The 16 Best Animated Movies About Dogs That Are Paw-Sitively Perfect
Self-proclaimed dog lovers know that we're drawn to anything and everything that is dog-themed - and this extends to animated films. Luckily, there are plenty of dog-focused movies to choose from.
We've got the original dog cartoons, like All Dogs Go To Heaven and 101 Dalmatians. Looking for something with more of a rom-com vibe? Lady and the Tramp and that famous spaghetti scene is waiting for you. There are dog-centric movies for kids, like Bolt and The Secret Life of Pets, as well as dog movies that are great for adults, like Isle of Dogs and The Plague Dogs.
Which dog-starring movie are you going to watch next?
- 123 VOTES
Premise: This classic film was released way back in 1955, and audiences instantly fell in love with the star-crossed lovers of Lady and Tramp.
As their names suggest, Tramp, a mutt, lives on the street while Lady, a cocker spaniel, lives in a fine home.
Lady soon also finds herself on the streets, after her owners' aunt sabotages her and blames her for making a mess in her home. Tramp finds Lady and shows her that life out of the confines of a home isn't so bad.
Standout Scene: The spaghetti scene because it's so iconic. Two dogs sharing a plate of pasta, only to accidentally choose the same noodle… and kiss as they slurp it up. It's the stuff of rom-com dreams.
Why Would Your Dog Like It? This is for those hopeless romantic pups. It's really their version of Kate and Leo in Titanic.
- 231 VOTES
Premise: Murder, cons, gambling… doesn't exactly sound like a kids movie, does it? Yet, All Dogs Go to Heaven manages to turn these adult themes into a lovable tale about a German Shepherd named Charlie. When we first meet Charlie, he's into some shady business, running a casino riverboat. When his business partner kills Charlie to keep the profit for himself, Charlie finds himself in heaven, as “all dogs are inherently good,” so they all automatically go to the pearly gates.
Charlie, wanting to get revenge on his business partner, manages to return to Earth, where he befriends a young orphan, Anne-Marie, who helps him rethink his selfish ways.
Standout Scene: After Charlie saves Anne-Marie, damning himself, he unknowingly re-earns his spot in heaven. However, before accepting his new life above the clouds, he's granted a chance to say goodbye to Anne-Marie. The scene is touching, as Anne-Marie gently strokes the dog's nose as he promises he'll see her again one day.
Why Would Your Dog Like It? Learning you have a guaranteed spot in heaven just for being a doggo? Who wouldn't love that message! (Disclaimer: With this knowledge, your dog may chew up your slippers with little remorse.)
- 321 VOTESPhoto: Buena Vista Distribution
Premise: Another classic canine flick, 101 Dalmatians follows Pongo and Perdita, who recently had a litter of puppies. The devious Cruella De Vil learns of the puppies' existence and decides to dognap them - so she can kill them for a one-of-a-kind coat.
This sets Pongo and Perdita on a journey to find and rescue their pups (and a few more orphans they meet along the way).
Standout Scene: Desperate for information regarding their puppies' location, Pongo and Perdita initiate the “Twilight Bark,” a network of dogs throughout London. Soon, nearly every dog in the city is barking. To humans, this seems like an annoyance, but to dogs, it's a vast intelligence system at play.
Why Would Your Dog Like It? Cruella is one of the great villains to come out of Disney. Rooting for her downfall is fun for any pup.
- 427 VOTESPhoto: Universal Pictures
Premise: Are you even a fan of dog-starring movies if you haven't seen Balto? The classic animated film is based on the true story of Balto, an Alaskan husky.
In 1925, Balto led a sled dog team on a trek from Nenana, Alaska to Nome. The team was carrying precious cargo: diphtheria antitoxin that had to be delivered ASAP to save the children who were suffering from an outbreak in Nome.
The film gives Balto a voice and personality as he embarks on this dangerous journey.
Standout Scene: At one point, Balto is stranded in a blizzard, about to give up on himself. Yet, a white wolf appears, reminding Balto that being half-wolf (which has long been the source of ridicule by other dogs) is actually a strength.
Why Would Your Dog Like It? Just as humans love to learn about real-life heroes, pooches will idolize Balto and his story of bravery.
- 518 VOTESPhoto: Universal Pictures
Premise: The Secret Life of Pets doesn't just focus on dogs - it includes a whole roster of domesticated animals. The protagonist is Max, a Jack Russell terrier who isn't happy with his owner adopting a mutt named Duke.
As the two dogs try to get rid of each other, they end up getting jumped by a gang of cats, who steal their collars. To survive, they try to join a group of disgruntled animals, led by a white rabbit named Snowball. They call themselves the Flushed Pets and hate humans after being abandoned by them.
