Saludos Amigos (1942)
Disney Animation/South American Travelogue
The novelty of an animated Disney travelogue. Pitched to the South American market, the four stories see Donald Duck and Goofy visiting various locations
Talking Animals
In almost all cases, Talking Animals refers to the numerous species of animals, birds, reptiles, fish, insects, dinosaurs and the like that feature in Animation. The bevaviour of these animals, while incorporating the characteristics of the animals in question, has been anthropomorphised along the lines of human behaviour and the animals allowed to talk. The first of these appeared in the animated shorts of the 1930s and 40s with characters such as Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, Goofy, Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Tweety and Sylvester, and others. These spread over to feature films and have become a staple of animation ever since.
The majority of films about Talking Animals films are animated, although there are some occasional live-action equivalents – the most well-known examples being The Muppets and Planet of the Apes franchise, or the assorted CGI talking animal films from Babe (1995) onwards.
There are two different types of animated talking animals. The first type are those that inhabit their own world. In these films, animals are anthropomorphised. That is to say, they gain human-like features, walk upright, wear clothes and speak, while in many cases they are seen holding down human jobs and living in homes. Or else the film is a work where everyday animals in regular farm or pet situations have a secret life where they speak. This is usually a fantasy world removed from the real behaviours of the featured animals – a world free of predators, while those animals that are predators by nature are never seen eating other animals, and where different species live in harmony.
The other type of film is when talking animals interact with humans. This can happen through some magical means, or where the animal is a companion such as the Donkey in the Shrek films. Some science-fiction works show species gaining the capacity of speech due to science (in particular genetic-engineering) or Evolution. In works of fantasy, talking animals occur with regularity in fairytales and Fantasy Otherworlds where they will live alongside humans – a perfect example being Narnia.
The discussion will also group a small subset of these films – the most popular of these being a number of Aardman Animation films – dealing with anthropomorphished animals that displays human-like behaviours but do not talk.
Scoob! (2020)
Ghostbusting Team/Hanna-Barbera Crossover
An animated film revival of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? This also makes an misguided attempt to build a shared universe among assorted Hanna-Barbera characters
The Secret Life of Pets (2016)
Animation/Talking Animals
I really enjoyed Illumination Entertainment’s debut film Despicable Me but thereafter they just seemed to slip into formula and following what every other animation studio is. Despite low initial enthusiasm, they regain their form here, doing nothing radically out of the ordinary but producing a modestly engaging work
The Secret Life of Pets 2 (2019)
Animation/Talking Animals
Illumination’s The Secret Life of Pets came with a winning concept – a Garfield like series of wry observations on humanity by pets – and this is one amongst the current plague of animated sequels that emerges equally likably
The Secret of N.I.M.H. (1982)
Animation/Talking Animal Quest
The first film from Don Bluth, a Disney animator who formed his own company vowing a return to the studio’s classic tradition. The results are beautiful and quite magical
Shark Side of the Moon (2022)
Gonzo Killer Shark Film
Another gonzo killer shark film from The Asylum, makers of Sharknado films, this features the entertaining absurdity of evolved humanoid Soviet sharks living on the Moon
Shark Tale (2004)
Animation/Talking Fish
DreamWorks animated talking fish film that was dismissed in the shadow of Pixar’s earlier Finding Nemo but is perfectly likeable in its own right
Shaun the Sheep Movie (2015)
Aardman Animation
Probably the loudest I have laughed and the most unabashed fun I have had in a theatre all year. The most 100% successful of all of Aardman’s films to date at capturing the quirky and uniquely homesy style of their short films, this comes with gags packed in every single frame
The Sheep Detectives (2026)
Talking Sheep Detective Story
This has one of the most off the wall premises in some time – talking sheep team up to act as detectives and solve the murder of their shepherd. Think Babe meets Agatha Christie. The results are hilarious
Shrek (2001)
Animation/Fairytale Spoof
Before this was spun out into a series of ho-hum sequels, the original was an animated film that burst with a freshness and a series of winning voice characterisations
Shrek 2 (2004)
Animation/Fairytale Spoof
Shrek was a fresh and original hit. The first of four insipid sequels, this seems to merely coast by on our liking of the characters while upping the fairytale parody
Shrek Forever After (2010)
Animation/Fairytale Spoof
The fourth of the Shrek films. By this point, the freshness and originality of the first film has been buried under animated film formula, while the plot is a tired rehash of It’s a Wonderful Life
Shrek the Third (2007)
Animation/Fairytale Spoof
The third of the Shrek films settles in with a formulaic blandness where the characters turn up more because everyone expects them to than the film finds much for them to do
The Silver Brumby (1993)
The Lives of Horses
Adaptation of a classic Australian children’s story about a breed of mythic horses. Starring an unknown Russell Crowe.
