What are the best dog movies? I don’t want to start a debate, but i think dog are the cutest animals on this planet. The best friend of man is one of the most desirable pet around the globe. Many might argue about how lovable and cute cats are but owning a dog have more advantages than owning a cat. Dogs are way more faithful, obedient and of course powerful than cats.
If you’re one such person who have unconditional love for dogs then you might get happy to know that the best pet in the world has also been subject of many popular movies. Dog movies are most adorable movies that you can watch together with your family and kids. Hollywood got interested in making movies about dogs and other pet animals during the 1920s decade. Even though there were movies made on other animals as well but except King Kong and Planet of the apes, movies on other animals didn’t gave any tough competition to dog movies.
You would not believe that it was movies based on dogs that made Warner bros one of the most profitable studios of the 1920s. Back in 1923 Warner bros was on verge of bankruptcy. They decided to put their money on a movie starring a canine. The name of the star dog was Rin Tin Tin (a german shepherd dog). Rin Tin Tin starred in ‘Where the north begins’ and believe it or not this dog film was a massive hit. It led to a series of dog movies by the studios and soon they became the richest studios of that time. In fact Rin Tin Tin got the most vote for Best Actor academy award in 1929. But the jury was not in favor of awarding a canine.
From 1920s to present era hundreds of dog movies have been produced and most of them did brilliantly well at box office. Here we have selected 50 great movies on dogs that not only performed at good at box office but were also praised by critics. This list of movies based on dogs also includes animated dog movies from studios like walt disney and dreamworks. So Here is the list of top dog films:
Contents
50. The Legend of Lobo
Director – James Algar, Jack Couffer
Cast – Rex Allen, Ingvald Lieberkind
IMDB Rating – 7.1
Rotten Tomatoes –
Release Date – 7 November 1962
Box Office – $1 million
Genre – Adventure, Family
Awards – None
Plot –
49. Greyfriars Bobby
Director – Don Chaffey
Cast – Laurence Naismith, Donald Crisp
IMDB Rating – 7.3
Rotten Tomatoes –
Release Date – 17 July 1961
Box Office – $1 million
Genre – Drama, Family
Awards – None
Plot –
48. Bingo
Director – Matthew Robbins
Cast – Robert J. Steinmiller Jr., David Rasche, Cindy Williams
IMDB Rating – 4.9
Rotten Tomatoes –
Release Date – 9 August 1991
Box Office – $8,667,684
Genre – Adventure, Comedy, Family
Awards – None
Plot –
47. Because of Winn-Dixie
Director – Wayne Wang
Cast – Cicely Tyson, Jeff Daniels, AnnaSophia Robb, Dave Matthews, Eva Marie Saint, Luke Benward
IMDB Rating – 6.3
Rotten Tomatoes – 55%
Release Date – 18 February 2005
Box Office – $33,589,427
Genre – Comedy, Drama, Family
Awards – None
Plot –
46. The Shaggy D.A.
Director – Disneyland
Cast – Dean Jones, Keenan Wynn, Tim Conway, Suzanne Pleshette
IMDB Rating – 5.9
Rotten Tomatoes – 50%
Release Date – 17 December 1976
Box Office – $10.5 million
Genre – Comedy, Family, Fantasy
Awards – None
Plot –
45. Annie
Director – John Huston
Cast – Bernadette Peters, Carol Burnett, Geoffrey Holder, Albert Finney, Tim Curry, Ann Reinking, Aileen Quinn
