Entertainment
The Best Live Action Animal Movies for Kids
List Rules
Vote up your favorite children's films that feature live animals. No movies that are only animated.
What are the best animal movies for kids? This list of great live animal movies for children includes some of the most classic, iconic movies in cinema history. Many of them, not surprisingly, rank among the best children's movies and films of all time, and several are Disney live action movies, as well. Which ones are your favorites, and which ones do you believe are the most appropriate for youngsters? Time to vote! That way the best family animal movie will make it to the top of the list.
Many of the greatest animal movies ever made are geared, at least in part, towards children. From the loveable, wonderful, Academy Award-winning Babe to the adventures of one of the cinema's greatest pooches, Benji, live action animal movies have entertained generations of children over the decades.
Obviously, any list of the best animal movies for children must include the animals (perhaps the greatest dog movies?) From Beethoven to Air Bud and Disney's The Shaggy Dog, these pooches gave their all with their outstanding performances, all of our entertainment.
But it isn't just the dogs who should get all the credit: Several films on this list are among the best cat movies and cat movies for kids, including That Darn Cat! and the campy classic 'The Cat From Outer Space.' Cats and dogs share the screen too, in excellent kids animal movies like Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey, The Adventures of Milo & Otis and the aptly titled Cats & Dogs. You might also like our list of dog movies for kids and Disney animal movies.
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- Actors: Don Ameche, Michael J. Fox, Sally Field, Don Adler, Ed Bernard
- Directed by: Duwayne Dunham
Before the Seavers leave for a family vacation to San Francisco, they drop off their pets -- Chance (Michael J. Fox), an adventurous American bulldog; Shadow (Don Ameche), a wise golden retriever; ...more- 21995
- Actors: James Cromwell, Magda Szubanski, Hugo Weaving, Mary Acres, David Webb
- Directed by: Chris Noonan
Gentle farmer Arthur Hoggett (James Cromwell) wins a piglet named Babe (Christine Cavanaugh) at a county fair. Narrowly escaping his fate as Christmas dinner when Farmer Hoggett decides to show him ...more - 32016
- Actors: Neel Sethi, Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong'o
- Directed by: Jon Favreau
Raised by a family of wolves since birth, Mowgli (Neel Sethi) must leave the only home he's ever known when the fearsome tiger Shere Khan (Idris Elba) unleashes his mighty roar. Guided by a ...more - 42019
- Actors: Ashley Judd, Jonah Hauer-King, Edward James Olmos, Alexandra Shipp, Chris Bauer
- Directed by: Charles Martin Smith
As a puppy, Bella finds her way into the arms of Lucas, a young man who gives her a good home. When Bella becomes separated from Lucas, she soon finds herself on an epic 400-mile journey to reunite ...more - 51996
- Actors: Glenn Close, Jeff Daniels, Joely Richardson, Joan Plowright, Hugh Laurie
- Directed by: Stephen Herek
Fashion designer Anita and computer-game writer Roger meet, fall in love and marry along with their dalmatians Perdita and Pongo. The dogs' puppies are kidnapped by Anita's boss Cruella De Vil, who ...more - 61992
- Actors: Charles Grodin, Bonnie Hunt, Dean Jones, Nicholle Tom, Christopher Castile
- Directed by: Brian Levant
When the family of George Newton (Charles Grodin) decides to adopt a cute St. Bernard puppy, the patriarch soon feels displaced by the dog. Before long, the adorable canine, dubbed Beethoven, has ...more - 71993
- Actors: Jason James Richter, Lori Petty, Jayne Atkinson, Michael Madsen, Michael Ironside
- Directed by: Simon Wincer
When maladjusted orphan Jesse (Jason James Richter) vandalizes a theme park, he is placed with foster parents and must work at the park to make amends. There he meets Willy, a young Orca whale who ...more - 81999
- Actors: Geena Davis, Hugh Laurie, Jonathan Lipnicki, Brian Doyle-Murray, Estelle Getty
- Directed by: Rob Minkoff
When the Littles go to an orphanage to adopt a new family member, a charming young mouse named Stuart is chosen. While George is initially unwelcoming to his new brother, the family cat, Snowbell, is ...more - 9
- Actors: Tessa Thompson, Sam Elliott, Justin Theroux, Janelle Monáe, Ken Jeong
- Directed by: Charlie Bean
In this heartwarming romantic adventure, a timeless re-telling of the 1955 animated classic, Lady, an overachieving, pampered American Cocker Spaniel house dog and Tramp, a tough but lovable, ...more - 102011
- Actors: Harry Connick, Ashley Judd, Nathan Gamble, Kris Kristofferson, Cozi Zuehlsdorff
- Directed by: Charles Martin Smith
While swimming free in the ocean, a young dolphin gets caught in a trap and severely damages her tail. Though she is rescued and transported to Clearwater Marine Hospital, her tail cannot be saved, ...more - 111994
