~ top 15 animal movies ~
warning: may contain graphic images
Honorable Mention ~ Free Willy
fishermen separate a young orca whale from his parents and he ends up in a fish bowl at a marina. a boy runs afoul of the law and gets caught vandalising the marina, but his social worker gets him off the hook provided he cleans up his mess at the marina. while there, he befriends the whale and teaches him tricks, something the trainer hasn't been able to do. But when Willy is a dud in front of the audience, the marina owner plans some bad things, and the boy and his friends stop at nothing to free willy.
KELLEY'S TRIVIA: WHAT WAS THE NAME OF THE WHALE THAT ATTACKED A TRAINER AT SEAWORLD?
KELLEY'S TRIVIA: WHAT WAS THE NAME OF THE WHALE THAT ATTACKED A TRAINER AT SEAWORLD?
#15 ~ Project X
a young inductee into the military is given the task of looking after some chimpanzees used in the mysterious "Project X". getting to know the chimps fairly well, he begins to suspect there is more to the secret project than he is being told. virgil a chimpanzee who at first was being taught sign language so that he can communicate, is now in the military. an Air Force man after committing some infractions is assigned to the project involving the chimps. he learns that Virgil knows sign language and talks with him. he eventually discovers what the project involving the chimps is and that it's inhumane. he contacts the woman who taught Virgil sign language and they try to save him.
#14 ~ Larger Than Life
though deemed as a comedy, this movie really tells a tale about elephants and the circus. bill murray's character inherits an elephant and he transports him across the country to sell him to the circus. once bill gets there, he decides not to go through with it once he saw they electrocute these creatures. he ends up giving the elephant to a sanctuary.
#13 ~ The Misfits
this classic movie starring marilyn monroe and clark gable tells a tale about a plan to corral some misfit mustangs and sell them for dog food, but monroe is disgusted by the plan. the two men involved in this plan are both in love with monroe, she stands by one of them hoping he will do the right thing and let the mustangs go. the dramatic struggle with the horses was a very emotional scene for me, especially when gable had them tied up and said they should give the horses a lot of water so they can get the most money for the carcasses.
#12 ~ Shark Bait
gordon ramsay's love of sharks leads him on his most personal mission yet, to investigate the controversial dish shark fin soup. with an estimated 100 million sharks being killed worldwide and a third of the world’s open ocean shark species being driven to extinction by overfishing, gordon aims to find out if the slaughter is really necessary. he confronts the horrific fate of these beautiful and majestic creatures and is told their decline is irrevocably damaging the delicate balance of our oceans’ food chain. gordon’s fascinating journey leads him to campaign against the brutal and destructive shark fishing industry.
#11 ~ 8 Below
an American geologist flies to Antarctica to participate in a project at the United States research base, where he teams up with an arctic guide. the scientist soon discovers that he also has eight other valuable friends -- a pack of sled dogs he's worked with for years, who have rescued him from a number of tight spots. as the men explore a frozen mountain region, an unexpected accident coupled with a massive storm front forces them to fly to safety, leaving the dogs behind. he is determined to rescue his canine friends, but he has to wait until the weather will allow him to travel back to the mountain, while the dogs struggle against the elements to survive as they attempt to make their way back home. eight below was inspired by a true story involving Japanese researchers exploring the Antarctic in 1957.
#10 ~ Born Free
this is a heartwarming true story of a british couple who teach their pet lioness how to survive in the wilds of the African jungles. joy and george adamson (portrayed by real-life married couple virginia mckenna and bill travers) involuntarily domesticate several lions while living in Kenya. They keep one, named elsa, until she is fully grown, and rather than turn her over to a zoo, they decide to train her to live like a wild animal so that they can release her into her natural habitat. geoffrey keen is a sympathetic government official who convinces the adamsons that they should set Elsa free to avoid being ordered to place her in captivity. the film, based on joy adamson's book, is poignant and emotional without ever becoming banal or overly sentimental.
KELLEY'S TRIVIA: TRUE OR FALSE - WERE LIONS AND TIGERS EVER KEPT AS PETS?
#9 ~ Dumbo
since watching this as a child, i refuse to watch this movie, it makes me cry every single time. this is a story about a baby elephant who's mother is taken away from him because people thought she was attacking humans when she was only defending her baby, dumbo. its a cartoon, i know but it breaks my heart because elephants among other animals do not need to be in circuses. they have no say in the matter, like the acrobats and ringmasters do.
#8 ~ Shiloh
an adorable beagle runs away from his abusive owner into the hands of a loving boy. this boy ends up teaching this owner the lesson of being kind and loving to animals. the touching scene is when Shiloh reaches his paw out to him, and the owner ends up crying...he in turn starts being kind to his other dogs.