IMDB Rating – 6.6
Rotten Tomatoes – 56%
Release Date – 17 May 1982
Box Office – $57 million
Genre – Comedy, Drama, Family
Awards – None
Plot –
44. Cats & Dogs Series
Director – Lawrence Guterman
Cast – Jeff Goldblum, Alexander Pollock, Elizabeth Perkins
Alexander Pollock
IMDB Rating – 5.1
Rotten Tomatoes – 53%
Release Date – 4 July 2001
Box Office – $200.7 million
Genre – Action, Comedy, Family
Awards – None
Plot –
43. Good Boy!
Director – Gene Stupnitsky
Cast – Jacob Tremblay, Brady Noon, Keith L. Williams, Lil Rel Howery, Midori Francis, Will Forte, Molly Gordon
IMDB Rating – 6.9
Rotten Tomatoes – 79%
Release Date – 15 August 2019
Box Office – $82.4 million
Genre – Adventure, Comedy
Awards – None
Plot –
42. See Spot Run
Director – John Whitesell
Cast – David Arquette, Joe Viterelli, Leslie Bibb, Michael Clarke Duncan, Anthony Anders, Steve Schirripa
IMDB Rating – 5.4
Rotten Tomatoes – 23%
Release Date – 25 February 2001
Box Office – $43 million
Genre – Action, Comedy, Crime
Awards – None
Plot –
41. Bailey’s Billion$
Director – David Devine
Cast – Dean Cain, Jennifer Tilly, Laurie Holden, Jon Lovitz, Tim Curry
IMDB Rating – 3.9
Rotten Tomatoes – 20%
Release Date – August 2005
Box Office – $1 million
Genre – Comedy, Family
Awards – None
Plot –
40. Watchers
Director – Jon Hess
Cast – Barbara Williams, Corey Haim, Lala, Michael Ironside
IMDB Rating – 5.4
Rotten Tomatoes –
Release Date – 2 December 1988
Box Office – $940,173
Genre – Action, Horror, Sci-Fi
Awards – None
Plot –
39. We Think the World of You
Director – Colin Gregg
Cast – Alan Bates, Liz Smith, Gary Oldman, Frances Barber, Max Hall
IMDB Rating – 6
Rotten Tomatoes –
Release Date – 22 December 1988
Box Office – $20,998
Genre – Comedy
Awards – None
Plot –
38. A Dog Named Christmas
Director – Peter Werner
Cast – Bruce Greenwood, Linda Emond, Noel Fisher
IMDB Rating – 7.4
Rotten Tomatoes –
Release Date – November 29, 2009
Box Office – $ 1 Million
Genre – Drama, Family
Awards – None
Plot –
37. Oliver and Company
Director – George Scribner
Cast -Mike Gabriel, Jim Mitchell, Kirk Wise, Roger Allers, Vance Gerry, Joe Ranft, Chris Bailey, Dave Michener, Michael Cedeno, Gary Trousdale
IMDB Rating – 6.7
Rotten Tomatoes – 50%
Release Date – 13 November 1988
Box Office – $74.2 million
Genre – Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Awards – None
Plot –
36. The Adventures of Milo and Otis
Director – Masanori Hata
Cast – Kyôko Koizumi, Pû, Chatran, Shigeru Tsuyuki
IMDB Rating – 7
Rotten Tomatoes – 80%
Release Date – 27 June 1986
Box Office – $136 million
Genre – Adventure, Drama, Family
Awards – None
Plot –
35. The Shaggy Dog
Director – Brian Robbins
Cast – Robert Downey Jr., Spencer Breslin, Tim Allen, Danny Glover, Kristin Davis
IMDB Rating – 4.4
Rotten Tomatoes – 26%
Release Date – 10 March 2006
Box Office – $87.1 million
Genre – Comedy, Family, Fantasy
Awards – None
Plot –
34. Hotel for Dogs
Director – Thor Freudenthal
Cast – Kyla Pratt, Emma Roberts, Kevin Dillon, Jake T. Austin, Lisa Kudrow
IMDB Rating – 5.4
Rotten Tomatoes – 46%
Release Date – 16 January 2009
Box Office – $117 million
Genre – Comedy, Family
Awards – None
Plot –
33. Snow Dogs
Director – Brian Levant
