Best Pet Movie Characters

When it comes to picking a movie that the whole family will enjoy, choosing a film with pets is always a good bet! From children’s cartoons to million-dollar franchises, animals are always an enjoyable part of any movie. Here are some of the best pets we’ve seen on the silver screen!

Buddy from Air Bud

Air Bud is one of the classic pet movies! After working as an assistant to Norm Snively the clown, Buddy the golden retriever falls from the back of a truck and is abandoned. He meets Josh, a young boy who wants to play on his school’s basketball team but doesn’t have the courage. Josh discovers that Buddy has a talent for playing basketball, and Buddy becomes the mascot and eventually a player for the school’s basketball team. After Buddy helps them win the championship, he is allowed to stay with Josh’s family and Snively is arrested for animal cruelty. Air Bud has many sequels and spin-offs, but the first movie was based on Air Buddy, a real-life golden retriever who could play many sports and acted as himself in the original movie!

Hedwig from the Harry Potter Series

The world of Harry Potter has some amazing aspects – flying brooms, magic potions, and powerful spells – but if we’re honest, one of the coolest things in the Harry Potter movies is Hedwig, Harry’s snowy owl! Hedwig is an 11th birthday gift from Harry’s friend and mentor Rubeus Hagrid, making her the first birthday gift Harry has ever received. She comes with Harry to Hogwarts for his first year in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, and stays by his side until Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. She brings and delivers Harry’s mail, sasses him in a way only a fictional owl can, and provides companionship when he’s lonely. Every bird lover wants a Hedwig in their life!

Bolt from Bolt

Bolt is a fantastic tale of heroism, found family, knowing your worth. TV-star Bolt believes he actually has superpowers that he uses to keep his owner Penny safe, but when he finds himself lost in New York he comes to realize that his powers and his lifestyle aren’t real. With the help of new friends Mittens the cat and Rhino the hamster, Bolt makes his way across the USA back to Penny, all while learning how to be a regular dog. When he finds Penny again, he saves her from a burning studio, proving to himself that he doesn’t need his powers to be a hero. We love this movie for the uplifting messages and quality entertainment – and who could forget that fantastic scene of Mittens teaching Bolt how to beg for food?

Spirit from Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron

Spirit might not be considered a traditional pet, but Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron showcases the relationship between humans and animals. Born to a herd of wild horses in the 19th century American West, Spirit is a courageous but curious leader who is captured by the United States Cavalry. He is freed by Little Creek, a Lakota Native American who shows Spirit how humans and animals are able to coexist peacefully. They face many sorts of challenges throughout the film including forest fires, grief, and a seemingly impossible leap across a canyon, and by the end they hold respect for each other and their ways of life.

Dug from Up

Up is a universally acclaimed Disney-Pixar film, and with only four human characters, it’s no surprise that animals play a large role in the movie. Dug is a golden retriever who can speak to humans with a special collar. His owner tasks his dogs with finding a mythical bird in South America that will make him famous, but Dug is easily distracted and an airhead so he’s an outcast in his pack. When Dug meets Carl and Russel, two humans who travelled to South America by tying helium balloons to a house, Dug ends up becoming loyal to them instead of his owner. The three of them are able to save the mythical bird, and Dug ends up living with Carl. We love Dug for his trusting and loveable nature!

Rajah from Aladdin

Disney Princesses are known for their animal sidekicks, but one of the coolest pets in the Disney Princess series is Rajah, Jasmine’s tiger from Aladdin. Rajah is Jasmine’s one constant companion within the palace walls, and serves as a protector and a friend. He chases Jafar’s parrot Iago and scares away Jasmine’s unwanted suitors, and even helps her to escape the palace. Rajah is incredibly loyal and is always willing to help Jasmine, and although a tiger might not be the best choice of pet, these are some of the best qualities to have in an animal companion!

Toto from The Wizard of Oz

Toto is one of the first famous pets to be one the silver screen, especially in color! Toto is Dorothy’s small dog, and the story of The Wizard of Oz starts off when Dorothy’s neighbor threatens to have Toto euthanized when he bites her ankle. After the tornado takes Dorothy to Oz, Toto accompanies her as she meets various characters in the new world. When the Wicked Witch of the West captures Dorothy, Toto escapes and leads Dorothy’s new friends to her, rescuing Dorothy and defeating the Witch. Despite the seemingly small role, Toto is the one who keeps the story moving forward!

Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon

Much like Rajah, maybe a dragon isn’t a pet you’ll be seeing around the neighborhood. However, dragons make for great movie characters! In How to Train Your Dragon, Hiccup is a young Viking living in Berk, a village terrorized by dragons. In an effort to prove his worth to his father and the village, Hiccup invents a device that is able to take down a Night Fury, one of the most dangerous and mysterious dragons. When he ventures into the forest to find proof of his deed, he discovers that the dragon is injured and trapped in a cove unable to fly, and Hiccup chooses to let him live. Eventually a friendship forms between Hiccup and the dragon, who Hiccup has named Toothless, and Hiccup develops a harness and prosthetic fin that allows Toothless to fly again with Hiccup controlling the fin. When the Vikings face a threat from a ginormous and violent dragon, Hiccup and Toothless fight it together and prove to the village that not all dragons are monsters, and that dragons and humans are able to live in harmony. It’s a beautiful story of empathy and found friendship, and shows what it means to have courage.