The Movie Maven on the best animal films of all time
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Minnesota Public Radio's Movie Maven Stephanie Curtis joins Midday to talk about upcoming holiday film releases and presents some of her favorite movies about animals.
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Here's her list of the best animal movies:
1. Babe - This film is a perfect blend of heart and humor; no veering toward the mawkish.
2. Microcosmos - A mesmerizing look at a world we usually seek to avoid, the insect kingdom.
3. Milo and Otis - A film about a cat and a dog on an adventure. Not just a good animal movie, a good kid's movie and a good movie about friendship.
4. The Yearling - You need one old-fashioned tearjerker on this list. Here it is. A boy and his deer.
5. Best in Show - A great movie about how we interact with our animal friends.
The worst animal movies:
1. Hot to Trot (1988) - Bobcat Goldthwait and a talking horse.
2. Oh, Heavenly Dog (1980) - The man who gave us Benji decides to make Benji more cutting edge.
3. Cats and Dogs (2003) - One of the horrors spawned by the technology that let Babe the Pig talk.
4. Dunston Checks In (1995) - Orangutans are cute. Doesn't mean we have to make movies based on that sole premise.
5. Night of the Lepus (1972) - You have to have one "when animals attack" movie on the list. In this Janet Leigh (!) film, cuddly bunnies turn bloodthirsty.