Enjoy Movie Night With the Best Dog Movies
Weekends and movies are the perfect combos for a smooth ending to a crazy week, but you can't do it correctly without a nostalgic classic movie. As kids, most people were pretty fond of animal movies, mainly dog movies, as these furry pals resonate with many viewers. Dogs are pretty popular and portrayed as loyal companions. There are classic movies where the dog is the protagonist, that saves the day, becomes the hero, and gets a medal. These movies are a great way to cheer up your mood, as they are neither too dramatic nor emotional, the perfect balance between adventure and story. If you've had a rough day or week, tune into one of the superhit dog movies of 2023, and get all comfy.
Finding a Highly-Rated Dog Movie: A Buying Guide
Dog parents often look to dog movies for spending quality time with their kids or dogs, or to comfort themselves when alone, but there’s a huge variety of dog movies. This variety might confuse you at times, but not if you follow this buying guide, so head below and check it out.
What to Look for When Buying a Dog Movie for Kids
Kids get affected by visual representation the most, so when buying dog movies for kids, make sure to look for the following factors.
No sad endings
When selecting dog movies for kids, go for movies with a happy or neutral ending. Some dog movies depict sad endings by killing the dog or the owner to balance the storyline, which leaves negative effects on children’s mental health. Exposing children to depressing scenes like death, crying, or mourning at a young age may haunt them for a long time.
Child-appropriateness
You never know what kind of scenes you can come across, even while watching dog movies, and most parents are concerned about minor adult scenes. For this reason, you should look for a dog movie that is rated for viewing by children. Always remember to consider your own personal children and the types of content they may be appropriate for.
Genre
Since you’re selecting a dog movie for kids, make sure it has a family-friendly plotline. Avoid the action or horror genres, as it may be disturbing to your children. Comedy, drama, and adventure are the recommended genres, as they motivate kids to explore and give them a blast of humor, which is proven helpful in children’s mental growth, according to psychologists. Fantasy is also a good genre to start with for younger kids, as it fuels their imagination.
Pace
Children may not be attracted to detailed stories and well-explained plotlines. Choose slow-paced dog movies with fewer plot twists, as they can be difficult for children to understand. Start slow with dog movies featuring kids to develop relatability or connection with the animal if you don’t have any pet dogs. Besides, kids usually don’t prefer fast-paced movies, because of their lack of detailing and compact storyline.
Benefits of Watching Dog Movies
People love dog movies, and there is never a wrong time to enjoy these films, but there are several reasons or situations when you might be more inclined to select a dog movie. Head below to check out.
Stress reliever
Dog movies are a great way to comfort yourself if you have stress. These movies divert your mind without inviting drama or serious topics to your mind. According to research, watching animals, especially those you are attached to, can relieve stress and calm you.
Boosts dopamine
Dopamine is something humans crave all the time. You can get your boost of dopamine in the middle of the day or night by putting on a favorite dog movie and hopping onto the couch. Popcorn and condiments can promote your dopamine supply in a positive way.
Revives nostalgia
Every person has been through a phase in their childhood when they were obsessed with dog movies. By rewatching old dog movies, or new ones, you can revive nostalgic memories, which counteract loneliness, boredom, and anxiety. It is also proven to make you feel at peace, like the good days of your past.
How to Get Your Dog Into a Dog Movie
If you want to take your love of movies to the next level, consider getting your dog cast in a film. Even if they don’t make it in Hollywood, you can always train your dog for your next home movie.
Proper training
Dogs with certification of proper training have a high chance of getting auditions for big roles. After looks, the casting crew only requires obedience and the ability to ignore distractions on set. Dog-training venues are the perfect place to train your dog for dog movies.
Hiring an agent
Hiring an agent or getting your dog enrolled in an agency may help you find more opportunities for movie auditions for your dogs. Do your research, however, because agents may take a fee even if your dog doesn’t get to be in a movie.
Creating a portfolio
An acting portfolio isn’t required, but it can put you in the limelight, increasing your chances of landing a role for your dog. The most efficient acting portfolio is in the form of a social media account, as it reflects your dog’s fan following. Most of the time, people get offers for acting based on their social media presence and the quality of the work displayed.
Reviewing the Top Dog Movies of 2023
Dog Movie
– Best Overall
Road films are mostly a hit because of their fast-track storyline, which is why the Dog movie is our favorite. This 2022 American comedy features Channing Tatum, who plays the role of Briggs, an army officer, but Lulu is the actual star of the show.
Lulu is a ferocious Belgian Shepherd dog trained for the military, who accompanies Briggs to the funeral of his fellow soldier and Lulu’s owner. Over the course of this screenplay, Lulu and Briggs develop a friendly bonding that binds Lulu to become Brigg’s loyal partner. The movie sheds light on the attachment between a man and a dog, and how the death of a dog’s master affects it. This movie made it to the top of our recommendation list mainly because of its family film genre, which entertains kids as well as adults.
