Animals can be very funny. For this reason, many people watch movies about animals and learn something new about them. Animal Movies are just amazing, aren’t they? With animal movies, we can learn so much and enjoy the moments of falling in love with such creatures. Today we are going to confer you the top 25 best animal movies.
These all animal movies teach us about different animals and make us laugh. It’s hard to believe that many good animal movies were made in the same year by different directors and producers. However, not all the movies featured here deal with domestic beings. Some take you into the lair of the lion, the heart of the rainforest, or the center of the Arctic. Children extremely love such animal movies because they contain special effects which leave adults breathless. The popularity of animal movies is down to the fact that they also show us what important issues need to be discussed, such as saving the environment.
Which is the best animal movie of all time streaming on Amazon Prime Video?
The Adventure, Drama, Family 1943 movie Lassie Come Home is the best animal movie that streams on Amazon Prime with 94% Rotten Tomatoes ratings.
Is there any good animal movies available on Netflix?
Ratatouille (2007) is the best animal movie on Netflix with 8.0 IMDB score.
So, let’s enroll in the Top 25 best animal movies of all time to help you choose your next movie-night movie.
25. Bolt
Released Year: | 2008 |
Directors: | Byron Howard (Encanto), Chris Williams |
IMDb Rating: | 6.8 |
Rotten Tomatoes: | 89% |
Cast: | John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Susie Essman |
Genre: | Animation, Adventure, Comedy |
Currently Streaming on: | Netflix, Disney Plus |
Bolt 2008 is a Disney animated movie about animals by Chris Williams and Byron Howard. This kids movie about animals depicts the story starts in a remote place where a TV show is produced to entertain the audience. They have made an animated character named Bolt, who is playing the role of a Superdog. He has all the superpowers that a dog can have, but he has been portrayed as a hero to amuse the United States people. The TV show makers decide to shoot one episode in India on their trip for publicity of their TV serial to be shown to the world. When they reach there, a shocking thing occurs by which all that Bolt thinks about is just ruined, and he must go for a great journey across America to meet his best friend Penny back at home.
24. Ratatouille
Released Year: | 2007 |
Directors: | Brad Bird |
IMDb Rating: | 8 |
Rotten Tomatoes: | 96% |
Cast: | Brad Garrett, Lou Romano, Patton Oswalt (Happy Season 3) |
Genre: | Animation, Adventure, Comedy |
Currently Streaming on: | Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus |
Ratatouille is a 2007 animated movie about animals about a rat who dreams of becoming a gourmet chef. Brad Bird directed this movie, who had previously co-directed The Incredibles (2004) and written and directed The Iron Giant (1999). Brad Bird said that the basic idea behind Ratatouille came from thinking about the very best food he had ever eaten, which was in France, and how it would have been made. The title refers to a French dish, confit Baldi, which is served at the beginning of the film and is also a performance on words about the species name of the main character.
23. Kung Fu Panda
Released Year: | 2008 |
Directors: | Mark Osborne, John Stevenson |
IMDb Rating: | 7.5 |
Rotten Tomatoes: | 87% |
Cast: | Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Ian McShane |
Genre: | Animation, Adventure, Action |
Currently Streaming on: | Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus |
The movie is one of the best animal movies for kids. It goes around pandas. This movie is a 2008 3D American computer-animated action parody martial arts film shared by Paramount Pictures. The main character in the film is Po, a giant panda who loves Kung Fu. Kung Fu Panda has awesome fighting scenes and animation, which has made it one of the best-selling DVDs in history, and the best animal movie of all time, especially for kids.
22. Happy Feet
Released Year: | 2006 |
Directors: | George Miller |
IMDb Rating: | 6.4 |
Rotten Tomatoes: | 76% |
Cast: | Elijah Wood, Hugh Jackman, Brittany Murphy |
Genre: | Animation, Adventure, Comedy |
Currently Streaming on: | Netflix, Amazon Prime Video |
Imagine a world where the most valuable resource is no longer oil but tiny dancing penguins. That might sound crazy, but the 2006 movie Happy feet predicted such a future.” This 2006 animated movie about animals, Happy Feet, was directed and written by George Miller. It is a computer-animated penguin musical comedy film. It stars Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Brittany Murphy, and Hugh Jackman as the main characters’ voices. The story revolves around an emperor penguin named Mumble, who was born with tap dancing abilities. Due to his dancing abilities, he gets banished from his home in the south to the hostile Northern climate because his flock forgot him after he fell from an ice floe during his birth.