Before long, Max and Duke have Snowball and the Flushed Pets after them too as they work to get back to their owner.
Standout Scene: Gidget, a white Pomeranian who is in love with Max, singlehandedly takes down the whole gang of the Flushed Pets. Watching this tiny dog disarm everything from an alligator to a snake is an example of some true girl power.
Why Would Your Dog Like It? We're convinced that our dogs do have a secret life when we're not at home. So getting to see this on-screen is no doubt a delight for them.
- 630 VOTES
Premise: Bolt isn't your average dog - he's a superdog! (Or so he thinks.) Bolt has lived his entire life on a TV set, where he stars in a hit show with his 12-year-old owner, Penny.
In the show, Bolt has superpowers that defeat the evil villains. And to make Bolt's acting more believable, the filmmakers have convinced Bolt that his powers are real. When Penny gets kidnapped on the show, Bolt of course thinks this is real. So, he breaks out of his Hollywood trailer and ends up in New York City. From here, he has to figure out how to cross the country to get back to Penny (with a few new friends).
Standout Scene: When Bolt is hungry (for the first time in his life) and Mittens shows him how to do the “sad dog” face to get scraps. Bolt then wanders around a campground with his little sad face, getting more food than Mittens has had for ages.
Why Would Your Dog Like It? Humans love to imagine what life would be like as a superhero - why wouldn't dogs?
- 728 VOTESPhoto: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Premise: Isle of Dogs is the stop-motion brainchild of director Wes Anderson, who has produced a couple animated films as of late (another being Fantastic Mr. Fox). The film captures the quirky essence of Anderson films as it follows 12-year-old Atari as he tries to reunite with his beloved dog, Spots.
The problem is that Spots, along with every other dog in the Japanese city of Megasaki, has been confined to “Trash Island,” after a canine flu has threatened to infect humans. Atari teams up with a group of dogs to find Spots, while avoiding the mayor's henchmen who are trying to stop the reunion.
Standout Scene: When Chief and his gang of dogs fight off a rival crew for a bag of rotten scraps of food. In the kerfuffle, one of the other dogs' ears gets bitten off. Victorious in the fight, Chief looks down at the amputated ear and bats it out of sight of the audience.
Why Would Your Dog Like It? A human who will go to the ends of the Earth to rescue his dog? Why, it's the dream of every pup to have an owner that committed.
- 816 VOTES
Premise: In the ‘50s, a young Victor Frankenstein lives with his parents and beloved dog, Sparky. After Sparky is hit by a car, Victor decides to reanimate him, based on learnings from his recent science class. Sparky comes back to life - which soon inspires Victor’s classmates to try to bring back their own deceased pets.
The other students aren't as successful as Victor, leading to a group of monster pets.
Standout Scene: Weird Girl tries the reanimation process on her cat, Mr. Whiskers. However, as he's holding a dead bat, the cat transforms in front of our eyes into a winged, long-limbed vampire creature.
Why Would Your Dog Like It? Humans love a good creepy movie, especially one spearheaded by Tim Burton. Now, your dog has a great option to pop in around Halloween (or anytime, really).
- 912 VOTES
Premise: You might be wondering what a movie named after a cat is doing on this list. While the protagonist is Oliver, a young cat, he befriends a group of tough dogs. Over time, this gang of dogs turns into Oliver's pseudo-family, rescuing him and helping him feel less alone in the world.
Standout Scene: The dogs are showing Oliver how they survive on the streets. Despite things looking down, they never give up on their dreams. This is highlighted in the song Rita sings called “Streets of Gold.”
Why Would Your Dog Like It? The dogs tend to steal the scenes when they're on-screen, and we're sure your dogs would appreciate that.
- 1015 VOTESPhoto: Buena Vista Pictures
Premise: Are you already welling up just thinking of this movie? That's the effect it had on many of us who grew up watching the development of the friendship between Tod the fox and Copper the hound dog.
The film shows the pair as they're growing up, becoming fast friends. However, as they get older, we see how Copper, who was raised to be a hunting dog, is faced with an impossible decision regarding his friend.
Standout Scene: When the two are older, Copper is forced to hunt Tod with his owner. But as they are tracking him down, the dog and human are cornered by a bear. Despite them literally hunting him down, Tod decides to save the pair - seemingly sacrificing himself in the process.
Why Would Your Dog Like It? Everyone likes a story about uncommon friends. If your dog befriends cats or any other creatures, we're sure they'd like this one. - 1114 VOTES
The Tibetan Dog
Photo: MadhousePremise: A boy, Tenzing, lives in a city with his mother. However, after his mother dies, Tenzing is forced to move to Tibet to live with his estranged father. As the boy tries to assimilate into life on a sheep farm, he's cornered by a wolf. A golden Tibetan Mastiff saves Tenzing, and the two soon form a bond.
