6 Best Movies About Talking Dogs
Every dog owner will tell you they have a secret language of sorts with their pet. A nudge of the paw means it’s way past dinner time, a face lick from the back seat means thank you for taking me, and sometimes those “ah roo roos” sound a little too much like “I love you” to be a coincidence. And who can forget Instagram’s favorite sheepadoodle/conversationalist Bunny, who communicates with her family using buttons (“Play. Outside. Outside.”) But what if your four-legged bestie could hold a conversation with you with spoken words, as casually and effortlessly as we talk to our human family and friends?
That’s where Movies About Talking Dogs come in. They’re fun, they’re cute, and they allow us to live vicariously in a world where this isn’t just a dog lover’s dream, but reality. Grab your puppy and enjoy our list of The Best Movies About Talking Dogs, but be warned: there are so many, choosing our favorites was ruff.
The Scooby Doo Series
We all know the best part about having a dog is taking them on adventures. But what if our pup could not only talk to us, but help us solve mysteries along the way? We’ve seen him animated, we’ve seen him in live action, but no matter his form, we love this Scooby Snack-eating, mystery-solving Great Dane. In true Man’s Best Friend fashion, he shares many personality traits with his dog dad, Shaggy, who treats him like an equal member of Mystery Inc. As he should!
Snow Dogs
My only explanation for this film having a 25% on Rotten Tomatoes is that the reviewers are not the intended audience, because this movie was everything to me as a kid. The film follows a Florida dentist (Cuba Gooding Jr.) who inherits a team of Alaskan sled dogs from his late mother, and embarks on a mission to become a top dog musher. In all fairness, the only time the dogs actually speak with words in this film is in a dream sequence (featuring Michael Bolton), but the snow dogs wink, laugh, raise their eyebrows, and are just generally anthropomorphic throughout the whole film. Ignore the ratings: this movie was a blast to watch from a good blanket fort on a snowy winter day during my childhood, and I would watch it again for the memories any day.
Marmaduke
There’s something special about this movie, and it’s not just that it has a star-studded cast (Owen Wilson, Emma Stone, George Lopez, Fergie) — it also features a bonus Talking Cat! Part of the reason we all love dogs is because they can be oblivious to their own silliness, and that is exactly what Marmaduke is. Marmaduke may wreak havoc on his family’s new suburban neighborhood, but he’s just a big, silly guy and that is why we like him!
The Buddies Movies
Though my love for this series began with the 1997 film Air Bud, in which Air Bud could not speak, his children in the spin-off series, Air Buddies, sure can. The original Air Bud will always be my favorite, but the Buddies are his legacy and deserve a mention. The Air Bud Cinematic Universe (1997-2013) features fourteen films, so it’s safe to say the kids are alright.
Show Dogs
The vibe of ordering Max, a “macho” rottweiler police dog, to go undercover as a primped show dog in a prestigious dog show is like forcing a star high school quarterback to participate in a beauty pageant. But it’s for a Good Cause! If he doesn’t grin and bear it, a disaster is inevitable! Max gets as many cookies as he wants for being a good sport. Plus, Natasha Lyonne is in this film, and that’s a good enough reason to watch alone.
Napoleon
I saved the best for last here. This movie made 12-hour road trips when I was a kid feel like a roller coaster — and one that I climbed off of and then immediately hopped back in line for. Muffin is a golden retriever puppy who is bored with his life (big mood), and wants to be a wild dog like the ones he hears howling in the distance. Next thing Muffin knows, he’s floating away from his big city life in a basket with balloons tied to it. After an exciting turn in the wild with many, many talking animal friends, Napoleon realizes home is where it’s at and heads back. In hindsight, Napoleon is clearly teaching us to be careful what we wish for, but like it often isn’t in real life, the journey to this realization is a lot of fun. A 10/10 Talking Dog Movie, four paws up, etc. — as good as it gets!