaraner, Bloodhound, Standard Poodle and Shih Tzu—as they prepare to compete at the Mayflower Kennel Club Dog Show in Philadelphia. A film crew interviews the comical characters as they prepare for the trip, arrive at the hotel, and backstage during a national dog show. Best in Show was nominated for a Golden Globe, and in 2006 the movie magazine Premiere voted it one of “The 50 Greatest Comedies Of All Time.”

Trivia: According to the Internet Movie Database (IMDB), filming for the scenes with numerous dogs went remarkably well, with only one unscripted bark. The bloodhound in the movie is named Hubert. Bloodhounds are also known as St. Hubert hounds.

Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993) is a remake of a classic 1963 Disney film which was based on the best-selling novel, The Incredible Journey, by Sheila Burnford. The movie chronicles the epic adventures of two dogs and a cat as they trek across the Sierras on a quest to find their family. Chance (voiced by Michael J. Fox) is an American bulldog pup with energy to spare; Shadow (voiced by Don Ameche) is an old, wise Golden Retriever; Sassy (voiced by Sally Field) is a snooty Himalayan cat who lives up to her name.

Trivia: in the original book, the animals’ names and breeds were all different. It featured a Labrador Retriever (Luath), a Bull Terrier (Bodger), and a Siamese cat (Tao).

Marley and Me (2008) is based on the best-selling autobiographical book by John Grogan, and stars Jennifer Aniston, Owen Wilson and Kathleen Turner. This touching tale presents dog ownership in a true-to-life way that many people can relate to. When a young couple adopts a yellow lab puppy (named after reggae singer Bob Marley), the rambunctious dog wreaks havoc on their household. Despite his naughty nature, Marley becomes an important member of their family.

Trivia: Marley and Me is the second highest-grossing live-action dog movie of all time (movies starring real dogs, not animated films) behind only Scooby Doo released in 2002. There were 22 different dogs that played Marley.

Although this list is by no means inclusive of all the great dog movies available on DVD, it should give you some ideas for what to watch on family movie night.

Read more articles by Julia Williams