For those of you who haven’t heard, we’ve had a death in the family here at Hollywire. Cash, the less-than-one-year-old puppy who was good friends with Hollywire’s mascots Bean and Ender, left us late last week. In his honor, I have compiled my personal list of the 10 best dog movies ever. Enjoy!

10. Cats & Dogs (2001), PG, 87 mins.

I actually wasn’t all that impressed with Cats & Dogs, but it wins a spot on this list even if for not other reason than because cats were portrayed as furry little balls of evil and the dogs were the heroes. It’s definitely a dog movie for dog people, which warrants it a little attention.

It’s all about a battle between cats and dogs, and it’s strange that the target audience is so young, because the movie probably presents the most technologically advanced domesticated animals ever shown in a movie. For all of the tactical warfare that takes place, it’s amazing that even a mildly more mature audience wasn’t really considered.

Not the best family entertainment for a family of cat lovers, but there is definitely some fun to be had for us dog owners!

9. All Dogs Go To Heaven (1989), G, 89 minutes.

For all of its overt religious undertones, one thing that I really think All Dogs Go To Heaven was successful at was bravely approaching the subject of death knowing that it has a young audience. For that reason, if there were any dogs in it, Bambi would be on this list, too.

A dog named Charlie is murdered by a rival named Carface. It’s a rule that all dogs go to heaven, so of course that’s where Charlie ends up. But he wants vengeance against the dog who killed him, so he cons a way to get back to Earth to live among the living for long enough to get his revenge, even understanding that doing so will damn him to Hell.

Along the way he meets  a girl who can talk to animals and has an incredible gift for predicting winners at the track. This helps Charlie get close to his enemy, although all along the way he has to worry about the fate of his soul if he can’t prove his worthiness of heaven after his earthly adventure…

8. Eight Below (2006), PG, 120 mins.

Ok, so I’m just going to come right out and admit that I haven’t seen Eight Below, but I promise it’s the only movie on this list that I haven’t seen. I have heard nothing but good things about it and I have every intention of watching it eventually, but I will also admit to an automatic, almost instict-level aversion to anything with Paul Walker in it, especially anything that is supposed to be emotionally moving.

Nevertheless, I do sincerely believe that the movie is good, and maybe even moving and effectively dramatic (a good performance from Walker I would have to see to believe though), but regardless it does feature and adventurous story of a tale of survival in the brutal Antarctic.

Walker plays a dog trainer named Jerry who is forced to abandon his sled dogs in a polar storm, tying them to be rescued after the storm passes. For months he struggles to find sponsors for a rescue expedition while the dogs fight for survival. Thankfully, the movie focuses on the dogs more than on the humans, so it deserves to be recognized as one of the best dog movies ever.

7. 101 Dalmatians (1961), G, 79 mins.

In what is quite possibly one of the most perfectly crafted storylines of any Disney movie, 101 Dalmatians came along in 1961 on the heels of Sleeping Beauty and just before my favorite Disney movie ever, Sword in the Stone. Pongo is a dalmatian living with his bachelor owner, Roger, when one day they stumble across a couple women in the park. And who might these women be? A single young lady named Anita with her lovely dalmatian, Perdita.

Before you know it they’re married and, existing in a film that would not allow them to conceive a child themselves, Roger and Anita watch their happy new puppy couple become pregnant have 15 puppies. Then 18. Then 22. Then 27. Then 31. Then 41, 65, 76, 83, etc until the 101st puppy is born into the astonished arms of its new parents and owners. Unfortunately, the evil and perfectly named Cruella DeVille has a thing for fur coats and sets her eyes on the cute little pups, sending her bonehead henchmen to kidnap them.

Dalmatian trivia – 101 Dalmatians was the highest grossing American movie of 1961, and more amazingly, it inspired someone without a hint of a social life to count all of the spots in the movie, frame-by-frame. There are 6,469,962. I wish I was making that up.

6. Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993), G, 84mins.

Oh stop it, this movie was awesome and you know it. Who could forget Michael J. Fox at the height of his Back to the Future fame taking on the voiceover role of a dog named Chance on a mission through the wilderness with another dog and a sassy cat (fittingly named Sassy)? Classic!

