Canine talent and fame! Facts about 5 Hollywood movies which had dogs as the central character!

Updated On March 19, 2023 | Published By: shahid | In Interesting Facts

The most faithful and loyal animal-the dog has featured in several cinemas with their lives weaved into the storyline in a way that seems very realistic!
But what is more worthy and deserves tons of praise is the canine acting skills-or rather than the talent of the animal trainer who brings out these skills to the camera.

Making and shooting films where a dog is placed in the central role has been known since the start of the cinema. Due to their relatively easy trainability, dogs are the preferred animals in films.

This canine specialty has been tapped in films and has added to its value and popularity. So which are the movies which gained popularity thanks to the animal roles in them?

We will soon know them….

Beethoven –This film of 1992 was the most memorable film revolving around the Newton family and their faithful dog. There was eight more franchise made after this film but the 1992 film was by far the greatest to watch. This family comedy directed by Brian Levant got a mixed response, especially from the critics but nonetheless was a box office hit thanks to the canine power; that of the cute and lovable St. Bernard who was named after the composer Ludwig van Beethoven.
Source: Pinterest (Beethoven film of 1992)
The dog that played this role in this movie was called Kris and was trained by Teresa Miller. The dog, unfortunately, is no more in this world.
Turner and Hooch- In this cop movie, there is a neatness freak police officer played by Tom Hanks who has a dog but the two form an odd couple. The dog is a bit slobbery. There are some great moments in this film which were liked by many. The dog Hooch, of course, is adorable. His real-life name was Beasley. The movie was released in 1989 and Beasley succumbed in 1992 at the age of 14 y. The movie had a mixed response but scored well at the box office.
Source: Den of geek (Still from movie Turner and Hooch)
Air Bud- This was a Walt Disney release in 1997 in which a lonely and shy boy is motivated and led by a golden retriever to play basketball. The tagline of the movies goes as follows:

“He sits. He stays. He shoots. He scores.”

The dog is named Buddy in the film but the role was played by a real-life dog named Air Buddy. He is shown playing basketball in the film which was an enormous success and made $ 4 million in the first week of its release. As regards the basketball-playing cross-bred golden retriever Air Buddy, he died in 1998 of synovial cell sarcoma, a rare form of cancer. Six months before his death, he had his leg amputated due to this cancer. He died peacefully in his San Diego home, it was reported by Disney.

Cujo-The 1983 film Cujo shows the horror of a rabid dog which is a St. Bernard dog. It was based on Stephen King’s novel which carried a similar name. The dog was bitten by a bat on the nose and goes rabid. It traps a mother and her child inside a car during a heat wave and the movie deals with their attempts to survive and come out alive from the car. Daddy played the role of Cujo. The movie did not get the expected success at the box office but the horror element is frightening to date.
Source: Popcorn Horror (Cujo)
Benji- This 1974-released film called Benji was a film from the eyes of a dog. This dog named Benji in the film but played by Higgins is shown trying to save trapped children. His attempts to communicate to humans about the entrapment of the kids are worthy of lots of praise. Higgins was one of the most loved and famous dogs of his time. The movie was loved by critics and people alike and was a financial success.