- Actors: Tom Guiry, Helen Slater, Jon Tenney, Brittany Boyd, Frederic Forrest
- Directed by: Daniel Petrie
On their way to start a new life at a sheep farm in rural Virginia, the Turner family are halted by a wreck on the highway that has claimed the life of a truck driver. Spotting the trucker's ...more - Actors: Dudley Moore, Shigeru Tsuyugushi
- Directed by: Masanori Hata
The Adventures of Milo and Otis is an Japanese adventure comedy-drama film about two animals, the titular characters, Milo and Otis. The original English version was released on June 27, 1986, and ...more- Actors: Robert Hays, Kim Greist, Veronica Lauren, Kevin Chevalia, Benj Thall
- Directed by: David R. Ellis
The Seaver family arrives at San Francisco International Airport to catch a flight to Canada. They check in their pets: Chance (Michael J. Fox), an American bulldog; Shadow (Ralph Waite), a golden ...more- 141994
- Actors: Sean Bean, David Thewlis, Jim Carter, Peter Davison, Alun Armstrong
- Directed by: Caroline Thompson
Like the Anna Sewell novel that inspired it, this film adaptation is told from the perspective of a majestic stallion named Black Beauty (Alan Cumming). As a colt, Black Beauty has a relaxed life in ...more - Actors: Tilda Swinton, Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, William Moseley, Anna Popplewell
- Directed by: Andrew Adamson
During the World War II bombings of London, four English siblings are sent to a country house where they will be safe. One day Lucy (Georgie Henley) finds a wardrobe that transports her to a magical ...more- 161974
- Actors: Peter Breck, Chris Connelly, Patsy Garrett, Allen Fiuzat, Frances Bavier
- Directed by: Joe Camp
Stray dog Benji doesn't need an owner, preferring to roam freely all over his friendly Texas town. He delights in hectoring the cat of a local widow (Frances Bavier), and can always rely on a kindly ...more - 171957
- Actors: Dorothy McGuire, Fess Parker, Tommy Kirk, Kevin Corcoran, Jeff York
- Directed by: Robert Stevenson
While Jim Coates (Fess Parker) is off on a cattle drive, his wife, Katie (Dorothy McGuire), and sons, Travis (Tommy Kirk) and Arliss (Kevin Corcoran), are left behind on their Texas ranch. When a ...more - 181998
- Actors: Eddie Murphy, Ossie Davis, Oliver Platt, Peter Boyle, Richard Schiff
- Directed by: Betty Thomas
After a fender bender, Dr. John Dolittle (Eddie Murphy) gets back his childhood ability to converse with animals. But the gift turns out to be a mixed blessing when the good doctor finds himself ...more - 19
- Actors: Annette Funicello, Fred MacMurray, Jack Albertson, Strother Martin, Paul Frees
- Directed by: Charles Barton
The Shaggy Dog is a black-and-white 1959 Walt Disney film about Wilby Daniels, a teenage boy who by the power of an enchanted ring of the Borgias is transformed into the title character, a shaggy Old ...more - 202000
- Actors: Glenn Close, Ioan Gruffudd, Alice Evans, Tim McInnerny, Ian Richardson
- Directed by: Kevin Lima
In this all-new tale, Cruella De Vil (Glenn Close) is released from prison on good behavior vowing that she will have nothing to do with fur ever again. She, however, cannot keep this promise and is ...more - 21
- Actors: AnnaSophia Robb, Jeff Daniels, Cicely Tyson, Eva Marie Saint, Dave Matthews
- Directed by: Wayne Wang
Abandoned by her mother years ago, Opal (AnnaSophia Robb), a 10-year-old girl, moves with her preacher father (Jeff Daniels) to a small town in Florida. Lonely and missing her old friends, Opal is ...more - 222006
- Actors: Paul Walker, Bruce Greenwood, Moon Bloodgood, Jason Biggs, Gerard Plunkett
- Directed by: Frank Marshall
The frozen wasteland of Antarctica serves as the background for a tale about the bonds of friendship and loyalty. Three members of a scientific expedition, Jerry Shepard (Paul Walker), his friend ...more - 231997
- Actors: Michael Jeter, Kevin Zegers, Wendy Makkena, Bill Cobbs, Eric Christmas
- Directed by: Charles Martin Smith
Diffident in the wake of his father's death, high schooler Josh (Kevin Zegers) struggles to adapt to his new home in Washington state. That all changes, however, when he signs up to be the school ...more - 242001
- Actors: Jeff Goldblum, Elizabeth Perkins, Miriam Margolyes, Alexander Pollock, Tobey Maguire
- Directed by: Lawrence Guterman
"Cats & Dogs" uncovers the truth about the high-tech, secret war being waged in neighborhoods everywhere that humans aren't even aware of: an eternal struggle between the two great armies of Cats and ...more - 252009
- Actors: Emma Roberts, Jake T. Austin, Lisa Kudrow, Kevin Dillon, Don Cheadle
- Directed by: Thor Freudenthal
After moving into a foster home that forbids pets, siblings Andi (Emma Roberts) and Bruce (Jake T. Austin) must quickly find a home for their dog, Friday. The resourceful pair find an abandoned ...more
![The Shaggy Dog [1959]](https://imgix.ranker.com/node_img/112/2220188/original/the-shaggy-dog-films-photo-1?auto=format&q=60&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&dpr=2&crop=faces&h=150&w=150)