21. Max
Released Year: | 2015 |
Directors: | Boaz Yakin |
IMDb Rating: | 6.3 |
Rotten Tomatoes: | 37% |
Cast: | Josh Wiggins, Robbie Amell |
Genre: | Family |
Currently Streaming on: | Netflix, Amazon Prime Video |
Have you ever seen the 2015 movie Max? If not, we highly recommend you watch it. It’s amazing! If you have seen the movie already, fantastic. Did you know that there is a sequel to Max? This is our favorite movie of all time. The film, titled Max 2015 movie, is a fantasy adventure film based on a graphic novel distributed by Warner Bros Pictures. The film features a 7-year-old kid named Max who has just one week to find a family, or his biological mother will put him up for adoption. The irreverent story was filmed in the US, Canada, and China. You can enjoy this one of the best animal movies on Netflix too.
20. Because of Winn-Dixie
Released Year: | Comedy, Drama, Family |
Directors: | Wayne Wang |
IMDb Rating: | 6.3 |
Rotten Tomatoes: | 55% |
Cast: | AnnaSophia Robb, Eva Marie Saint, Jeff Daniels, |
Genre: | Comedy, Drama, Family |
Currently Streaming on: | Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus |
“Because of Winn-Dixie” is one of the best animal movies on Netflix. The movie depicts the story of Opal (AnnaSophia Robb), the ten-year-old kid abandoned by her mother many years before, who moved to Florida with her preacher father (Jeff Daniels). Opal is happy, alone, missing her former buddies, to discover an association with a tiny puppy named after her pup, who discovered the shop, Winn-Dixie. Opal, with the aid of Winn-Dixie, has made many interesting towns (Cicely Tyson, Eva Marie Saint, and Dave Matthews) friends. We recommend you to watch this kids’ movie about animals as it will ultimately give you a cheerful time along with your family and friends.
19. My Dog Skip
Released Year: | 2000 |
Directors: | Jay Russell |
IMDb Rating: | 7.0 |
Rotten Tomatoes: | 73% |
Cast: | Frankie Muniz, Kevin Bacon, Diane Lane |
Genre: | Comedy, Drama, Family |
Currently Streaming on: | Netflix, Amazon Prime Video |
My Dog Skip is another best movie about animals that depicts Willie’s story, who would prefer not to mix up with the other youngsters, especially the bullies, who make his existence agonizing in Huckleberry Finn. That’s when his mother decides it’s time, much to the dismay of his husband for a four-legged pal. When Willie and his new beagle leave the little child in a friendship, things develop well and beautifully.
18. Best in Show
Released Year: | 2000 |
Directors: | Christopher Guest |
IMDb Rating: | 7.5 |
Rotten Tomatoes: | 94% |
Cast: | Fred Willard, Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara |
Genre: | Comedy |
Currently Streaming on: | Amazon Prime Video |
Best in Show had followed its strange characters, and a good narrative had presented for this funny animal movie. It’s time to participate in the year’s most exclusive event – The Mayflower Dog Show – and the competitors won’t stop. Who is going to take the final reward home? The owners of five show dogs are heading for a national dog show in the movie that joins them in the extremely competitive and cutting-edge dog show business.
17. Air Bud
Released Year: | 1997 |
Directors: | Charles Martin Smith |
IMDb Rating: | 5.2 |
Rotten Tomatoes: | 45% |
Cast: | Michael Jeter, Kevin Zegers, Wendy Makkena |
Genre: | Comedy, Drama, Family |
Currently Streaming on: | Netflix, Amazon Prime Video |
The Air Bud was a very popular movie about animals based on the stray dog found in the Sierra Nevada, which became a national phenomenon. The main character in this movie was the stray dog. The unexpected gift of Air Bud allows Josh Framm, who is 12, out of his shell, to seek out the basketball team at the school. A lonely youngster who has natural basketball skills and, as their relationship remains firm through some escapades, together they live the highs and lows of life with the pet that emotionally blends you.
