What dog lover doesn’t love a good movie? Whether it’s a night in with your canine pal or you want to get the whole family together to watch a movie, there is nothing better than turning on a movie about a man’s best friend.
When searching for the right dog movie, you may get a bit overwhelmed by the number of choices you have. Even though you can’t go wrong with dogs, some movies stand out among the others. We decided to make your movie night a little easier by narrowing down the best dog movies over the years.
Not only have we watched all these movies ourselves, but we also looked at what the different reviews have to say. Here’s our list of the top 20 best dogs movies to watch this year.
This live-action family film from 1986 is narrated by Dudley Moore and follows Milo, the orange tabby cat, and Otis, the Pug. They grew up together on the family farm with lots of other animals. Their curiosity leads the youngsters astray and they become separated.
You follow each of them on their dangerous quest to find one another where they brave perilous terrains and meet several other animals along the way. This is a wonderful family film for both dog and cat lovers.
The 1974 film Benji, follows a lovable shaggy stray named Benji that spends his days roaming around a Texas town surviving on handouts from the locals. He may be a stray that lives out of an abandoned house, but he has won over the hearts of the townspeople.
Everything changes when two children that Benji is very fond of being kidnapped and held for ransom. The police and the parents reach a dead end, but Benji comes along to save the day. Benji even meets a love interest along the way.
This beloved classic is a great choice for the entire family and is our choice for the best value since it can be purchased, rented, or bought online for streaming at a very low cost.
Pros
Classic
Great for the whole family
DVD comes in a pack
Cons
Emotional scenes
3. Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey– Premium Choice
A young rescued American Bulldog named Chance (Michael J. Fox) is welcomed to the home of Bob, Laura, Peter, Hope, and Jamie. Now a complete family with Golden Retriever, Shadow (Don Ameche), and Himalayan cat, Sassy (Sally Field) The gang has to stay at a friend’s ranch while the family vacations in San Francisco.
Thinking they have all been left behind they decide as a group to find their way home to their humans. These house pets find themselves out in the rugged wilderness of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and each of them must use their strengths to get through the journey home in one piece.
This is hands down one of the best dog movies of all time. It will have you feeling all sorts of emotions and will ultimately leave you full of joy.
If you are looking for a movie that involves puppies, you can’t go wrong with the 1961 Disney classic 101 Dalmatians. When Pongo’s owner Roger meets Perdita’s owner, Anita, sparks fly, and both the human couple and the dog couple fall in love.
Pongo and Perdita welcome a litter of puppies and Anita’s old classmate Cruella De Vil wants to buy every puppy for herself. Roger declines Cruella’s offer, so she hires two criminal brothers to steal them so she can have the fur coat she desires. Follow the gang as they work to escape Cruella’s attempts and return to normal life.
This film has also been made into live-action movies throughout the years including a 1996 film titled 101 Dalmatians starring Glenn Close, and a 2021 version called Cruella, starring Emma Stone.
Who doesn’t love a giant, lovable, slobbery, Saint Bernard? This 1992 family comedy starts when an adorable Saint Bernard puppy and several others are stolen from a pet shop. The Saint Bernard puppy manages to break free from the thieves and ends up at the doorstep of the Newton family.
George Newton (Charles Grodin) isn’t too keen on bringing a dog into the home but his wife Alice and his children Ryce, Ted, and Emily convince him otherwise. Beethoven becomes a beloved member of the family, though struggles to win the affections of George along the way.
His happy life is jeopardized when a veterinarian pulls a horrible scheme on the family to steal Beethoven for a deadly experiment he has been conducting. It turns out, this veterinarian has been performing cruel experiments on many dogs and it is up to Beethoven and the Newtons to try and set things right.
All Dogs Go to Heavenis a 1989 animated film that follows a German Shepherd named Charlie B. Barkin, voiced by Burt Reynolds. He is murdered by a friend, Carface Carruthers but decides to skip out on Heaven and return to Earth to get revenge on Carface and return to his best friend, Itchiford.
Charlie ends up concocting an elaborate revenge plan that involves a young orphaned human girl named Anne-Marie. She ends up changing everything. Charlie gets the opportunity to learn a lot about the importance of friendship, love, and kindness and is faced with an important decision.
If you are looking for a classic tearjerker, Old Yeller from 1957 is a great choice. Based on the Fred Gipson children’s novel turned live-action Disney film has withstood the test of time and remained one of the most beloved dog movies for many decades.
