Pawsitive Vibes: Benefits Of Animals In Movies
Pawsitive Vibes: Benefits Of Animals In Movies
Science Says: Cute Animals And Pets Make You Happier
Image by L.E. Wilson from RedBubble based on work by Carl S from Pixabay
There is something about domesticated animals that we humans tend to find calming and soothing. Some scientists believe this is because pets exhibit baby-like features that make them lovable, which explains why so many people want to keep and care for animals and why there is a “widespread inclusion of animals in therapeutic and educational interventions.”1 According to a 2018 research paper, “Brief, unstructured interactions with [unfamiliar] dogs boosted children’s positive emotions and reduced anxiety.”2 The researchers found that these benefits were not just due to touching the dogs, but of interacting with them.
In case you’ve never experienced these kinds of positive emotions firsthand when being around animals, the above is just a quick explanation for why the vast majority of people find most animals endearing and pets, in particular, heartwarming. Moreover, you don’t have to live with an animal to reap some of the benefits they bring because it turns out that just seeing images of cute animals is pretty effective in invoking positive behaviors in humans.3
Clearly then, this is where the power of movies can come into play, and it should be no surprise that some of the most beloved and enduring films are those centered around a familiar animal like a pet or a pet-like creature. So here for your viewing pleasure, and for your increased mental health, are a few movies featuring cute animals that are sure to make you happier.
Lady and the Tramp (1955) is an animated fantasy co-directed by Clyde Geronimi, based on the story in Cosmopolitan magazine, “Happy Dan, the Cynical Dog” by Ward Green, about the adventures of two dogs, Lady (Barbara Luddy), an American Cocker Spaniel from a wealthy family, and Tramp (Larry Roberts), a stray mutt.
Life Lesson: Life is an adventure.
🍿Movie Scene Link (movie quote)
The Shaggy Dog (1959) is a fantasy directed by Charles Barton, based on the book The Hound of Florence by Felix Salten, about Wilby Daniels (Tommy Kirk), a teenager who turns into an Old English Sheepdog.
Life Lesson: Find someone to talk to about your problems.
🍿Movie Scene Link (movie quote)
One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961) is an animated fantasy co-directed by Clyde Geronimi, based on the book by Dodie Smith, about a pair of Dalmatian dogs, Pongo (Rod Taylor) and Perdita (Cate Bauer), whose puppies are stolen by Cruella De Vil (Betty Lou Gerson), a villain who wants to make coats for herself out of the dogs’ furs.
Life Lesson: Never give up.
🍿Movie Scene Link (movie quote)
Charlotte’s Web (1973) is an animated fantasy directed by Charles A. Nichols and Iwao Takamoto about the friendships that a small pig named Wilbur (Henry Gibson) makes while living on a farm, most notably with a girl, Fern Arable (Pamelyn Ferdin), a gosling, Jeffrey (Don Messick), and a spider, Charlotte A. Cavatica (Debbie Reynolds).
Life Lesson: You can be friends with anybody.
🍿Movie Scene Link (movie quote)
My Neighbor Totoro (1988) is an anime fantasy written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki about a family that moves into an area near a Totoro forest spirit (a kami).
Life Lesson: Don’t be scared.
🍿Movie Scene Link (movie quote)
Lilo & Stitch (2002) is an animated fantasy co-written and co-directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois about Lilo (Daveigh Chase) and Nani (Tia Carrere), a lonely pair of sisters who adopt an unusual dog, Stitch (Chris Sanders), that turns out to be a fugitive from another world.
Life Lesson: “Family is what you make it.” — Marge Kennedy & Janet Spencer King
🍿Movie Scene Link (movie quote)
Madagascar (2005) is an animated fantasy co-written and co-directed by Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath about a group of New York City Zoo animals who travel to the island of Madagascar and struggle to adjust to their new surroundings.
Life Lesson: Give everything a fair chance.
🍿Movie Scene Link (movie quote)
Up (2009) is an animated fantasy co-written and co-directed by Pete Docter and Bob Peterson about an elderly widower, Carl Fredricksen (Ed Asner), who moves his house with the help of a young boy, Russell (Jordan Nagai), to South America, in order to fulfill a lifelong wish he shared with his wife Ellie.
Life Lesson: Caring for living beings is more meaningful than caring for material possessions.
🍿Movie Scene Link (movie quote)
Actor James Cromwell once noted that "pets are humanizing. They remind us we have an obligation and responsibility to preserve and nurture and care for all life." Indeed, anyone who has ever had a pet would agree with this sentiment, as well as that of poet Anatole France, who observed that "until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." Or as the famous dog-centered cartoonist Charles Schulz, creator of Snoopy, more succinctly put it, “happiness is a warm puppy.”
I leave you with one of the best motivational and aspirational quotes out there:
Be the person your dog thinks you are!
— C.J. Frick
Visit the moviewise catalogue—a searchable database of one sentence movie summaries, movie quotes, and movie wisdom—for movie recommendations.
Also visit the moviewise store. Get a t-shirt, bag, or pillow with your favorite #LifeLesson from a movie. Reply to this or leave a comment below to make a request.
Movie Lists! | Guides To Life | Movie Therapy | Ready To Laugh | + Guest Posts | Comic
Borgi, M., & Cirulli, F. (2016). Pet face: Mechanisms underlying human-animal relationships. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 298.
Molly K. Crossman, Alan E. Kazdin, Angela Matijczak, Elizabeth
R. Kitt & Laurie R. Santos (2018): The Influence of Interactions with Dogs on Affect, Anxiety, and Arousal in Children, Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 49(4), 535–548.
Sherman, G. D., Haidt, J., & Coan, J. A. (2009). Viewing cute images increases behavioral carefulness. Emotion, 9(2), 282–286