Standout Scene: Throughout the film, a massive creature is terrorizing the small town. We finally get to see the huge beast clearly when he faces the pack of village dogs. Each dog goes after the animal, only to be batted away easily. The golden Tibetan Mastiff, however, outsmarts the creature by driving him into a rock wall and eventually, into an avalanche.
Why Would Your Dog Like It? For some reason, animators seem to prefer small dogs to star in films. Here, a huge, chonky boy is the hero of the tale.
- 1212 VOTES
Scoob!
Photo: Warner Bros. PicturesPremise: In this story about everyone's favorite crime-solving Great Dane, we see how a young Shaggy and Scooby-Doo meet, as well as how they come to know Fred, Velma, and Daphne.
As they get older, a new villain is after Shaggy and Scooby. Wanting Scooby's skull to open the gates to the Underworld, the Mystery Machine gang must jump into action to save the pooch.
Standout Scene: The first scene we're introduced to young Shaggy and Scooby-Doo. Shaggy is a lonely kid, desperate to make friends but unsure how. When he sees a giant sand mound, he pretends that's his new friend.
Little does Shaggy know that inside the pile of sand is Scooby, hiding from police for stealing some meat. When he discovers the pup, Shaggy offers him some of his sandwich - and the rest is history.
Why Would Your Dog Like It? In a lot of Scooby-Doo episodes, Scooby just kind of tags along. Here, he's the true protagonist of the film.
- 138 VOTESPhoto: Warner Bros.
Premise: Written by and starring comedian Rodney Dangerfield, the film tells the story of a dog, Rover, who enjoyed a life of luxury in Las Vegas. His owner, a showgirl, leaves on business and has her boyfriend look after her dog.
Mad at Rover for interrupting a shady business deal, the boyfriend puts the dog in a bag and throws him off the Hoover Dam. Rover survives the fall and ends up on a farm. Here, he has to adjust to the slower pace of life.
Standout Scene: Rover heroically saves the farm's turkey from a pack of wolves who attack. However, when the farmer comes to check on the bird, Rover discovers that the turkey died after all - from shock.
Rover's wide eyes and head movements nearly mirror the real-life Rodney Dangerfield.
Why Would Your Dog Like It? “Your dog moving to a farm" usually is code for a much worse fate. But getting to actually see a dog move to a farm, and find himself, is a good flick for any pooch to watch.
- 147 VOTESPhoto: 20th Century Fox
Premise: Mr. Peabody is a highly intelligent dog who adopts a human boy named Sherman. Mr. Peabody regularly takes his son back in time to learn about history in the time machine the dog built. Chaos ensues when Sherman and a fellow classmate, Penny, travel back in time and make some monumental changes.
Standout Scene: When we first meet Mr. Peabody, we learn he won a court case to be able to adopt Sherman. Then we're gifted a glimpse into his brilliance when he whips up a meal of crab, truffled quails, and baked Alaska.
Why Would Your Dog Like It? This film flips the “human owning dog” concept on its head - and we can't help but think dogs would like the idea of running the show.
- Photo: DreamWorks Pictures
Premise: In this film about the antics of Wallace and his beagle Gromit, the former has created a device to stop rabbits from eating from the gardens of the townsfolk. The way he's able to do this is by using a brainwashing machine to make rabbits not like vegetables.
However, he pushes the wrong button and accidentally melds his brain with a rabbit - starting a process where he turns into a giant were-rabbit.
Standout Scene: At first, we're not sure who the were-rabbit is. The duo think it's one of their caught rabbits at first. But Gromit soon realizes that it's his human who has been wreaking havoc. When we finally get to see Wallace transform into the massive hare, it's worth the wait.
Why Would Your Dog Like It? In the film, the true hero is Gromit, who figures out how to save the town and his owner. A dog's gonna love that flip in the hierarchical structure.
- 1610 VOTESPhoto: MGM/UA Entertainment Co.
Premise: A much heavier film, The Plague Dogs focuses on themes of animal cruelty and experimentation.
Two dogs, Rowf and Snitter, live in an animal laboratory. Rowf has had his brain experimented on, leading to a large scar across his skull, while Snitter is repeatedly drowned to test resuscitation methods. The two escape the lab one night, only to struggle to survive on their own as they're hunted due to rumors that they are spreading the bubonic plague.
Standout Scene: When the dogs are swimming in the sea at the end of the film. Rowf is positive he sees an island in the distance - one where they will finally be free. As the mist comes in, we're not entirely sure the fates of the dogs.
Why Would Your Dog Like It? There are some days when we're just in the mood for a movie that tackles social issues. For your dog, this could be the perfect film to put on when that vibe hits.