16. Fly Away Home
Released Year: | 1996 |
Directors: | Carroll Ballard |
IMDb Rating: | 6.8 |
Rotten Tomatoes: | 87% |
Cast: | Jeff Daniels, Anna Paquin, Dana Delany |
Genre: | Adventure, Drama, Family |
Currently Streaming on: | Netflix, Amazon Prime Video |
This animal movie follows Amy, who comes to Ontario to live with her Dad, following the loss of her mom. Her father, an aircraft specialist, assists Amy in the south in winter with her flock of orphaned hens. It takes a little time for a small young child to fit in with her Dad—with whom she has no relationship—after her mom dies. She quickly discovers that raising goslings might be more bothersome than originally thought when she saves several geese eggs from a nearby workplace.
15. Shiloh
Released Year: | 1996 |
Directors: | Dale Rosenbloom |
IMDb Rating: | 6.4 |
Rotten Tomatoes: | 73% |
Cast: | Blake Heron, Michael Moriarty, Scott Wilson (The OA Season 3) |
Genre: | Drama, Family |
Currently Streaming on: | Netflix, Amazon Prime Video |
Shiloh is one of the best kids movies about animals. It is part of our favorite warm puppy films and might make your children plead for a beagle. In this movie, a youngster, Marty Preston, discovers a best friend in Shiloh, a delightful woman with an unlawful owner, Judd. Marty reaches an agreement with an older man and works to retain his dog himself in exchange, but Marty’s canine partner may be forever lost if Judd doesn’t maintain his end of the arrangement and leads everything to a tragic end.
14. Balto
Released Year: | 1995 |
Directors: | Simon Wells |
IMDb Rating: | 7.1 |
Rotten Tomatoes: | 54% |
Cast: | Kevin Bacon, Bob Hoskins, Bridget Fonda |
Genre: | Animation, Adventure, Drama |
Currently Streaming on: | Netflix, Amazon Prime Video |
Balto 1995 is an adventure and the best movie about animals released by Universal Classics. This 90s movie contains the life story of BALTO, a brilliant and courageous sled dog that ultimately saved people from Nome during an outbreak of diphtheria, for which it became famous. This animated movie features the star cast: Jodi Benson, Kevin Bacon, Bob Hoskins, Bridget Fonda, Graham Greene, and Larry Miller.
13. Babe
Released Year: | 1995 |
Directors: | Chris Noonan |
IMDb Rating: | 6.8 |
Rotten Tomatoes: | 97% |
Cast: | James Cromwell, Magda Szubanski, Christine Cavanaugh |
Genre: | Comedy, Drama, Family |
Currently Streaming on: | Netflix, Amazon Prime Video |
Babe is a 1995 animal-based movie produced by Paramount Pictures. The movie was directed by Chris Noonan and starred James Cromwell, Magda Szubanski, Miriam Margolyes, Stuart Bunce, and Tim McIntyre. This animal movie is about a pig who wants to be a sheepdog. It has been praised by critics and received numerous awards. IMDb gives it a 6.8/10.0 rating. Rotten Tomatoes was more effusive in their praise, giving it 97%, with a total of 82 reviews counted, and makes it one of the best movies about animals.
12. Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey
Released Year: | 1993 |
Directors: | Duwayne Dunham |
IMDb Rating: | 6.9 |
Rotten Tomatoes: | 87% |
Cast: | Michael J. Fox, Sally Field, Don Alder |
Genre: | Adventure, Comedy, Drama |
Currently Streaming on: | Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus |
“Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey” is a comedy movie directed by Duwayne Dunham, produced by Walt Disney Pictures, and shared by Buena Vista Pictures. It continues the 1963 film Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey, which had a different cast. This animal movie depicts the journey of three pets from a San Francisco animal shelter as they embark on a wild trek to get back home to their owners that had been relocated to the East Coast.
11. Free Willy
Released Year: | 1993 |
Directors: | Simon Wincer |
IMDb Rating: | 6.0 |
Rotten Tomatoes: | 70% |
Cast: | Jason James Richter, Lori Petty, Michael Madsen |
Genre: | Adventure, Drama, Family |
Currently Streaming on: | Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus |
This movie is one of the most beneficial animal movies for kids. For those who don’t know what that is, it’s about a boy and his friendship with a killer whale named “Willy.” Willy gets captured by the evil hunter that wants to sell him into an aquarium. The only thing that can save Willy is a 12-year-old named Jesse. Together with a girl named Jenny, they try to free Willy and stop the evil man from harming him.
