Before we see who will be taking home the little gold men on March 10th, let’s take a look at a group of performers who don’t have a chance to speak or campaign on their own behalves. Here are the best animals in film of 2023.
dishonorable mention
The movie Strays impressively leaned on real dogs to pull off almost the entirety of its R-rated debauchery. Unfortunately the film is almost never funny and fails to reach the potential of its premise. Good dogs! Bad movie!
honorable mentions
Our honorable mentions go out to the computer-generated creatures that graced our screens this year. Cheers to you, Abigail the giraffe in Wonka, Rocket the raccoon, the deer and flamingos in Leave the World Behind, the mockingjays and snakes in The Hunger Games prequel, and of course the Cocaine Bear.
Now let’s take a look at our honorees…
John Wick: chapter 4
The John Wick franchise is no stranger to a furry friend, dating all the way back to the rage-inducing incident of the original. Luckily Chapter 4 doesn’t have to go such lengths, instead featuring a Belgian Malinois to accompany newest assassin, the Tracker. In an interview, director Chad Stahelski mentioned having 5 dogs on hand for this character, with each specializing in certain actions or bits depending on what they needed in a particular scene. It pays off, as the Tracker and his companion make their presence felt throughout the electric, action-packed film.
GODLAND
In Godland, the Icelandic submission for Best International Film, we are gifted the presence of this adorable Icelandic Sheepdog who trots alongside our characters on their journey across the country-side. The film also features a large group of horses who impressively trek through a river while carrying the actors and other equipment. Luckily the camera pans away before we see if they actually made the dog have to swim. They are the most energetic part of the film; kudos to the multiple pups who played the role.
Amanda
Carolina Cavalli’s Amanda kind of plays like if Frances Ha starred an emotionally stunted Italian woman, who also steals a horse to set it loose at a birthday party she wasn’t invited to…
Fallen Leaves
If there’s one thing about an Aki Kaurismäki film, he’s going to put a dog in it. Fallen Leaves is no different, as he uses his own dog, a rescue from Portugal named Alma, to give his quiet protagonist– coincidentally played by Alma Pöysti– the companion she’s actually looking for after a back and forth relationship of close calls and misunderstandings. Alma’s character is named Chaplin, quite a fitting choice for a performer who can’t speak dialogue.
anyone but you
After a New York-set opening, the rest of Anyone But You takes place in Australia. During one of the film’s standout slapstick sequences, the group of friends is mesmerized by a graceful koala bear, while Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell– working their tails off to save the Rom-Com genre– frantically strip down to almost nothing out of fear of an invasive spider. Also working their tail off was Maple the Border Collie as Klonopin, for sure the most Millenial-named pet of all time. Maple is in multiple scenes, including a big moment where she’s asked to topple over a wedding cake. Maple’s owner, Joe Davidson, acted in the film as well.
Poor things
To elevate the Frankenstein-esque nature of Willem Dafoe’s scientist, Yorgos Lanthimos and his team shot footage of multiple animals and then blended them in post, emphasizing the stitches and staples connecting the creatures together. Beyond the pig/chicken above, the film is dotted with a goose/bulldog and a duck/goat, among other inventive creations.
killers of the flower moon
In Martin Scorsese’s epic masterpiece, beauty is consistently found in the powerful traditions of the Osage Nation that are portrayed on screen in contrast to the horrific acts being done to them. Most striking are a few scenes featuring the Eurasian eagle owl, Elisheva, from St. Louis. In the film, the character Lizzie Q (Tantoo Cardinal), explains to her daughter Mollie (Lily Gladstone) that a vision of an owl signifies that death is approaching. We first see Elisheva– Eli for short– soaring through an open window. With her wings spread wide, it’s an awe-inducing moment. Later in the film, she hops through a door toward a bed-ridden Mollie and lets out a powerful squawk. It’s a striking performance that on first look was tough to believe happened with a live animal, but Eli and her trainer, Donovan Meeks, were able to do something special and make a great film even greater.
Anatomy of a Fall
No animal performer this year has become an internet sensation like Messi the Border Collie, who stars as Snoop in Anatomy of a Fall.
If this TikTok fancam isn’t proof enough, his recent trip to the Oscars Nominees Luncheon where he met the likes of Bradley Cooper, America Ferrera, and Ryan Gosling might just take the cake. With major plot points and emotional beats resting on his shoulders, Messi delivered time and time again in Justine Triet’s Best Picture nominee. His trainer, Laura Martin Contini, was interviewed by IndieWire here.
Joe Pal at the Movies 