Animated Movies Starring Dogs and Puppies

Everyone remembers the classic love story of Lady and the Tramp. One of the best-loved dog stories of all time, Lady and the Tramp tells the story of the uptown Lady and how she fell for a stray from the wrong side of town. Disney has also released a sequel, Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure.  In the sequel, Lady and Tramp's pup Scamp decides he might like life better as a junkyard dog. This Diamond Edition Blu-ray contains the movie and a wealth of special bonus features. Rated G.

The two-disc Platinum Edition of the Disney classic 101 Dalmatians features all kinds of puppy related content which allows kids to interact with activities such as creating a virtual puppy and finding out which Dalmatian puppy they most resemble. The beloved story about Pongo, Perdita, and their 99 puppies is also digitally restored with enhanced picture and sound. The sequel to the movie, 101 Dalmatians 2: Patch's London Adventure, tells the story of the memorable pup Patch, and his quest to stand out among all of the spots. Both movies are rated G.

Another Disney classic, The Fox and the Hound tells the story of an unlikely friendship. Doggy fans may be less familiar with the 2006 sequel, The Fox and the Hound II. The Fox and the Hound II is one of the better Disney sequels, with talented singers like Reba McEntire providing music for the soundtrack. The two movies are available together in a Blu-ray combo pack that contains The Fox and the Hound and The Fox and the Hound II on one Blu-ray disc and each movie on DVD as well. Both movies are rated G.

Inspired by the classic Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist, Oliver & Company follows the adventures of Oliver, an adorable stray kitten who finally finds a little girl to love him, only to have her taken away by a greedy scoundrel. Oliver may be small, but he has a lot of heart, and he will stop at nothing to rescue his beloved Jenny. While the main character is a cat, many of the other characters are dogs. The 20th Anniversary Edition of this classic movie contains several bonus features including games, Backstage Disney features, and a bonus short.

All Dogs Go to Heaven tells the story of Charlie, a criminal German Shepherd who escapes from the pound along with his sidekick Itchy. Charlie is happy to return to his life of crime, but not so happy when his former partner in crime, Carface, kills him. Charlie goes to heaven, as all dogs do, but soon cons his way back to earth. He befriends an orphan named Anne-Marie who helps him see the light. This is an old-school animated movie, and things like murder and gambling were more accepted in cartoons. The sequel, also included in this edition, is newer and not as violent. In addition, there is An All Dogs Christmas Carol, which is a children's version of A Christmas Carol featuring the All Dogs characters. (Rated G)

The 1995 mostly animated film Balto is loosely based on a real story of a dog named Balto who helped to deliver sorely needed diphtheria anti-toxin to the people of Nome, Alaska in 1925. Balto is voiced by Kevin Bacon. The movie is rated G, but some moments of peril and tension could be frightening to very young children.

Bolt is a superhero and protector of his best friend and human owner, Penny. At least, that's who Bolt thinks he is. When he is unfortunately ends up in New York City, far from his Hollywood home, he comes to realize that he has been living a lie. Bolt is actually a dog actor, and he has spent his life just playing a part. As he makes his long and sometimes treacherous journey back to Hollywood, Bolt learns a litte something about real life, but he never forgets just how much he loves Penny. Bolt is beautifully animated in CG animation. Notice the backgrounds in the movie that look like paintings. (Rated PG)

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Scooby-Doo is a long-running TV series with numerous spin-offs, but there are also many animated and live-action Scooby-Doo movies, too many to count, in fact. Pictured here is the first animated movie based on the series, the 1979 Scooby-Doo Goes to Hollywood. And there have been many more animated movies since then. What's great about Scooby-Doo, is kids love him, and they love being able to watch something "scary," but harmless.

Clifford is a big red dog who has gotten a lot of attention from preschoolers and young kids for a very long time. He's the subject of many well-loved books and a long-running PBS cartoon series, and Clifford's Really Big Movie hit the big screen in 2004.  The movie is targeted at very young kids, but a few parents have found that a plot element regarding Clifford being kidnapped was too scary for their little ones. If your child might be frightened or unsettled by this, there are numerous DVDs containing episodes of the Clifford TV series that kids will certainly enjoy as well. (Rated G)

Snoopy stars in this Peanuts feature, and he is frustrated by the never ending slew of "no dogs allowed" signs. When Snoopy takes a trip to see an old friend, Charlie Brown is devastated and fears Snoopy will not come home again. Snoopy is also the dog of the day in the Peanuts DVD special, Happiness Is Peanuts: Snoopy's Adventures. This DVD was put out by Warner Bros. and features several episodes including the special, Snoopy's Getting Married, Charlie Brown.