25 Most Iconic Pets in Movie History

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By 247sarah Published
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Americans love pets and movies, so what could be better than movies with pets? There have been a lot of them and 24/7 Tempo has identified the most iconic ones by reviewing some of the most popular pet movies as well as films in which pets play a featured role on IMDb, an online movie and TV database owned by Amazon

Our list is a real Noah’s Ark. There are dogs – lots of them, the majority by far – and a few cats, but also an owl, a parrot, a fish, and other creatures. (See the official pets and animals of every state.)

The oldest movie on our list is “The Thin Man,” a comic mystery from 1934, based on a novel by Dashiell Hammett and starring Myrna Loy and William Powell as a hard-drinking rich couple who solve crimes with the occasional help of a Wire Fox Terrier names Asta. The next oldest is “Bringing Up Baby,” a 1938 screwball comedy about a paleontologist, played by Cary Grant, an heiress, played by Katharine Hepburn, and a leopard called Baby. (As it happens, the dog who plays Asta – real name Skippy – takes on the role of a dog named George in the Grant/Hepburn movie.)

The classic “Wizard of Oz” was released in 1939. The central character Dorothy Gale, played by Judy Garland, is accompanied on her adventures by a dog named Toto, played by a female brindle Cairn Terrier (some sources say Yorkshire Terrier) named Terry. (These are the most famous dogs of all time.)

If you like pigs you’re in luck because there are a couple of them on our list. Who could forget Wilbur from “Charlotte’s Web”? There’s also “Babe,” about a lovable piglet. It was a critical and commercial success, making close to $250 million at the box office. 

Click here to see the 25 most iconic pets in movie history

And bird-lovers will appreciate the presence here of  Cap’n Flint, the parrot in the 1950 version of “Treasure Island,” and Hedwig, Harry Potter’s pet snowy owl.

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1. Toto
> Movie: Wizard of Oz (1939)
> Kind of animal: Dog (Cairn or Yorkshire Terrier)

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2. Babe
> Kind of animal: White Yorkshire pig
> Movie: Babe (1995)

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3. Asta
> Kind of animal: Dog (Wire Fox Terrier)
> Movie: The Thin Man (1934) and sequels

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4. Cap’n Flint
> Kind of animal: Parrot
> Movie: Treasure Island (1950)

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5. Duchess
> Kind of animal: Cat (Turkish Angora)
> Movie: The Aristocats (1970)

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6. Max
> Kind of animal: Dog (mixed breed)
> Movie: How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966)

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7. Dug
> Kind of animal: Dog (Golden Retriever)
> Movie: Up (2009)

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8. Balto
> Kind of animal: Dog (Siberian Husky/wolf mix)
> Movie: Balto (1995)

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9. Blofeld’s Cat
> Kind of animal: Cat (Persian)
> Movie: From Russia With Love (1963) and sequels

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10. Lassie
> Kind of animal: Dog (Rough Collie)
> Movie: Lassie Come Home (1943)

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11. Lucky
> Kind of animal: Dog (Dalmatian)
> Movie: One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)

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12. Wanda
> Kind of animal: Angel Fish
> Movie: A fish called Wanda (1988)

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13. Old Yeller
> Kind of animal: Dog (Labrador Retriever/Mastiff mix)
> Movie: Old Yeller (1957)

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14. Baby
> Kind of animal: Leopard
> Movie: Bringing Up Baby (1938)

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15. Air Bud
> Kind of animal: Dog (Golden Retriever)
> Movie: Air Bud (1997)

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16. Beethoven
> Kind of animal: Dog (St. Bernard)
> Movie: Beethoven (1992)

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17. Black Beauty
> Kind of animal: American Quarter Horse
> Movie: Black Beauty (1971)

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18. Chance, Shadow, and Sassy
> Kind of animal: Dog (Golden Retriever), dog (Bull Terrier), and cat (Siamese), respectively
> Movie: Homeward Bound (1993)

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19. Hedwig
> Kind of animal: Snowy Owl
> Movie: Harry Potter franchise (2001)

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20. Snoopy
> Kind of animal: Dog (Beagle)
> Movie: A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)

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21. Lady
> Kind of animal: Dog (American Cocker Spaniel)
> Movie: Lady & The Tramp (1955)

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22. Wilbur
> Kind of animal: Pig (breed unspecified)
> Movie: Charlotte’s Web (1973)

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23. The Beast
> Kind of animal: Dog (English Mastiff)
> Movie: The Sandlot (1993)

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24. Marley
> Kind of animal: Dog (Labrador Retriever)
> Movie: Marley & Me (2008)

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25. Hootch
> Kind of animal: Dog (Dogue de Bordeaux)
> Movie: Turner & Hooch (1989)

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About the Author 247sarah →

Sarah Burns is an editor and writer at 24/7 Wall St. She previously worked at AOL and MSN. She began her career in book publishing at Viking Press/Penguin Books and has been writing and editing general and financial news stories for the last 15 years.

In addition to 24/7 Wall St. and 24/7 Tempo, her stories have appeared in USA Today, MSN, MarketWatch, Business Insider, and Yahoo Finance.

Sarah has edited numerous travel and garden books. She teaches urban farming in New York City public schools and is an instructor at the New York Botanical Garden. She graduated from Bowdoin College in Maine with a bachelor’s degree in English. She is based in New York City.

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