Sing 2 (2021)
Animation/Talking Animal Stage a Musical
Sing had the cute idea of American Idol-like competition conducted with talking animals. This equally likeable sequel expands the scale of things and takes the show to the talking animal equivalent of Las Vegas
Sing (2016)
Animation/Talking Animal Singing Competition
I have lowered expectations of animated films these days but was surprised what an effortlessly engaging film this is. Essentially a version of American Idol but recast with talking/singing animals, it is a film that bursts with confidence and its own natural energy from every pore
Smoking Causes Coughing (2022)
Gonzo Deadpan Vignettes
Another of Quentin Dupieux’s hilariously gonzo comedies made up a series of deadpan surreal vignettes, including a witty parody of the modern superhero film
The Snow Queen (1995)
Animation/Fairy-Tale
Lightweight British animated adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen fairytale made for children
Snow Queen (2002)
Fairy-Tale/Epic Quest
The Hallmark tv mini-series version of the Hans Christian Andersen fairytale is lushly produced but tends to plod when it should come to life as fantasy
The Son of Bigfoot (2017)
Animation/Family with Bigfoot Genetics
The title is misleading as this features no Bigfeet but is an animated film about a family that sprouts all-over body hair and big feet. This quickly falls into the usual formulaic inanities of the modern animated film
Song of the South (1946)
African-American Tall Tales/Disney Animation
Disney film that is difficult to see these days due to its controversial treatments of race issues. Controversies aside, this is undeniably likeable, in particular in its telling a series of tall tales and finding a folk vernacular
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022)
Videogame Adaptation/Supersonic Alien Hedgehog
Sequel to the hit videogame adaptation, this offers up fairly much the same mix of elements as before – a cutely anthrompomorphic creature and Jim Carrey going to rafter-rattling excess
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024)
Videogame Adaptation/Supersonic Alien Hedgehog
Third of the Sonic the Hedgehog films and surprisingly far more entertaining than you expect from such a lightweight formulaic film
Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)
Videogame Adaptation/Supersonic Alien Hedgehog
After a disastrous fan reception of its initial trailer, the film of the videogame arrives on screen. The surprise is that for such a zero expectation film and one that defies the engagement of any of your braincells it is as much fun as it is.
Space Chimps (2008)
Animation/Talking NASA Chimpanzees
An animated film about NASA experimental chimpanzees. Not quite up there with Pixar but an amiable and unpretentious and amiable outing
Space Jam (1996)
Toon Basketball Game
Based on a Pepsi commercial, this brings NBA star Michael Jordan and a host of Looney Tunes characters together in a basketball game. A cute idea not very well developed.
Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021)
Toon Basketball Game
For reasons not clear to me, Space Jam is considered a classic. Now we get a sequel that updates it to the present featuring a different NBA star LeBron James
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Animation/Comic-Book Superhero
Sony, the holders of the Spider-Man copyright, squeeze more out of the property with a madcap animated offering that mixes up a host of alternate takes on Spider-Man in what visually resembles an explosion at a pop art exhibition
Spies in Disguise (2019)
Animation/Spy Transformed Into a Pigeon
Animated film that has the madcap premise of a top spy (voiced by Will Smith) transformed into a pigeon. A film that comes with such a level of comedic energy that it makes you think all hope is not lost for Blue Sky Studios, the makers of the interminable Ice Age films.
