These films highlight the strong relationships that develop between humans and other animals, not all of whom are dogs or cats, and not all such films are made for children. Other films that deal with animals and grief can be found on our curated film list for the Green Pet-Burial Society.

Au Hasard Balthazar. Directed and written by Robert Bresson. 1966. France. [A cinematic masterpiece. Throughout his life, a donkey is shuffled from one human to another, serving their stories – some cruel, others kind.]

Babe. Directed by Chris Noonan. 1995. Kennedy Miller Productions. USA. [Adapted from the children’s novel, The Sheep-Pig, by Dick King-Smith, first published by Gollancz in 1983.]

Ben. Directed by Phil Karlson. 1972. Bing Crosby Productions. USA. [A boy’s friendship with a rat is threatened. A sequel to the 1971 film, Willard. In this unusual film that draws upon horror elements, Ben leads other rats in search of food, and several people are killed in the process, yet the loving relationship between boy and rat endures. The theme song became a big hit.]

Bless the Beasts and Children. Directed by Stanley Kramer. 1971. [Adapted from the novel by Glendon Swarthout. Its theme song by the same name was performed by the Carpenters].

Born Free. Directed by James Hill. 1966. Open Road Films, Ltd. UK, Ethiopia, Kenya. [Based on the 1960 book of the same name by Joy Adamson, describes Adamson’s experience raising an orphaned lion cub named Elsa who is released back to the wild.]

EO. Directed and cowritten by Jerzy Skolimowski. 2022. Skopia Films. Poland, Italy. [A donkey’s perspective as he moves through Europe and meets humans are indifferent or cruel, and those who are kind.]

Goodbye to Language. Directed and written by Jean-Luc Godard. 2014. Canal+. France, Switzerland. [An experimental film in 3D that is a montage of images, quotes, sound, and a dog – the only one who can see clearly]

Gorillas in the Mist. Directed by Michael Apted. 1988. Universal Pictures. USA.

Isle of Dogs. Directed, written, and produced by Wes Anderson. 2018. Indian Paintbrush. USA, Germany, UK.

Kedi. Directed by Ceyda Torun. 2016. Termite Films. Türkiye. [A documentary about stray cats that live in Istanbul, and the people who observe and interact with them.]

Kensuke’s Kingdom. Directed by Neil Boyle and Kirk Hendry. 2024. Lupus Films. UK, Luxembourg, France. [Animated feature of a boy and his dog stranded on an island in the Pacific Ocean. Based on the children’s novel of the same name by Michael Morpurgo.]

My Dog Tulip. Directed by Paul Fierlinger. 2009. Produced by Howard Kaminsky. USA. [Geared for adult audiences. Based on the 1956 memoir of the same name by J. R. Ackerley.]

Of Dogs and Men. Directed by Dani Rosenberg. 2024. AR Content. Israel. [Dar, 16 years old, returns to her kibbutz to look for her dog who was lost during the terror attack of October 7. Dar is “caught between those seeking revenge and those keeping faith in humanity.”]

Pound. Directed and written by Robert Downey, Sr. 1970. Pound Company. USA. [A film that serves as both commentary on and allegory for relations among different groups and stereotypes of people, while simultaneously attempting to illustrate life in a dog pound from the dogs’ point of view. Human actors play the dogs. Film debut of Robert Downey, Jr. Background]

Shepherd: The Story of a Jewish Dog. Directed by Lynn Roth. 2019. FocusFox Studio. USA and Hungary. [Based on the novel, “The Jewish Dog,” by Asher Kravitz. [A family adventure with the historical backdrop of WWII. The film follows the journey of Caleb, a German Shepherd who is taken from his Jewish family due to a Nazi ban on pets. He is then trained by the SS to attack Jewish prisoners. Caleb is reunited with Joshua, who is now a prisoner in the concentration camp.]

State of Dogs (Mongolian: Нохойн орон, alternately Nokhoin Oron). Directed and written by Peter Brosens and Dorjkhandyn Turmunkh. 1998. Peter Brosens (Inti Films). Mongolia. [Upon seeing this film, Garth Stein, American author and film producer, was inspired to write his best selling novel, The Art of Racing in the Rain.]

