Beyond their onscreen presence, pets are increasingly becoming stars in their own right, helping to promote a movie and boost its popularity on social networks and at the box office.
They walk the red carpets, become social media stars, and even get awards in their own right. Dogs, cats, horses, birds, and animals of all kinds increasingly have roles to play in movies, and not just onscreen.
Take, for example, the cat Schnitzel, star of “A Quiet Place: Day One“, in cinemas since June 28. This kitty has won over viewers and internet users alike, building a strong community of 52,000 followers on Instagram.
The cat even gave “interviews” to promote the movie, and Lupita Nyong’o, star of the thriller, regularly features Schnitzel in posts on her own Instagram account.
Another recent Hollywood story of particular interest to internet users involves Glen Powell. The actor, currently starring in “Twisters”, adopted Brisket, a dog from a shelter, during the filming of the movie.
Although Brisket doesn’t appear in the film, he accompanied his new owner everywhere, from the movie set to promotional activities, including the Los Angeles premiere. “He really became sort of a set mascot in that movie. It’s just adorable,” Powell told Entertainment Weekly.
But why are the animal stars of movies increasingly coming to the fore? According to a 2019 study conducted by Petlandia and reported by The Guardian, since 1970, films starring cats have generated more than US$7.8 billion in revenue, while those starring dogs generated some US$6.5 billion.
So, do animals play a role in box-office grosses, or on a film’s popularity? According to Stat Significant, “movies featuring animals as a central figure receive higher online ratings than the average film, with the exception of shark movies”.
And for good reason: the presence of an animal seems to stir up more emotions in viewers: so reports a study carried out on a sample of 1,000 reviews of 400 films, dating back to the 1930s, on Rotten Tomatoes.
The research found that, for every 1,000 online reviews of animal movies, 52 mentioned the reviewer crying, compared with 32 reviews of human-based movies per 1,000.
And if further proof were needed of the popularity of these furry or feathered stars of the movie world, animals are now also entitled to their own awards. As part of the Cannes Film Festival, dogs have been able to compete for the Palm Dog Award since 2001, rewarding the best canine performances on the big screen.
Since its creation, this award has been given to Uggie, the dog from “The Artist”; Brandy, seen in “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood”; and Messi, the border collie who played Snoop in “Anatomy of a Fall”.
Indeed, at the 2024 Oscars, Justine Triet wasn’t the only one to benefit from the success of her movie, as Messi also had his moment of glory on the big night.
And the 2024 Palm Dog was awarded in May to Kodi, who plays Cosmos in Laetitia Dosch’s “Dog on Trial” (“Le Procès du chien”), coming to French theatres on Sept 11.