Actually, this is a remake of a Disney classic, but surely one of the most memorable adventures of a few housepets who brave all manner of natural wonders and dangers on their cross-country quest to become reunited with their owners, who left on vacation without them. It’s definitely an enduring family classic that celebrates the bonds between people and their pets.
.

5. Turner & Hooch (1989), PG, 97 mins.

Ah, a buddy cop movie starring Tom Hanks and a gigantic, slobbery dog. How could it not be on this list? Hanks plays Scott Turner, a detective eager for a big case. Soon he finds himself investigating a murder where the only eyewitness is the victim’s dog Hooch, who’s doggy ways don’t fit in so well with Turner’s neat-freak lifestyle. Lots of sight gags and a charming relationship evolve between the two as Hooch uses his puppy-dog eyes to nuzzle his way into Turner’s heart.

Hooch trivia – Henry Winkler, of “Happy Days” fame, was originally signed on to direct, but because he didn’t get along with Tom Hanks he was unceremoniously fired.

Seriously, how do you not get along with Tom Hanks?

4. I Am Legend (2007), PG-13, 101 mins.

I Am Legend could earn a spot as one of the best dog movies ever just because it’s about a post apocalyptic world in which Will Smith is apparently the last man on earth and his only companion is his trusty dog. Smith plays Robert Neville, a military scientist who, after a man-made virus wipes out apparently the entire world’s population, has been trying for three years to reverse the virus using an immunity in his own blood. Complicating matters is a population of zombies that can, ahem, only come out in the night, as it were, and also a woman who shows up with her son.

Admittedly the movie was not all it was cracked up to be, but it was a fun ride and featured a great performance from the dog, who not only looks even more appealing in comparison with the CGI zombie dogs, but also played a prominent role in the story.

Legend trivia – Will Smith became so attached to Abby, his canine costar, that he tried to adopt her when filming was finished, but Anny’s trainer wouldn’t give her up!

3. Benji (1974), G, 86 mins.

Benji is not exactly overflowing in the originality department as far as the story, but it features a canine movie star that is so impossibly cute that he has become a legend in dog movie lore. In fact, Benji is almost unique among dog movies because the majority of it is told from Benji’s perspective, even his point of view. Much of the movie is filmed from about a foot and a half above the ground as Benji makes his way through phases of life ranging from stray dog to canine detective searching for missing children. What could be better?

Benji trivia – I have a dog named Panda who looks remarkably similar to Benji, except she is all blonde, and she’s cuter.

2. Best in Show (2000), PG-13, 90 mins.

Okay, so Best in Show is not so much about dogs as it is about the inanity of dog beauty competitions and nutty dog show people, but this thing is so hilarious and so brilliantly written that it deserves a spot near the top. Satirist expert Christopher Guest takes on the subject of dog shows in his mockumentary, hilariously lampooning the dog show industry but without over-exaggerating or making fun. The already bizarre behavior of these people is slightly exaggerated and presented with perfect comedic timing, making for one of the best comedies to have come along in years.

The movie is presented in documentary style using interviews and supposedly live footage of several groups of people as they prepare for a big dog show. And also keep your eye out for commentator  Buck Laughlin (Fred Willard in top form), who might have the most hilarious role in the entire movie.

Best in Show trivia – Christopher Guest was the six-fingered man in The Princess Bride!

1. The Wizard of Oz (1939), G, 112 mins.

So those of you who are genuine dog-movie fanatics will notice that I have left out an extensive list of true classics (most notably things like Old Yeller, Lassie Come Home, Rin Tin Tin, The Fox and the Hound, Lady and the Tramp, etc), but The Wizard of Oz is a classic that is far too towering to possibly omit. Not the least reason for which is because the Wicked Witch’s line “I’ll get you, my pretty. And your little dog, too!” is not only one of the most famous lines ever uttered in a movie, but has become a part of the very lore of motion pictures.

Poor Dorothy her dog Toto are whisked away to the magical land of Oz by a tornado that lifts her house and flings it into the sky like a toy. In order to get back home, she has to travel across the land of Oz to the Emerald City with her memorable friends The Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion, avoiding the Wicked Witch of the West, who has sworn revenge on Dorothy for her house landing on the witch’s sister, the Wicked Witch of the East.

“I’ll get you, my pretty. And your little dog, too!”