Storm Boy. Directed by Shawn Seet. 2019. Ambience Entertainment. Australia. [A remake of the 1976 film, based on the 1964 novel of the same name by Colin Thiele. Streaming platform Kanopy.com includes a Study Guide.]

The Cow (Persian: گاو). Directed by Dariush Mehrjui. 1969. Iranian Ministry of Culture. Iran. Screenplay by Gholam-Hossein Saedi based on his own play and novel. [The psychic connection between a man and his cow in a small village. Generating psychological and political analyses, this is thought to mark the beginning of the Iranian New Wave.]

The Turin Horse (Hungarian: A torinói ló). Directed by Béla Tarr and Ágnes Hranitzky. 2011. Hungary. [Inspired by the legend of Nietzsche witnessing a horse being beaten, and throwing his arms around the horse’s neck; it marks the beginning of Nietzsche’s alleged psychological breakdown. Note: The misery and suffering of animals depicted in these old films are too often real.]

Umberto D. Directed by Vittorio De Sica. 1952. Produced by Rizzoli-De Sica-Amato. Italy. [According to Robert Osborne of Turner Classic Movies, this was De Sica’s favorite of all his films. Warning: some tough scenes with dogs, as well as to a chicken and ants.]

War Horse. Directed by Steven Spielberg. 2011. DreamWorks Pictures. USA. [Based on the 1982 novel of the same name by Michael Morpurgo and its 2007 theatrical adaptation.]

Wendy and Lucy. Directed by Kelly Reichardt. 2008. Field Guide Films. USA. [Adapted from the short story, Train Choir, by Jon Raymond.]

White Fang. Directed by Randal Kleiser. 1991. Walt Disney Pictures. USA. [Based on the 1906 novel of the same name by Jack London.]

Year of the Dog. Written and directed by Mike White. 2007. Plan B Entertainment. USA.

Documentary

A Dog Named Gucci. Directed by Gorman Bechard. 2015. What Were We Thinking Films. USA. [This is a story of abuse and survival. Gucci, a 10-week old puppy was hung and set on fire. Doug James, rescued the dog, and began a campaign making domestic animal abuse a felony.]

A Little Vicious. Directed by Immy Humes. 1991. The Doc Tank Inc. USA. [A dated yet interesting documentary. Wikipedia: “A dog in Connecticut about to be killed for biting people, until animal trainer Vicki Hearne steps in to help. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short.”]

Buck. Directed by Cindy Meehl. 2011. Cedar Creek Productions. USA. [A profile of Dan M. “Buck” Brannaman whose method of training horses – rather than the conventional method to ‘break’ them (reminiscent of the physical abuse he and his brother endured as children) – was to work with how horses think and communicate so that they will accept relationships with humans.]

Of Dogs and Men. Directed by Michael Ozias. 2016. Just Add Firewater. USA. [“Our Dogs. Our Police Officers. They are colliding with tragic results and the U.S. Department of Justice estimates that more than 10,000 pet dogs are shot and killed every year. But there are people fighting for change.”]

Old Friends, A Dogumentary. Written & Directed by Gorman Bechard. 2022. What Were We Thinking Films. USA. [This film tells the story of the Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary in Tennessee, its founders and senior dogs as they move into a new state-of-the-art facility, funded by Facebook donations.]

Pariah Dog. Directed by Jesse Alk. 2019. India. [“Tens of thousands of native dogs live and die on the streets of Kolkata, India” – this film tells their story. Mesmerizing, beautiful cinematography, heartbreaking scenes of dogs and one chained monkey. Heartwarming stories of a few people who struggle to help these dogs, despite, or enriched by their own personal struggles to get by.]

Seniors A Dogumentary. Directed by Gorman Bechard. 2020. What Were We Thinking Films. USA. [This film celebrates senior dogs and many of the seniors who love them. It highlights Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary; photographer Jane Sobel Klonsky, whose photographs illustrate the bond between elderly dogs and their people; and psychologist John W. Pilley, and his well-known dog, Chaser.]