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002)
Animation/The Lives of Wild Horses
Beautifully animated DreamWorks film that tells the life of a horse on the Western frontier. For once, anthropological realism is maintained and the animals do not talk
Spirited Away (2001)
Anime/Afterlife Bathhouse
One of the masterpieces of Hayao Miyazaki, a gentle, beautiful work of anime set in an afterlife bathhouse where Miyazaki’s range of extraordinary creatures and quiet tenderness finds something that Western fantasy rarely ever comes near
The Spongebob Squarepants Movie (2004)
TV Series Spinoff/Gonzo Animation
Spongebob Squarepants was a sleeper hit on the Nickelodeon Channel that crossed over to find an adult following; this is the first of the film spinoffs. The film comes with a zanily surreal sense of humour that ran through the series that is frequently downright hilarious
Spy Kids: All the Time in the World (2011)
Juvenile Spy Adventures
A series that reached its maximum level of cuteness two films ago is dragged out for another pointless entry that nobody was asking for. Robert Rodriguez delivers shabby juvenile slapstick
Storks (2016)
Animation/Taking Birds
This did nothing for me in the pre-release. Watching it, it proves far more enjoyable than expectation. It is very baby-centric but it does have a frequently off-the-wall sense of humour that is rather appealing
Stuart Little (1999)
Mouse Boy
Taking its its cue from the mix of animatronics and CGI in Babe, this is a live-action adaptation of the E.B. White book. A sweet and charming film about a family that adopts a little mouse boy that proved an unexpected hit
Stuart Little 2 (2002)
Mouse Boy
The sequel to Stuart Little proves as equally likeable as its predecessor
Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild (2005)
Animation/Mouse Boy
The third of the Stuart Little films, this one animated instead of its live-action predecessors
Super Buddies (2013)
Talking Dogs with Superpowers
Excrutiatingly unwatchable live-action film in which trained animals have all been dubbed with smartass voices. In the nominal plot, a group of dogs gain superpowers, which becomes dragged out into a series of witless slapstick scenes, all overrun with agonisingly hip and unfunny one-liners
Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (2009)
Comic-Book Superhero Teamup/Animation
An animated film that seems premised on not much more than bringing various obscure DC Comics characters out of mothballs for one giant-sized punch up
Surf’s Up (2007)
Animation/Surfing Penguins
This came out several months after Happy Feet and has a similar plot involving surfing penguins. Though the lesser film and far more predictable, it is likeable
Suzume (2022)
Anime/Quest to Close Portals
Beautifully made anime from Makoto Shinkai about a young girl and a three-legged chair on a quest to close a series of portals across Japan and prevent unimaginable chaos emerging
The Swan Princess (1994)
Animated Fairy-Tale
Nicely animated film from Richard Rich that tells the story of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake in which a princess is turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer
The Tale of Despereaux (2008)
Animation/Talking Animal Adventures
Appealingly old-fashioned film about chivalry and heroism, much quieter than the other animation out there but this still holds its own
Tales of Beatrix Potter (1971)
Talking Animal Ballet
A ballet adaptation of the stories of Beatrix Potter performed by The Royal Ballet with performers in animal costumes
Tamala 2010 (2002)
Demented Anime/Girl Cat's Space Adventures
Grungy low tech anime that comes out like a sarcastic version of Hello Kitty
Tarzan (1999)
Jungle Hero/Disney Animation
This Disney animated adaptation treats the Edgar Rice Burroughs novel with surprising respect and faithfulness for the most part where the addition of talking animals even works for it. Fun and with a great deal of creative energy, one of the better films from the 90s Disney renaissance
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)
Comic-Book Superheroes
The first live-action spinoff of the comic-book and animated series still holds up well two decades later. Little of the manic barrage of pop culture has dated, there are some excellent animatronics that allow the Turtles to engage in a series of high-energy fights and more importantly emerge as distinctive characters
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)
Comic-Book Superheroes
This reboot of the pop culture icons of 80s/90s is an ugly failure on almost every level. The Turtles I remember were hip, funky and bubbled with boyish enthusiasm; these Turtles seem sinister oversized creations, while the film’s adrenalised over-production and emphasis on grit seems to have missed the essential element of fun
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991)
Comic-Book Superheroes
The second live-action Turtles film is a disappointment. The Turtles are infectiously enjoyable characters but the script has an indifferent laziness, while parental concerns over violence have mandated that the fight scenes be watered down to an absurd level
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993)
Comic-Book Superheroes in Feudal Japan
The third of the original live-action Turtles films is a lazily conceived affair that transplants the Turtles back in time to feudal Japan in a plot that rips off The Seven Samurai
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023)
Animation/Comic-Book Superheroes
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were the pop culture phenomenon of the 1980s. They have not fared so well in the 2000s but this new animated film written by Seth Rogen is a promising start
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016)
Comic-Book Superheroes
Nobody has good things to say about the 2014 reboot of the Turtles. This sequel is stuck with its legacy – giant over-sized Turtles that lacked the cuteness of the originals; bitchy non-acting Megan Fox – but comes out winningly by doing one thing – emulating the spirit of the original cartoon series
The 10th Kingdom (2000)
Fairytale Parody Mini-Series
Hallmark mini-series set in a world 200 years after the classic fairytales have occurred, this wittily deflates or contrasts classic story elements with the present-day
Theodore Rex (1995)
Cop and Dinosaur Partner
Disastrous flop that tries to do a Lethal Weapon buddy cop film by way of Jurassic Park and gives us a film about a cop with a dinosaur partner!