Cast – James Coburn, Cuba Gooding Jr., Joanna Bacalso, Sisqó, Graham Greene, Nichelle Nichols
IMDB Rating – 5.1
Rotten Tomatoes – 24%
Release Date – 18 January 2002
Box Office – $115 million
Genre – Adventure, Comedy, Family
Awards – None
Plot –
32. The Biscuit Eater
Director – Vincent McEveety
Cast – Lew Ayres, Earl Holliman, Godfrey Cambridge, Pat Crowley
IMDB Rating – 5.6
Rotten Tomatoes –
Release Date – 22 March 1972
Box Office – $ 1 Million
Genre – Drama, Family
Awards – None
Plot –
31. My Dog Skip
Director – Jay Russell
Cast – Diane Lane, Kevin Bacon, Frankie Muniz, Luke Wilson
IMDB Rating – 7
Rotten Tomatoes – 73%
Release Date – 8 January 2000
Box Office – $35,547,761
Genre – Comedy, Drama, Family
Awards – None
Plot –
30. Zeus and Roxanne
Director – George T. Miller
Cast – George T. Miller, Steve Guttenberg, Kathleen Quinlan
IMDB Rating – 5.3
Rotten Tomatoes – 44%
Release Date – 24 January 1997
Box Office – $7.2 million
Genre – Adventure, Comedy, Family
Awards – None
Plot –
29. Beverly Hills Chihuahua
Director – Raja Gosnell
Cast – Piper Perabo, Drew Barrymore, Jamie Lee Curtis, Manolo Cardona, José María Yazpik, Andy García
IMDB Rating – 3.8
Rotten Tomatoes – 40%
Release Date – 25 September 2008
Box Office – $149.3 million
Genre – Adventure, Comedy, Drama
Awards – None
Plot –
28. Fluke
Director – Carlo Carlei
Cast – Eric Stoltz, Nancy Travis, Matthew Modine, Jon Polito, Samuel L. Jackson
IMDB Rating – 6.7
Rotten Tomatoes – 27%
Release Date – 2 June 1995
Box Office – $3,987,768
Genre – Drama, Family, Fantasy
Awards – None
Plot –
27. Shiloh
Director – Chip Rosenbloom
Cast – Blake Heron, Ann Dowd, Rod Steiger, Michael Moriarty, Scott Wilson, Bonnie Bartlett
IMDB Rating – 6.3
Rotten Tomatoes – 73%
Release Date – 25 April 1997
Box Office – $ 1 million
Genre – Drama, Family
Awards – None
Plot –
26. Man’s Best Friend
Director – John Lafia
Cast – Lance Henriksen, Robert Costanzo, Ally Sheedy, Frederic Lehne
IMDB Rating – 5.2
Rotten Tomatoes – 17%
Release Date – 19 November 1993
Box Office – $12.9 million
Genre – Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi
Awards – None
Plot –
25. Must Love Dogs
Director – Gary David Goldberg
Cast – Dermot Mulroney, Diane Lane, Ali Hillis, Christopher Plummer, John Cusack, Elizabeth Perkins, Stockard Channing
IMDB Rating – 5.9
Rotten Tomatoes – 36%
Release Date – 21 July 2005
Box Office – $58,405,313
Genre – Comedy, Romance
Awards – None
Plot –
24. Top Dog
Director – Martin Kemp
Cast – Vincent Regan, Susan Penhaligon, Tom Davis, Leo Gregory, Jason Flemyng, Ricci Harnett, Lesley Harcourt
IMDB Rating – 5
Rotten Tomatoes –
Release Date – 26 May 2014
Box Office – $1 million
Genre – Crime, Drama
Awards – None
Plot –
23. White Dog
Director – Samuel Fuller
Cast – Kristy McNichol, Parley Baer, Jameson Parker, Burl Ives, Paul Winfield
IMDB Rating – 7.1
Rotten Tomatoes – 92%
Release Date – 7 July 1982
Box Office – $46,509
Genre – Drama, Horror
Awards – None
Plot –
22. The Adventures Of Yellow Dog (2 Films in the series)
Director – Phillip Borsos
Cast – Jesse Bradford, Tom Bower, Mimi Rogers, Bruce Davison
IMDB Rating – 6.4
Rotten Tomatoes – 57%
Release Date – 13 January 1995
Box Office – $11,642,945