The film is set in the 1860s and follows the friendship between a young boy named Tommy Coates and the stray dog he adopts while his father is away on a cattle drive. As they both grow up together, Old Yeller proves what an impact he has on Tommy, even saving his life, and ends up a beloved member of their family.
Keep your tissues ready, as this film covers the hard realities of dog ownership in the old days and the difficult circumstances surrounding it.
Another Walt Disney classic that is highly recommended is The Fox and the Hound. It tells the story of a little rescued fox named Tod and a hound named Copper that become fast friends when they are little and pledge their loyalty to each other.
Copper is owned by a hunter and is brought up and trained as a hunting dog. The two end up as enemies with Copper setting out to hunt Tod. Thankfully, their prior friendship ends up being Tod’s savior, but this film doesn’t give the happily ever after we all hope for. It teaches us that co-existing is not always so easy and highlights issues like prejudice.
This 1997 animated film is worth a watch and is a beloved favorite among dog lovers and Disney enthusiasts.
This heartfelt family comedy is based on the book by John Grogan that follows, Jenny (Jennifer Aniston) and John, (Owen Wilson) through 13 years of ups, downs, and everything in between. As newlyweds, the couple brings home an adorable but high-strung, out-of-control Yellow Labrador named The Fox and the Hound.
Marley may cause a lot of stress and destruction, but he is a member of the family that is there with them from start to finish, through all life has to offer. You are almost guaranteed to cry, as this does follow the family through the love and companionship of Marley’s lifetime.
This 1994 live-action family drama is based on the well-known and beloved series, Lassie. The city-dwelling Turner family are on their way to start a new life in Virginia on a sheep farm. During the trip, they are delayed by an accident on the highway that resulted in the death of a truck driver.
The family notices the deceased truck driver’s abandoned Collie on the roadways and decides to adopt her. This film follows the bonds formed with Lassie as the Tuners work to adjust to life in the country. Their beloved new Collie sure does help them along the way.
Lassie remains a well-known classic thanks to the faithful dog that is always putting her owner’s safety above her own.
Pros
Loved by wany
Based on the old TV series
Happy movie
Cons
There may be some inappropriate words for children
This 1995 animated family film tells the story of Balto, an unlikely hero during a deadly diphtheria epidemic in Nome, Alaska during the dead of winter. The medicine needed to save the lives of the sick is located hundreds of miles away and the only way to retrieve it is by summoning a sled dog team to make the venture.
Balto, voiced by Kevin Bacon, is a half-wolf dog that is not so popular among the other sled dogs. When the other dogs get lost in the snow on the way to the medicine, Balto risks his own life to rescue them and deliver the medicine back to the town.
This is a beloved family favorite that is loosely based on the true story of a wolf hybrid named Balto that has a statue in New York City.
Pros
Based loosely on a true story
Great for the whole family
Cons
Some were disappointed storyline didn’t match the true story of Balto
Based on the book written by Bruce Cameron, A Dog’s Purpose is a very touching movie about following a boy’s beloved dog, voiced by Josh Gad, through several reincarnations. He goes through all sorts of good and bad experiences as he makes his way through several very different lifetimes.
He learns what is most important in life by living several different lives, eventually making his way back to where he belongs and proving that true bonds are never broken, even with death. Make sure to keep the tissues handy for this one. It is a very touching film from a very interesting perspective.
My Dog Skip is a great movie that is based on the autobiographical book by Willie Morris. This movie tells you the story of Willie Morris when he was given a Jack Russell Terrier, named Skip for his 9th birthday.
Skip changes Willie’s life in many ways by helping him make unlikely friends and even a new girlfriend. You get to follow the pair through their adventures, both good and bad, all the way up to the very end. It shines a light on just how impactful our four-legged friends truly are in our lives.
Lady and the Tramp is a Disney classic from 1955 that you do not want to miss. Best known for the iconic spaghetti scene, this movie revolves around Lady, the spoiled cocker spaniel that feels displaced when her owners bring home a new baby.
Lady finds herself out on the streets and ends up befriending Tramp, a stray mutt that acts as her protector. Though they are very different from one another, romance blooms and you get to follow the pair through some intense drama and redemption of Tramp’s reputation.