Thumbelina (1994)
Animated Fairy-Tale
Animated film from Don Bluth, an insipid adaptation of the fairytale that eventually bogs down as a comic picaresque (*)
Tin Man (2007)
Modernised Wizard of Oz
Nick Willing conducts the first of his SF revampings of popular tales. Here The Wizard of Oz is reworked into a Steampunk fantasy with some startling reinterpetations of the familiar characters
TMNT (2007)
Comic-Book Superheroes/Animation
Animated revival of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which brings them back to the screen with a satisfyingly gritty edge and a series of kinetic action sequences
Tom and Jerry (2021)
Cartoon Characters in a Live-Action Film
Tom and Jerry are revived in a part-animated, part-live action toon film although come missing the ultra-violence of the original cartoons
Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (2017)
Animation/Cartoon Animals Redo Willy Wonka
The Tom and Jerry cartoons have the distinction of being considered the most violent ever. The question is why anybody considered why we needed an animated remake of Willy Wonka but with the addition of Tom and Jerry
Torture Garden (1967)
Horror Anthology
Following the success of Dr Terror’s House of Horrors, this was the second of Amicus’s trademark horror anthologies with Burgess Meredith as a carnival barker showing people their fates
A Town Called Panic (2009)
Stop-Motion Animated Plastic Toys/Gonzo Comedy
Film made entirely with stop-motion animated plastic toys and with a sublimely nonsensical absurdiism that has more hilarity and creativity than most mainstream animated fare you will see all year
The Trumpet of the Swan (2001)
Animation/Talking Swans
Animated film based on a book by Charlotte’s Web author E.B. White about a trumpet-playing swan
Turbo (2013)
Animation/Racing Snail
The 24th film from DreamWorks Animation – the studio that once offered a reasonable challenge to Disney is now starting to slip into the bland formula of competitors like Blue Sky. While passable, this feels like a film substantially lacking in originality and where you can predict its every move
U (2006)
Animation/Talking Animal Frolics
A likeable and colourful French animated film
The Ugly Duckling (1997)
Animation/Fairy-Tale
Amiable British animated film for young children based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairytale
The Ugly Duckling (2010)
Claymation/Fairytale
Charming Claymation animated adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen fairytale from Russia that manages to be a mordant satire on Communism into the bargain
Underdog (2007)
Canine Superhero/Cartoon in Live-Action
Excruciating and unfunny live-action version of the animated tv series about a superpowered dog. Everything is now run over with lame slapstick and smartass one-liners
Unico (1981)
Anime/Young Unicorn Boy's Adventures
aka The Fantastic Adventures of Unico Japan. 1981. Crew Director – Toshio Hirata, Screenplay – Masaki Tsuji, Based on a Story by Osamu Tezuka, Producer – Shintaro Tsuji, Music – Ryo Kitayama, Art Direction – Akio Sugino. Production Company – Sanrio. Plot The gods are jealous of the young unicorn boy Unico who can bring […]
Up (2009)
Pixar Animation/Old Man Goes on an Adventure
One of the finest works from Pixar, the story about an old man and a boy on an adventure in a film that develops some incredibly nuanced and heart-warming emotional depths
Valiant (2005)
Animation/Talking Carrier Pigeons
Amiable British animated film set amongst the Allied Resistance during World War II, all cast with talking carrier pigeons
Vivo (2021)
Animated Musical/Talking Monkey
Animated film about a talking and singing monkey from Cuba that travels to the US on a quest
The Voices (2014)
Inside a Mentally Ill Man's Mind/Black Comedy
On the scale of weird movies, this is about as out there as it gets – Ryan Reynolds has conversations with his cat and dog who urge him to cut people’s heads off, which continue to talk as he keeps them in his refrigerator. A mind-bogglingly warped film and quite brilliant in its dark funniness when you work out what is going on
Walking With Dinosaurs (2013)
Animation/Talking Dinosaurs
Walking With Dinosaurs was an amazing documentary series that recreated prehistoric life with CGI animation. By contrast. the film spinoff is a cutsie animated film with talking dinosaurs. It is a film that is killed by the decision to let the dinosaurs talk with smartass one-liners and contemporary in-jokes
Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)
Aardman Animation
Aardman Animation spread the seemingly universal appeal of their Wallace and Gromit short films out onto the big screen with deliriously nonsensical results
War of the Planet of the Apes (2017)
Planet of the Apes Sequel
The third film in the rebooted Planet of the Apes series. The motion capture effects are at an absolute peak of the art and the motion capture performances astonishing. The whole film almost seems to consist of heart-tugging moments to make you go “aww”
Warriors of Virtue (1997)
Fantasy Otherworld
Fantasy film set in a magical otherworld defended by martial arts wielding kangaroos
The Water Babies (1978)
Children's Adventure/Magic Underwater World
Part live-action, part animated adaptation of a classic Victorian children’s story about an urchin who discovers a secret world underwater
Watership Down (1978)
Animation/Talking Rabbit Quest
Neglected today, this adaptation of Richard Adams’ classic novel about a quest among rabbits was one of the finest animated films of its era. This is frequently heartbreaking and touches on darker emotions that Disney and most other family films regularly sanitise.
