TOP 5 PET MOVIES

​In honour or commemoration of ‘A Christmas Gift From Bob’, I list my five movie picks for pet lovers…

‘A Christmas Gift From Bob’ (2020) - the sequel to 2016’s ‘A Street Cat Named Bob’ - is currently on home viewing services. It’s a really nice movie - exactly the kind of cosy, feelgood flick we need in the current Covid crisis where Christmas could be cancelled (heaven forbid it!) and the cinemas stay closed. The movie really emphasises the power of the human-animal bond that can really change people’s lives. But is it one of the great pet movies of recent history?

You see, stories about animals have been a part of popular culture for centuries. Think about literary classics like Anna Sewell’s ‘Black Beauty’ (1877) and Jack London’s ‘The Call of the Wild’ (1903). These books followed a horse or a dog from owner to owner and portrayed the pets as brave, loyal companions and a man’s best friend.

I have a cat myself so am well aware of the unconditional love an animal can offer, often when humans cannot. I’m also aware of the amount of films about man n’ cat, man n’ horse, man n’ dog. I’m not talking about schmaltz porn like ‘Marley and Me’ (2009) which is quite worryingly a favourite amongst canine fans.
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I’m not talking about the dozens of film adaptations of ‘Black Beauty’ or ‘Call of the Wild’. Most of which I haven’t seen. I did really like the most recent ‘Call of the Wild’ from earlier this year, though, with Terry Notary in mo-cap standing in for a real-life Buck the Dog.

I haven’t seen ‘Hachi: A Dog’s Tale’ (2009) which is a remake of the 1987 Japanese film ‘Hachiko Monogatari’ and is about the Akita dog Hachiko who lived in Japan in the 1920s. Don’t get me started on the ‘Cats and Dogs’ (2001-) movies - the third of which was stinking up a cinema near you shortly before lockdown.

These are just a few of the most popular pet titles to have played at the cinema over the past century. My favourites are not necessarily what most people might pick.

I am very sadly told, though, that Bob - James Bowen’s cat and the star of ‘A Street Cat Named Bob’ (2016) and its sequel ‘A Christmas Gift From Bob’ (2020) - died due to complications with a head-on collision back in June this year. I know all too well the hole the loss of a pet friend can leave in people’s lives.

Bob’s story (a fuzzy ginger tom turning up in the hallway of a recovering drug addict’s supported housing programme) is truly heartwarming and my thoughts are truly with James Bowen. His friendship with this wonderful cat definitely made me spill some saltwater from my cornea when watching ‘A Christmas Gift From Bob’.

I really liked that movie. Maybe I like it so much that I decided to compose this list. I just thought, in honour or commemoration of Bob, I might as well give you my top 5 pet movies of all time. How’s that sound?

​5. Black Beauty (1994)

I’m sure the 1994 film adaptation of ‘Black Beauty’ isn’t the best big screen rendition of the classic (a sixth of which is currently on Disney Plus with Kate Winslet as Beauty the Horse). Alan Cumming’s silly narration certainly hasn’t helped this movie’s reputation and a tight 88 minute runtime can’t possibly compete with the serialized ‘Adventures of Black Beauty’ (1972-1974) on TV. 

I just have fond memories of watching this ‘Beauty’ as a child. It has a spectacularly beautiful real-life horse in Docs Keepin Time who is also very sadly no longer with us. The English countryside is just stunning and this features star-making performances from David Thewlis and Sean Bean.
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4. Lady and the Tramp (1955)

The first in my two Disney movie picks for this list, ‘Lady and the Tramp’ is a B-tier Disney classic. It doesn’t have the bite of ‘The Lion King’ (1994), the shiver me timbers quality of ‘Pinocchio’ (1940) or the romantic spark of ‘Cinderella’ (1950). A live-action, straight-to-Disney Plus remake certainly hasn’t helped things. It is a really lovely story though - a kind of canine ‘Princess and the Pauper’ about a wealthy, upper-class Cocker Spaniel falling for a stray mutt. As always, the animation is terrifically simplistic.

​3. Paddington (2014)/Paddington 2 (2017)

Are the ‘Paddington’ movies pet movies? Probably not, but I’m a teddy bear lover so I’ve decided to include two films for the price of one. The two films are total treats and surely where a lot of the inspiration for ‘A Christmas Gift From Bob’ came from. Ben Whishaw is so puppyish and lovely as the voice of old Paddy. There’s loads of wonderful London landmarks and hair-raising villains in Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant who are currently starring together in ‘The Undoing’ (2020).
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2. The Artist (2011)

Also not technically a pet movie. Michel Hazanavicius’s 2011 silent film may be forgotten, but its existence in the age of 3D and IMAX is still a marvel. Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo heat things up in silence. But the real star is Uggie the Dog who died back in 2015 and won the Palme Dog Award at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. A terrific pet performance.
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1. 101 Dalmatians (1961)

There was never any hesitation about what my no.1 pet movie pick would be. I’m a dog fan and therefore the prospect of 101 spotted friends for 79 minutes is a good one. I love ‘101 Dalmatians’ most, though, because it has one of the greatest villains of all time in Cruella de Vil. Glenn Close made a good shot of her in the 1996 remake and I look forward to 2021’s prequel ‘Cruella’ which has Emma Stone donning the dog skin coat. Word has it that the new movie is an origins story set in the 70s with Cruella as a punk rock icon. Can’t wait!
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