More Animal Movies...

    I was inspired by Bailey’s recent post on ‘decent’ animal films (see: “Worthwhile Animal Movies Exist. Here are Twenty.”), and it got me thinking about the types of content typically geared towards children and families. Just because a film is rated “G” or “PG,” and features some cute animated animals, doesn’t mean that it is a suitable choice to introduce to young children.

    I can’t help but remember my theater experience of seeing The Lion King on the big screen back when it was released in 1994. It wasn’t a particularly packed theater, as my mum took me to see an early matinee performance, and there were many empty seats that day (this was way before the bulky recliner seating that is trending in many movie theaters right at the moment). The film started and it was smooth sailing until the stampede scene... This was when a young boy, seated just a couple rows in front of me, started to lose it. I’m talking blood-curdling screams. The types of screams that are still etched into my memory, and sometimes resurface when I watch that scene to this day. The child was so distraught that his mother had to escort him from the theater, and even after calming down, returning sometime later, he was still fussy for the rest of the movie. I realize that the stampede, accompanied by the memorable symphonic music, and resulting in the death of Mufasa, may not be ‘up there’ on anyone’s list of traumatizing film scenes (anyone who’s watched Gasper Noé’s Irréversible [2002] knows what I’m talking about), but to a child this overly stylized, animated death sequence can be emotionally triggering and overly traumatic…

    Many films that feature animals are relegated to that catch-all category of ‘family-friendly’ feature films, whether they are age appropriate or not. Below are my picks of animal movies that I would readily show to younger moviegoers. If my list doesn’t inspire you, consider taking a page out of (Film Critic and Columnist for the Boston Globe) Ty Burr’s book, The Best Movies for Families: A Guide to Watching Together (2007). Although I don’t always agree with Burr’s choices, he provides some interesting insight into how to introduce budding cinephiles to some of the greatest classic movies out there. 

Here are my top 20 animal-themed, ‘family-friendly’ flicks:

1. Bringing Up Baby (dir. Howard Hawks, 1938)

2. That Darn Cat! (dir. Robert Stevenson, 1965)

3. Monkey Business (dir. Howard Hawks, 1952)

4. Mighty Joe Young (dir. Ernest B. Schoedsack, 1949)

5. The Cat from Outer Space (dir. Norman Tokar, 1978)

6. National Velvet (dir. Clarence Brown, 1944)

7. The Shaggy Dog (dir. Charles Barton, 1959)

8. The Happiest Millionaire (dir. Norman Tokar, 1967)

9. Billy Rose’s Jumbo (dir. Charles Walters, 1962)

10. The Incredible Journey (dir. Fletcher Markle, 1963)

11. Francis (aka Francis the Talking Mule, dir. Arthur Lubin, 1950)

12. The Three Lives of Thomasina (dir. Don Chaffey, 1963)

13. Greyfriars Bobby (dir. Don Chaffey, 1961)

14.  Monkey Trouble (dir. Franco Amurri, 1994)

15. Beethoven (dir. Brian Levant, 1992)

16. Free Willy (dir. Simon Wincer, 1993)

17. Monkeys, Go Home! (dir. Andrew V. McLaglen, 1967)

18. Andre (dir. George Miller, 1994)

19. Dunston Checks In (dir. Ken Kwapis, 1996)

20. Home on the Range (dir. Will Finn & John Sanford, 2004)

What do you think of my animal movie selections? Comparing Bailey’s list with mine, which do you prefer? What “family-friendly” films traumatized you as a child? Share your thoughts and comments below, and get ready to discuss all things (books and films) ‘Dolittle’ the end of this week!

Copyright © 2020 Sarah Crane