Humans and animals have always had an important bond and Hollywood has made many movies that celebrate it. As with films that deal with humans being paired with other unlikely humans, in which a friendship is formed along the way, several films have taken that idea one step further by pairing humans with unlikely animal partners.
These movies prove that, despite their obvious differences, animals and humans make a great team. It doesn't matter whether it's a dog, squirrel, elephant, or even a Tyrannosaurus Rex, movies show us that animals and humans working together can make for a better, and in many cases funnier, world to live in.
Flora & Ulysses
Based on the book by Kate DiCamillo, Flora & Ulysses concerns a comic book-loving girl named Flora who encounters a squirrel that possesses superpowers. Together they help the people in Flora's life and try to evade capture from a squirrel-hating animal control officer.
The film is a unique spin on the superhero movie genre and features a great story for children that are too young to take on the more adult-oriented Marvel or DC films. Released on Disney+, Flora & Ulysses received critical praise for being a great family-friendly superhero movie.
Theodore Rex
Theodore Rex takes place in an alternate reality where humans and talking dinosaurs co-exist. Comedian Whoopi Goldberg stars as a cop that gets paired with a walking-talking T-Rex in order to stop a madman from creating another ice age.
Critics and audiences weren't kind to the film, with some calling it one of the worst movies of all time. It ultimately skipped theatrical release and went straight to video. However, while many felt Theodore Rex's premise was downright bizarre, respect to the filmmakers must be given for at least trying something outside the box as no film exists like it -- for better or for worse.
Top Dog
In an attempt to cash in on Turner & Hooch's success, action star Chuck Norris teamed up with a dog to stop a terrorist plot in Top Dog. It would be the last Chuch Norris film to be released theatrically, with all his subsequent films going straight to video.
While the plot is silly, Top Dog takes the action seriously and has many more spectacular action scenes than Turner & Hooch. The 1995 film has an edge to it, as it makes the bold choice to make the villains neo-Nazis, which is just one of many things from Chuck Norris movies that would never fly today in a family-friendly animal adventure movie.
The Amazing Panda Adventure
Children and animal friendships have been a cornerstone of cinema, going back to the days of Old Yeller and further. However, while there have been many children's films featuring iconic pets, like household dogs and cats, The Amazing Panda Adventure uniquely pairs a child with one of the most beautiful and exotic animals on earth - the panda bear.
The Great Panda Adventure concerns a 10-year-old boy who must help transport a panda cub to a reserve before poachers, hot on their trail, get to them. Filmed in China, the movie has a beautiful message about friendship, as well as the importance of protection for animal species like pandas.
Dunston Checks In
Dunston Checks In is a delightful family film that takes place in a hotel where the manager's son strikes up a friendship with an Orangutan named Dunston, who is nefariously being used for jewelry theft. Together they attempt to take down Dunston's unscrupulous owner while trying to evade capture.
Starring Seinfeld's Jason Alexander, The Santa Clause's Jake Lloyd, and a scene-stealing performance from Paul Reubens, Dunston Checks In is a fun film with adorable chemistry between both boy and monkey performers. The film was overlooked in theaters but eventually found an audience on home video.
Call Of The Wild
Perhaps one of the most famous tales of the relationship between man and beast is Call Of The Wild, based on the novel by Jack London. In the classic film, a traveler in search of gold purchases a dog named Buck in hopes he will help lead the way to the treasure but, along the way, they forge a strong bond.
Call of The Wild is notable for the great performance from the classic actor Clark Gable, as well his four-legged counterpart, but the film was also praised for its impressive cinematography filmed in the great outdoors. The story has been adapted many times, most recently with 2020's Call Of The Wild, starring Harrison Ford.
White Fang
Based on another book by Jack London, Ethan Hawke stars in White Fang, the story of a young man trying to fulfill his father's dying wish by finding gold in the dangerous Yukon. Along the way, he rescues a wolfdog and the two develop a close friendship along the treacherous journey.
White Fang is impeccably photographed and not overwhelmingly sentimental. Coming off Dead Poets Society, Ethan Hawke gives a great performance and so does Jed, who plays the title wolfdog character. A sequel White Fang 2: Myth of The White Wolf was released a few years later.
Larger Than Life
While most animal and human pairings team characters up with animals smaller than them, Larger Than Life took the opposite road and paired comedy legend Bill Murray with one of nature's biggest creatures - the elephant. Murray stars as a motivational speaker who inherits an elephant from his deceased clown father and the two begin a journey to get the animal cross country in time to be sold and taken to Sri Lanka.
The humor comes from the hijinks and struggles with having to get a real elephant across the country. While the film fared poorly at the box office, the combination of Murray and a real elephant is impressive, since today that would most likely be accomplished using CGI instead of using a real animal.
K-9
Coincidentally released the same year as Turner & Hooch, K-9 pairs a cop (James Belushi) with a drug-sniffing dog in order to catch a drug lord. As with most buddy cop comedy movies, the cop and canine learn to work together and forge a great friendship.
Like Turner & Hooch, audiences and critics felt the plot was silly, however, the charming pairing was praised and so were the funny dog antics featured in the film. The film was a box office success and two straight-to-video sequels followed.
Turner & Hooch
Perhaps the most famous buddy cop movie features the unlikely pairing of a man and a dog, and produced when Tom Hanks' star was on the rise, Turner & Hooch tells the story of an uptight cop who gets reluctantly paired with a dog who's the only witness to a murder.
While the plot may seem absurd, Hanks and the French Mastiff make for a funny pair and the film, ultimately, charmed audiences. Turner & Hooch was a box office hit and reaffirmed Hanks' star power with critics praising him for elevating the admittedly silly material. A new Disney+ series based on the film followed, released in July 2021.