This live-action film was released in 2015 and is a very popular family movie that tells the tale of Max, a hardy Belgian Malinois military dog that helped American Marines in Afghanistan. After his handler, Kyle Wincott is killed during the war, Max suffers from severe stress and is unable to return to duty.
Max returns to the United States and is adopted by his handler’s family. Kyle’s teenage brother Justin is struggling with his issues and does not want anything to do with the dog. However, Max ends up being the key to unraveling a mystery. With the help of a dog-savvy friend of Justin’s, Justin and Max end up forming a bond.
The story follows the two through the ups and downs that ultimately reveal how much they truly needed one another.
This 1974 favorite is set in the Ozark Mountains during the Great Depression. A young Billy Colman wants nothing more than a pair of Redbone Coonhounds to take hunting. He spends his time working odd jobs to gather up the money to pay for two puppies.
Thanks to a tree carving he noticed while picking up the puppies, he decided to name the dogs Little Ann and Old Dan. With help from his grandfather, Billy teaches his dogs to hunt, and they quickly become very successful, avid hunters that are fiercely loyal to Billy and one another.
This story ends as a tearjerker that will tug at your heartstrings, but this beautiful story has kept this film one of the most well-revered dog movies of all time.
A young boy named Josh moves to a small town in Washington after losing his father. He’s the new kid in town and struggles to fit in. He loves basketball but is much too shy to try out for his school’s basketball team.
He ends up befriending a surprisingly talented stray Golden Retriever that he names Buddy. It turns out Buddy is a great basketball player himself. Josh eventually tries out and makes the team and Buddy are named the Team Mascot. Josh and Buddy become the stars of the halftime show and get a lot of media attention.
The attention catches the attention of Buddy’s former owner, and the two new friends are at risk of being separated for good. This 1997 film is a great family favorite that focuses on cooperation, teamwork, and the importance of friendship.
In this 1989 crime comedy, Tom Hanks stars as Detective Scott Turner, an uptight police officer that hopes to leave his small California town to move on to life in the big city. When his friend Amos Reed is killed, Turner inherits his French Mastiff, Hooch.
Turner is not so excited to have this new canine companion but realizes that Hooch may be the key to solving his friend’s murder. Though reluctant, Turner learns to adjust to his new chaotic life with Hooch and ends up with a loyal friend that gives the ultimate sacrifice to save his life.
This live-action movie from 2002 catches up with Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby 2 years after Mystery Inc. disbanded on a bad note. The gang is individually summoned to a hip spring break destination called Spooky Island to investigate a series of paranormal happenings.
The gang is unaware that the others have been invited and aren’t too happy to run into each other. They end up discovering that the young visitors are being affected in very unusual ways. It is not long before they all realize that to solve this mystery, they will need each other’s help.
With some body-swapping, monsters, and a very unexpected culprit, the gang solves the mystery and decides they are better off together. This is a great movie for the whole family.
Pros
Great for the whole family
Happy ending
Hilarious, feel-good movie
Cons
Some were disappointed it wasn’t done as a cartoon
Based in prehistoric times, set in the last Ice Age, a young man named Keda struggles to return home after being separated from his tribe during a buffalo hunt. He comes across a lone wolf that shares his struggle and they form a bond that changes the future of man and wolf. The two must rely on each other for survival and to make their way home before the arrival of winter.
Alpha is an interesting movie that was created to show how dogs wound up as man’s best friend. This movie won’t be ideal for the kids, as it is much more geared toward an adult audience. The movie does not have spoken language, but constructed languages with subtitles.
Pros
Interesting storyline
Packed with adventure
Cons
Not for kids
Dialogue in constructed languages
Conclusion
We hope you liked our top-20 flicks featuring our favorite characters—dogs! For a recap of our top picks, we have Milo and Otis, which is a great story for all animal lovers that offers a great dose of comedy and adventure with a happy ending. Benjiis a beloved classic that comes at a great value for your money when purchasing or renting. It is heartwarming and great for the entire family.
Nicole is the proud mom of 3 rescue fur babies, Baby, a Burmese cat; Rosa, a New Zealand Huntaway; and Mac, a Lab/Mastiff. A Canadian expat, Nicole now lives on a lush forest property with her Kiwi husband and new baby daughter in New Zealand. She has a strong love for all animals of all shapes and sizes (and particularly loves a good interspecies friendship) and wants to share her animal knowledge and other experts' knowledge with pet lovers across the globe....Read more