#7 ~ Food, Inc
Documentary filmmaker Robert Kenner examines how mammoth corporations have taken over all aspects of the food chain in the United States, from the farms where our food is grown to the chain restaurants and supermarkets where it's sold. Narrated by author and activist Eric Schlosser, the film features interviews with average Americans about their dietary habits, commentary from food experts like Michael Pollan and unsettling footage shot inside large-scale animal processing plants.
KELLEY'S TRIVIA: guess how many pigs are slaughtered at Smithfield everyday? |
#6 ~ The Cove
In Taiji, Japan, local fishermen hide a gruesome secret: the capture and slaughter of dolphins. Activist Ric O'Barry, who trained dolphins for the "Flipper" TV series, joins forces with filmmaker Louis Psihoyos and the Ocean Preservation Society to expose the brutal practice, risking life and limb in the process. its extremely sad that this practice is still alive and well in Japan, please visit https://dolphinproject.net/take-action/ to help!
#5 ~ I am an Animal: The Story of Ingrid Newkirk (Documentary)
this 70 minute HBO documentary profiles animal rights leader Ingrid Newkirk, founder of activist group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). through interviews with Newkirk, as well as with her peers at PETA, the film explores how the animal rights advocate came to believe so strongly in the humane treatment of all creatures. though i do not agree with every method PETA goes about helping animals, if they end up saving animals lives, i really can't turn my nose up to it.
#4 ~ Black Beauty
this heart wrenching story shows the highs and lows of a common horses' life. being bought and sold by several owners, black beauty bravely survives all situations. after several years of working, he is bought again by his original owner who brings him to a sanctuary to live out his life. tears fell.
#3 ~ Pedigree Dogs Exposed (Documentary)
this documentary shows "the other side" of dog shows, how some dogs end up in the competitions, and the various minor and major health concerns these canines face because of the owners/breeders desire for the blue ribbon.
#2 ~ Tiger Farms (Documentary)
the wild tiger is among the world’s most endangered species, pushed to the brink of extinction in large part by poachers who are killing the animals for profit. the illicit tiger parts trade is worth billions of dollars and nowhere is it more active than in China, the world’s leading consumer of illegal wildlife. nearly two decades ago, the Chinese government instituted a series of conservation efforts ostensibly aimed at saving the tiger from what appeared to be its imminent demise, but correspondent Adam Yamaguchi goes undercover and exposes flagrant and widespread violation of China’s tiger trade laws. he investigates China’s lucrative black market for tigers and tiger parts, including the business of Asian zoos and breeding centers. in this dispatch from the field, he tapes his own raw reaction to seeing first-hand a massive tiger farm in China where over 1,500 animals are being held — likely until they die, when their parts are far more valuable.Yamaguchi said that these farms are like a concentration camp for tigers. a huge eye opener.
#1 ~ Death on a Factory Farm (Documentary)
this piece follows the undercover investigation of Wiles Hog Farm by the animal rights group: The Humane Farming Association (HFA), and the resulting court case against it. the organization received a tip from an employee at the farm that animals were being abused, including a claim that hogs were being hung by chains and strangled to death as a form of euthanasia. HFA then turned to an undercover investigator going by the name "Pete." the investigator wore a hidden camera while he worked undercover as a farmhand at Wiles. over the course of six weeks, the investigator secretly filmed numerous incriminating scenes, including piglets being tossed into crates from across a room, impregnated sows held in pens impeded their ability to move, an unhealthy piglet being hit against a wall to euthanize it, and a sick sow being hung by a chain from a forklift until it choked to death. having obtained this evidence, Pete concluded the investigation and quit the job at the farm.
HFA brought Pete's footage to the Wayne County Sheriff's Department, which then raided the farm. prosecutors filed ten criminal charges of animal cruelty against the farm's owners, and a farm employee who participated in hanging the sow. in the subsequent trial, the prosecutors and the defense fought about the legality and morality of these practices, described by the presiding judge as "distasteful and offensive". owever, the judge defended these practices as the reality of producing pork for consumption. yes, it is unfortunate that animals will be part of the food chain for years to come, however that is no excuse to treat animals like this.
HFA brought Pete's footage to the Wayne County Sheriff's Department, which then raided the farm. prosecutors filed ten criminal charges of animal cruelty against the farm's owners, and a farm employee who participated in hanging the sow. in the subsequent trial, the prosecutors and the defense fought about the legality and morality of these practices, described by the presiding judge as "distasteful and offensive". owever, the judge defended these practices as the reality of producing pork for consumption. yes, it is unfortunate that animals will be part of the food chain for years to come, however that is no excuse to treat animals like this.