Genre – Adventure, Family
Awards – None
Plot –
21. Cujo
Director – Lewis Teague
Cast – Dee Wallace, Ed Lauter, Danny Pintauro, Daniel Hugh-Kelly
IMDB Rating – 6.1
Rotten Tomatoes – 62%
Release Date – 10 August 1983
Box Office – $21.2 million
Genre – Horror, Thriller
Awards – None
Plot –
20. Marmaduke
Director – Tom Dey
Cast – Lee Pace, Owen Wilson, Fergie, Sam Elliott, Judy Greer, Steve Coogan, George Lopez, William H. Macy
IMDB Rating – 4.2
Rotten Tomatoes – 9%
Release Date – 27 May 2010
Box Office – $83.8 million
Genre – Comedy, Family
Awards – None
Plot –
19. The Ugly Dachshund
Director – George Lopez
Cast – Dean Jones, Charlie Ruggles, Suzanne Pleshette
IMDB Rating – 6.7
Rotten Tomatoes –
Release Date – 4 February 1966
Box Office – $6.2 million
Genre – Comedy, Family
Awards – None
Plot –
18. Iron Will
Director – Charles Haid
Cast – Mackenzie Astin, David Ogden Stiers, Kevin Spacey
David Ogden Stiers
IMDB Rating – 6.5
Rotten Tomatoes – 62%
Release Date – 14 January 1994
Box Office – $21 million
Genre – Adventure, Family
Awards – None
Plot –
17. The Fox and the Hound
Director – Richard Rich, Ted Berman, Art Stevens
Cast – Mickey Rooney, Pat Buttram, Pearl Bailey, Jeanette Nolan, Jack Albertson, Sandy Duncan, Kurt Russell
IMDB Rating – 7.3
Rotten Tomatoes – 70%
Release Date – 10 July 1981
Box Office – $63.5 million
Genre – Animation, Adventure, Drama
Awards – None
Plot –
16. White Fang
Director – Randal Kleiser
Cast – Ethan Hawke, James Remar, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Seymour Cassel, Susan Hogan
IMDB Rating – 6.7
Rotten Tomatoes – 63%
Release Date – 18 January 1991
Box Office – $34.8 million
Genre – Adventure, Drama
Awards – None
Plot –
15. Bolt
Director – Byron Howard, Chris Williams
Cast – Mark Walton, John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Susie Essman
IMDB Rating – 6.8
Rotten Tomatoes – 89%
Release Date – 17 November 2008
Box Office – $310 million
Genre – Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Awards – None
Plot –
14. Dog Who Saved Christmas / Dog Who Saved Christmas Vacation / Dog Who Saved Halloween
Director – Michael Feifer
Cast – Dean Cain, Sierra McCormick, Gary Valentine, Mario López, Elisa Donovan, Adrienne Barbeau
IMDB Rating – 4.4
Rotten Tomatoes –
Release Date – 29 November 2009
Box Office – $ 1 Million
Genre – Comedy
Awards – None
Plot –
13. The Buddies Series (Air Buddies, Snow Buddies, Space Buddies, Santa Buddies)
Director – Robert Vince
Cast – Mike Dopud, Jimmy Bennett, Charles C. Stevenson, Kris Kristofferson, John Kapelos
IMDB Rating – 5.2
Rotten Tomatoes –
Release Date – 5 February 2008
Box Office – $ 1 Million
Genre – Adventure, Family
Awards – None
Plot –
12. 101 Dalmatians & 102 Dalmatians
Director – Kevin Lima
Cast – Alice Evans, Ioan Gruffudd, Tim McInnerny, Glenn Close
IMDB Rating – 4.9
Rotten Tomatoes –
Release Date – 22 November 2000
Box Office – $183.6 million
Genre – Adventure, Comedy, Family
Awards – None
Plot –
11. Best in Show
Director – Christopher Guest
Cast – John Michael Higgins, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Eugene Levy, Jennifer Coolidge, Michael Hitchcock, Jane Lynch
IMDB Rating – 7.4
Rotten Tomatoes – 94%