10. Beethoven
Released Year: | 1992 |
Directors: | Brian Levant |
IMDb Rating: | 5.7 |
Rotten Tomatoes: | 30% |
Cast: | Charles Grodin, Bonnie Hunt, Dean Jones |
Genre: | Comedy, Drama, Family |
Currently Streaming on: | Netflix, Amazon Prime Video |
Beethoven (1992) is a family comedy movie directed by Brian Levant. It is based on a television show about a Saint Bernard dog named Beethoven. Everybody knows those dog movies are among the best, but there is an infinity of these fantastic gems among all those. The story takes place in the city where a genius dog named Beethoven becomes the new teacher for a family of rebellious students.
9. The Adventures of Milo and Otis
Released Year: | 1986 |
Directors: | Masanori Hata |
IMDb Rating: | 7.0 |
Rotten Tomatoes: | 80% |
Cast: | Kyôko Koizumi, Dudley Moore, Chatran |
Genre: | Adventure, Drama, Family |
Currently Streaming on: | Amazon Prime Video |
This 1986 Japanese movie about animals was released three years later and was published for American audiences (in the original, some less child-friendly moments). It tells the story of the adventurous life of a dog and his best friend, a cat. The main characters of the film are Milo (a dog) and Otis (a cat). Their wandering journey takes place in Hokkaido for several years, and in the end, they return to their homeland – the United States.
8. The Fox and The Hound
Released Year: | 1981 |
Directors: | Ted Berman, Richard Rich |
IMDb Rating: | 7.3 |
Rotten Tomatoes: | 70% |
Cast: | Mickey Rooney, Kurt Russell, Pearl Bailey |
Genre: | Animation, Adventure, Drama |
Currently Streaming on: | Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus |
Prepare yourself with this Disney’s best-animated movie about animals for a roller coaster of emotions. Hearts will melt when, despite their inclinations, a red fox named Tod and a hog dog called Copper to become mates. A nursing widow adopts a tiny orphan in the story and nurtures them like a pet for him while her rude neighbor, Amos, makes Copper a violent hunter. This is one of the best-animated animal 80s movies for kids.
7. Charlotte’s Web
Released Year: | 1973 |
Directors: | Charles A. Nichols , Iwao Takamoto |
IMDb Rating: | 6.9 |
Rotten Tomatoes: | 77% |
Cast: | Debbie Reynolds, Henry Gibson, Paul Lynde |
Genre: | Animation, Family, Musical |
Currently Streaming on: | Netflix, Amazon Prime Video |
Charlotte’s Web is a 1973 American animated animal movie directed by Iwao Takamoto, Charles August Nichols. It is based on the 1952 children’s book of the same name by E. B. White. The film describes the story of a pig named Wilbur (Paul Lynde) who befriends an intelligent spider named Charlotte (Patricia Hayes), whose life is in danger due to an evil farmer who wants to get rid of her because she helps his sheep give birth without ever harming them or eating them.
6. The Aristocats
Released Year: | 1970 |
Directors: | Wolfgang Reitherman |
IMDb Rating: | 7.1 |
Rotten Tomatoes: | 64% |
Cast: | Phil Harris, Eva Gabor, Sterling Holloway |
Genre: | Animation, Adventure, Comedy |
Currently Streaming on: | Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus |
The Aristocats, the 1970 movie about animals, is one of the most beloved Disney films of all time. We’ve been a fan for a while now and wanted to share everything we have learned about this movie, including our favorite parts. This animated feature film is about a family of aristocratic cats rescued from the Paris streets and taken to England by an evil butler to be sold. The film was directed by Wolfgang Reitherman (I told you it was a 70s movie) and featured Eva Gabor, Phil Harris, Scatman Crothers, and Roddy Maude-Roxby. It is a fun movie.
