The Greatest Animal Movies Ever Made

Originally by Ranker Community

Updated December 30, 2020 46.3k votes 7.6k voters 747.5k views190 items

List RulesMovies that feature animals as main characters, live action or animated

Some of the best and most beloved movies feature cute pets, barnyard critters, jungle animals, and dangerous beasts. What is the best animal movie of all time? This is a crowdranked list of great movies that star real, animated, or animatronic animals. Pet movies aren't just for the dogs anymore. What's the best movie about animals? If a movie makes you cry or cheer or feel unusually invested... odds are good that there's a plucky animal involved. If a film makes you grip your arm rests, cover your eyes, and feel like something's crawling on you, there might just be an animatronic shark or CGI spider on the screen. (But we'd rather look at cute baby animals.)

Some of the most heart-wrenching scenes in movies involve children or strong heroic lead men losing their beloved dogs or horses. The best funny talking animal movies have a diverse mix of animal actors, including cats, dogs, birds, monkeys, and sea mammals. Voice talent from famous A-list actors provides laughs and quotable lines for both children and adults.

These are the best movies with animals either as the main characters or as the main focus. Vote up your favorites to move them higher on the list, or do a full re-rank to create a list of your favorite animal movies. If you see your favorite animal films are missing, go ahead and add them!

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The Lion King
Whoopi Goldberg, Jeremy Irons
Released: 1994
Directed by: Rob Minkoff, Roger Allers
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Finding Nemo
Ellen DeGeneres, Willem Dafoe
Released: 2003
Directed by: Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich
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Lady and the Tramp
Peggy Lee, Stan Freberg
Released: 1955
Directed by: Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske, Clyde Geronimi
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Charlotte's Web
Debbie Reynolds, Danny Bonaduce
Released: 1973
Directed by: Charles August Nichols, Iwao Takamoto
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Bambi
Sterling Holloway, Sam Edwards
Released: 1942
Directed by: James Algar, Samuel Armstrong, Paul Satterfield, Bill Roberts, Norman Wright
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The Aristocats
Eva Gabor, Ruth Buzzi
Released: 1970
Directed by: Wolfgang Reitherman
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The Fox and the Hound
Kurt Russell, Mickey Rooney
Released: 1981
Directed by: Richard Rich, Art Stevens, Ted Berman
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Ratatouille
Peter O'Toole, Janeane Garofalo
Released: 2007
Directed by: Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava
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101 Dalmatians
Hugh Laurie, Glenn Close
Released: 1996
Directed by: Stephen Herek
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The Jungle Book
Clint Howard, George Sanders
Released: 1967
Directed by: Wolfgang Reitherman
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A Bug's Life
Hayden Panettiere, Ashley Tisdale
Released: 1998
Directed by: John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton
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101 Dalmations
Rod Taylor, Paul Frees
Released: 1961
Directed by: Hamilton Luske, Clyde Geronimi, Wolfgang Reitherman
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How to Train Your Dragon
Gerard Butler, Kristen Wiig
Released: 2010
Directed by: Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders
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Dumbo
Sterling Holloway, Cliff Edwards
Released: 1941
Directed by: Wilfred Jackson, Samuel Armstrong, Bill Roberts, Ben Sharpsteen, Norm Ferguson
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Zootopia
Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman
Released: 2016
Directed by: Byron Howard, Rich Moore, Jared Bush
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Ice Age
Jack Black, Ray Romano
Released: 2002
Directed by: Chris Wedge, Carlos Saldanha
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The Lion King II: Simba's Pride
Neve Campbell, Matthew Broderick
Released: 1998
Directed by: Rob LaDuca, Darrell Rooney
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Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey
Sally Field, Michael J. Fox
Released: 1993
Directed by: Duwayne Dunham
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Jurassic Park
Samuel L. Jackson, Jeff Goldblum
Released: 1993
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
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Over the Hedge
Avril Lavigne, Bruce Willis
Released: 2006
Directed by: Tim Johnson, Karey Kirkpatrick
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Eight Below
Paul Walker, Moon Bloodgood
Released: 2006
Directed by: Frank Marshall
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Babe
Hugo Weaving, James Cromwell
Released: 1995
Directed by: Chris Noonan
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Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron
Matt Damon, James Cromwell
Released: 2002
Directed by: Lorna Cook, Kelly Asbury
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Old Yeller
Chuck Connors, Fess Parker
Released: 1957
Directed by: Robert Stevenson
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Kung Fu Panda
Angelina Jolie, Lucy Liu
Released: 2008
Directed by: John Stevenson, Mark Osborne
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