Release Date – 19 September 2000
Box Office – $20.8 million
Genre – Comedy
Awards – None
Plot –
10. Turner & Hooch
Director – Roger Spottiswoode
Cast – Craig T. Nelson, Mare Winningham, Tom Hanks
IMDB Rating – 6.1
Rotten Tomatoes – 52%
Release Date – 28 July 1989
Box Office – $71.1 million
Genre – Comedy, Crime, Drama
Awards – None
Plot –
9. Joe Camp’s Benji Series
Director – Joe Camp
Cast – Patsy Garrett, Peter Breck, Deborah Walley, Mark Slade, Christopher Connelly, Tom Lester, Edgar Buchanan, Herb Vigran
IMDB Rating – 6.1
Rotten Tomatoes – 86%
Release Date – 17 October 1974
Box Office – $45 million
Genre – Adventure, Family, Romance
Awards – None
Plot –
8. Beethoven (Film Series)
Director – Brian Levant
Cast – Bonnie Hunt, Charles Grodin, Oliver Platt, Stanley Tucci, Dean Jones
IMDB Rating – 5.6
Rotten Tomatoes – 33%
Release Date – 3 April 1992
Box Office – $147.2 million
Genre – Comedy, Drama, Family
Awards – None
Plot –
7. Homeward Bound – The Incredible Journey
Director – Duwayne Dunham
Cast – Kim Greist, Robert Hays, Kevin Chevalia, Veronica Lauren
IMDB Rating – 6.9
Rotten Tomatoes – 87%
Release Date – 12 February 1993
Box Office – $41.8 million
Genre – Adventure, Comedy, Drama
Awards – None
Plot –
6. Eight Below
Director – Frank Marshall
Cast – Moon Bloodgood, Paul Walker, Jason Biggs, Bruce Greenwood
IMDB Rating – 7.3
Rotten Tomatoes – 72%
Release Date – 17 February 2006
Box Office – $120.5 million
Genre – Adventure, Drama, Family
Awards – None
Plot –
5. Old Yeller
Director – Robert Stevenson
Cast – Kevin Corcoran, Dorothy McGuire, Spike, Fess Parker, Tommy Kirk
IMDB Rating – 7.3
Rotten Tomatoes – 100%
Release Date – 25 December 1957
Box Office – $6,250,000
Genre – Adventure, Drama, Family
Awards – None
Plot –
4. Lady and the Tramp
Director – Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske
Cast – Larry Roberts, Barbara Luddy, Peggy Lee, Bill Thompson, Verna Felton
IMDB Rating – 7.3
Rotten Tomatoes – 93%
Release Date – 16 June 1955
Box Office – $187 million
Genre – Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Awards – None
Plot –
3. Lassie Series (Lassie Come Home / Son of Lassie / Courage of Lassie / Hills of Home)
Director – Fred M. Wilcox
Cast – Harry Davenport, Frank Morgan, Pal, Elizabeth Taylor, Tom Drake, Selena Royle
IMDB Rating – 7.1
Rotten Tomatoes – 94%
Release Date – 7 October 1943
Box Office – $4,100,000
Genre – Adventure, Family
Awards – None
Plot –
2. Marley & Me
Director – David Frankel
Cast – Jennifer Aniston, Owen Wilson
IMDB Rating – 7.1
Rotten Tomatoes – 62%
Release Date – 25 December 2008
Box Office – $247.8 million
Genre – Comedy, Drama, Family
Awards – None
Plot –
1. Hachi: A Dog’s Tale
Director – Lasse Hallström
Cast – Erick Avari, Richard Gere, Jason Alexander, Joan Allen
IMDB Rating – 8.1
Rotten Tomatoes – 64%
Release Date – 8 July 2009
Box Office – $46.7 million
Genre – Drama, Family
Awards – None
Plot –
Over the decades we have had many favorite dogs from Snoopy to Scooby to Santa’s little helper. Which Dog character is your favorite? Which dog movie do you think is greatest? Do you think dog movies are better than cat movies or movies about other animals and pets?