Watership Down (2018)
Animation/Talking Rabbit Quest
BBC tv mini-series remake of the classic Richard Adams novel about talking rabbits on a quest. To get it over with, the animation is not the high-end quality that we have been spoiled with by Pixar et al. On the other hand, what remains is an excellent faithfully told version of the story
We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story (1993)
Animation/Talking Dinosaurs
Juvenile animated film from Amblin Entertainment concerning dinosaurs whose intelligence is raised to human level and they are let loose in the present-day
Wicked: For Good (2025)
Musical/The Wizard of Oz Prequel
The second half of the film adaptation of the musical Wicked. This essentially operates as Wizard of Oz fanfiction and substantially wrenches the characters and backstories from the 1939 film out of shape to write its own story
Wicked: Part 1 (2024)
Musical/The Wizard of Oz Prequel
The first half of a two-part adaptation of the hit Broadway musical that is a prequel to The Wizard of Oz, showing The Wicked Witch’s origin story
The Wild (2006)
Animation/Talking Zoo Animals
Likeable animated film about a group of zoo animals making an escape that ended up being overshadowed by the similar, more high-profile Madagascar
The Wild Robot (2024)
Animation/Robot’s Adventure
A winning animated film about a robot trying to find its way among the animals on an island. Tender and heart-warming, the sort of film that Pixar used to do so well
Willy McBean and His Magic Machine (1965)
Children's Time Travel Film
Likeable puppet animated film about a time-travelling boy and his monkey companion
The Wind in the Willows (1996)
Talking Animals/Absurdist Adventures
Monty Python’s Terry Jones conducts a live-action adaptation of Kenneth Grahame’s classic children’s story
The Wind in the Willows (2006)
Talking Animals/Absurdist Adventures
Amiable live-action adaptation of Kenneth Grahame’s classic children’s work made for the BBC with an all-star cast
Winnie the Pooh (2011)
Disney Animation/Talking Animals
On the slight side as a Disney theatrical film, nevertheless this keeps to the essence of the original tales and comes with some appealingly playful fourth-wall breaking visuals
Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey (2023)
Horror Version of Children’s Character
Yes, someone made a horror version of the much loved children’s character. Imagine The Texas Chain Saw Massacre where Leatherface has been replaced by Winnie-the-Pooh
Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey II (2024)
Horror Version of Children’s Character
Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey offered a horror version of the much loved children’s character. This is more of the same with a bigger budget
The Wiz (1978)
All-Black Musical Wizard of Oz Remake
Musical modernisation of The Wizard of Oz relocated in New York City with an All-Black cast. Despite a clear budget arrayed, the film lumbers and never much comes to life
The Wizard of Baghdad (1960)
Arabian Nights Comedy
A majorly unfunny variant on the Arabian Nights comedy featuring Dick Shawn as a demoted genie. The Thief of Bagdad as shabby flying carpet burlesque
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Adventures in a Magical Land
An indisputable classic fantasy … a gorgeous sparkling fantasy that made full use of Technicolor in an era dominated by black-and-white and is told in such bold and earnestly heartfelt tones that it becomes the nearest we have to a piece of genuine American mythology
Yogi Bear (2010)
Talking Bear/Cartoon in Live-Action
The live-action adaptation of the classic Hanna-Barbera cartoon series is a film construed entirely around slapstick sequences that never requires you to engage your brain in any way
Zookeeper (2011)
Talking Zoo Animals Offer Romantic Advice Comedy
Animals in a zoo offer schmuck zoo keeper Kevin James romantic advice based on their mating behaviours. The premise runs out of steam soon in, the rest is an irritating smartass CGI talking animals comedy
Zootopia (2016)
Disney Animation/World of Talking Animals
A really good Disney animated film set in a world that imagines what might happen if animals lived in cities, this is an ingenious reworking of the talking animals premise that overflows with visual ingenuity and warm humour
Zootopia 2 (2025)
Disney Animation/World of Talking Animals
Zootopia was one of Disney’s freshest animated works in a decade largely marked only by mediocrity. This is a sequel where the fantastically original world of the first film slips into being just another Disney IP