5. Flipper
Released Year: | 1964 |
Directors: | Jack Cowden, Ricou Browning |
IMDb Rating: | 6.3 |
Rotten Tomatoes: | 62% |
Cast: | Brian Kelly, Luke Halpin, Tommy Norden |
Genre: | Adventure, Family |
Currently Streaming on: | Amazon Prime Video |
Flipper is a 1964 animal movie based on a novel of the same name. Flipper, the dolphin, attempts to keep two children safe and is rewarded for his efforts in a Miami Seaquarium. Flipper was filmed in Florida in 1963. The filming locations included Broward County, Hollywood, Miami, and Key West. The story about Flipper and his human friend Jesse explores what it means to be true friends. Although dolphins are wild animals, people can build strong emotional connections with them. If you want to see the collection of adorable pics of Flipper and learn more about his story, you must watch this movie at least once.
4. 101 Dalmatians
Released Year: | 1961 |
Directors: | Clyde Geronimi, Hamilton Luske |
IMDb Rating: | 7.3 |
Rotten Tomatoes: | 98% |
Cast: | Rod Taylor, Betty Lou Gerson, J. Pat O’Malley |
Genre: | Animation, Adventure, Comedy |
Currently Streaming on: | Disney Hotstar |
Have you ever contemplated a film that was so good it made you cry? We have. It is called 101 Dalmatians (1961), and it has a beautiful, funny, and heartwarming story. In this movie about animals, 101 Dalmatians, they were taken from their family, so did the puppies in the story. The puppies were kidnapped and intended to be sold. Pongo and Perdita’s parents then tried to get them back from the Cruella De Vil (Cruella De Vil). In the film, they are stolen by her minions (Horace and Jasper) to make a coat from them.
3. Old Yeller
Released Year: | 1957 |
Directors: | Robert Stevenson |
IMDb Rating: | 7.3 |
Rotten Tomatoes: | 100 |
Cast: | Dorothy McGuire, Fess Parker, Tommy Kirk |
Genre: | Adventure, Drama, Family |
Currently Streaming on: | Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus |
“Old Yeller” is the best animal movie we have always loved. It’s the heartwarming tale of a boy, his dog, and their life in the old west. “Old Yeller” is a film that we remember well, from our childhood. We had seen it only once, but that was enough to make us cry—or so we thought. But the next time, the same scene didn’t elicit even a single tear. It was not because of the quality of the classic film. We think it was just that our perception of what was going on in the story changed with each viewing. That’s why we can’t say which is better: The book or the movie? Our favorite part in both versions of ‘Old Yeller’ is young Travis finally learning to trust his dog and realizing he wouldn’t have to be afraid of wolves.
2. Lady and the Tramp
Released Year: | 1955 |
Directors: | Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson |
IMDb Rating: | 7.3 |
Rotten Tomatoes: | 93% |
Cast: | Barbara Luddy, Larry Roberts, Peggy Lee |
Genre: | Animation, Adventure, Comedy |
Currently Streaming on: | Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus |
Lady and the Tramp is another best-animated movie about animals. Clyde Geronimi directs this Walt Disney cartoon feature film. It is a romantic animated Disney film, which mixes dramatic, psychological, social, and anthropomorphic elements. This animal movie is all about a love story between two dogs that had audiences glued to their seats as they watched.
1. Lassie Come Home
Released Year: | 1943 |
Directors: | Fred M. Wilcox |
IMDb Rating: | 7.1 |
Rotten Tomatoes: | 94% |
Cast: | Roddy McDowall, Donald Crisp, May Whitty |
Genre: | Adventure, Drama, Family |
Currently Streaming on: | Netflix, Amazon Prime Video |
Lassie Come Home is a 1943 American flick directed by Fred M. Wilcox and based on Eric Knight’s novel Lassie Come-Home. This animal-based movie stars Roddy McDowall (in his first-ever movie role) and Nigel Bruce, with Elizabeth Taylor and Elsa Lanchester supporting the young star. The 1943 movie “Lassie Come Home” tells a young collie named Lassie and her journey back to her master. As canines, Lassie and her family live in a rich area in England. Part of their daily routine is to hitch up the horse-pulling carriage and head into town.
Conclusion!
Animals have long been a film subject, but it’s only in the last few decades that they’ve become an integral part of the genre. Well, thanks for reading through my list of the top 25 animal movies of all time. If you enjoyed this piece, please be assured to comment below and share it with your friends!