- Focuses on PTSD among animals
- It features clean comedy
- The last few scenes are slow
Clifford the Big Red
– Magical Realism
If you’re a fantasy fanatic who loves magical movies, Clifford the Big Red Dog Movie can be your absolute favorite, and here’s why. The movie features a magical red labrador named Clifford, who takes Central Park by storm. Clifford was gifted as a pet to Emily Elizabeth, played by the darling Darby Camp, a young New Yorker, by an animal rescuer.
Within one night, Clifford gains weight and becomes 10 feet tall. It creates several hurdles for Elizabeth and her arrogant, yet caring, uncle to hide him in their apartment. Then comes the plot twist, when an evil tech CEO discovers and claims Clifford as his pet to get his hands on this magical creature. The total screen time for this amazing movie is 97 minutes.
- It represents various ethnicities and cultures
- Targets the issue of bullying
- The voice is a bit distorted
A Dog’s Way Home
– Emotional Genre
Based on a true story, A Dog’s Way Home is a great time killer that will leave a deep impact on you. This movie stars Jonah Hauer-King as Lucas and Shelby the dog as Bella. Lucas is an aspiring medical student passionate about his field and a loving dog dad to Bella, the pooch pitbull mix. When Lucas decides to leave for further studies, Bella’s destiny takes a rocky turn, and Bella is deprived of his affection and attention.
Bella embarks on an epic 400-mile road trip to get life back on track to finding Lucas. On her way, Bella discovers new faces like that of an orphaned mountain lion, an unlucky veteran, and a few animals with heartwarming stories. Does Bella reach Lucas? You’ll have to watch the movie to find out.
- Contains dog’s dialogues in the voice over
- Extremely fast-paced movie
- It is a bit emotional for kids
Think Like a Dog
– Sci-Fi Genre
What do dogs think? Find out in Think Like a Dog, which is a mix of science fiction and drama. The plotline features Henry the Labradoodle as a playful, jolly, and dramatic pet dog to twelve-year-old Oliver, aka Ollie. It all starts with a science experiment that goes wrong, giving Ollie the telepathic powers to understand his dog. This dynamic duo goes through a fun-filled adventure to save the President from an attack.
The story also addresses sensitive topics like bullying and child loneliness, with delightdul comedy sprinkled in. Ollie and Henry not only have to save the President, but also Ollie’s parents’ broken marriage from divorce. Amidst the scientific drama, there are a bunch of jokes by Henry in Todd Stashwick’s enthusiastic and sarcastic voice.
- It involves funny commentary
- Sheds light on the importance of family
- The jokes are scattered unevenly
A Dog’s Purpose
– Based on Reincarnation
Whether you believe in reincarnation or not, it is intriguing to watch movies that cover this topic, like A Dog’s Purpose. This 100-minute-long movie covers five chapters of a dog’s reincarnation, beginning with a Red Retriever named Bailey with young Ethan, played by Bryce Geiser. The story develops with Ethan going away to college while Bailey ages and dies. Bailey takes a new birth as a German Shepherd named Ellie that grows into a fearsome police dog.
The third time, Ellie is born as a male Corgi named Tino and lands in the hands of a loving college girl named Maya. In this life, Tino gets married and widowed but dies peacefully under Maya’s affection and shelter. The fourth reincarnation leads Waffles to its first owner Ethan’s home, which becomes its permanent residence for its final reincarnation.
- It contains deleted scenes as well
- Highlights the affection of dogs
- The storyline is a bit extended
People Also Asked
A: Dog movies have a vast appeal and are liked by all age groups. Most people consider such movies for kids because all the classic ones featuring dogs as the protagonist or sidekick were made for children or had an adventure genre. You can find dog movies in action, comedy, drama, and even sci-fi, which are some genres that adults prefer.
A: Dogs have been considered the most loyal creature to mankind for centuries. To portray the dogs' love and loyalty on screen, some dog movies depict the dogs sacrificing themselves in exchange for their owners' life. Another reason is that a dog's death can evoke strong emotions in the audience.
A: Most dog movies featuring unique breeds prefer shooting with a single dog. This saves time on detailing and gets things moving smoothly on the set. The crew may also use a different dog for stunts. In some movies, two or three dogs may be used to deliver different emotions or for the requirements of a particular scene.
A: Dogs in movies are called dog actors. The dog actors have managers or owners who bring them for the audition and take care of them, so the production houses pay the check to the owners. A well-known dog breed can get around $100 per day for a non-union commercial, while the rates for a student film can be closer to $50.
