Top dogs: The 20 most recognizable canine film stars

A remake of a 1963 movie, “Homeward Bound” was a classic family film in the ‘90s. It tells the story of two dogs, Shadow and Chance, and a cat, Sassy, who are lost far from home. Having Michael J. Fox provide the voice of one of the dogs probably helped.

There are no talking dogs in “Beethoven.” Just a gigantic St. Bernard making Charles Grodin miserable. Grodin was perfect casting for a film like this. He plays put-upon dad with gusto against his large, hirsute costar.

Grodin did great work with a dog, and so did Tom Hanks. Early in his career, before he was an Oscars darling, Hanks played a cop who is paired with a dog on a case. It’s a mismatched buddy cop film at its core, but one of them is a canine. Hanks has to shoulder the load, but he has no problem with it, of course. He even nails the dramatic moments.

“The Shaggy Dog” has been remade a few times, but we are going with the original. The story is simple. Tommy Kirk, a Disney movie staple, plays a teenage boy who periodically turns into, well, a shaggy dog. Fred MacMurray, also a Disney staple, is around as well. Amazingly, this movie got a sequel called “The Shaggy D.A.” Yes, it’s about an attorney who turns into a dog.

Dog lovers put themselves through the wringer with “Marley & Me.” At this point, it’s not a spoiler to say the dog at the center of the film doesn’t make it until the end. You may shed some tears like so much dog fur, but the movie has a ton of fans regardless.

Hey, animated dogs still count. Plus, there are a ton of dogs in this movie. At least, like, 50 if we had to guess. Of course, in addition to all the dogs there is one of the iconic Disney villains, Cruella de Vil, who eventually got her own live-action movie where she’s played by Emma Stone.

Scooby-Doo has been on our TV screens for decades. He also has popped up in film a couple of times. The “Scooby-Doo” movies are a who’s who of 2000s actors like Sarah Michelle Gellar and Matthew Lillard, and the CGI hasn’t aged great, but the first movie still has its fun moments.

The highest-grossing dog movie not adjusted for inflation? You can probably guess, given that we’re talking about it right now. Yes, it’s “Bolt.” Is it a “classic” dog movie in the traditional sense? Maybe not, but obviously ton of people have seen it, and we bet kids in 2008 enjoyed it quite a bit.

Well, “A Dog’s Purpose” is certainly memorable. Is it good? We wouldn’t go that far, but this film about a dog that keeps getting effectively reincarnated definitely made a mark. It’s the dog movie that dares to kill the dog not just once, but multiple times!

Apparently 1989 was big for dogs and cops joining forces. This time, it’s Jim Belushi in the role of the cop, and his dog partner is a German shepherd, a more-traditional choice than Hooch. The movie isn’t quite on par with the Tom Hanks vehicle of the same year, but it found success anyway.

What a ludicrous film. Even among movies about talking dogs this one is bonkers, and also bad. And yet, the trailers made us admittedly fascinated, and the movies (yes, they made more than one) do have that “so bad, it’s good” quality.

The quintessential animated dog movie. “Lady and the Tramp” tells a classic tale of star-crossed lovers. They just happen to be dogs. At least they got to share a famous plate of pasta.

Rin Tin Tin was, no joke, once one of the biggest movie stars in the world. People loved to watch the German shepherd rescued from a battlefield during  World War I. He would literally headline movies, and it was even an urban legend he was voted the original winner of Best Actor at the first Oscars, but the Academy wouldn’t have it. He mostly starred in silent movies and we chose “A Dog of the Regiment” as our Rin Tin Tin entry because, well, just look at the poster.

“Benji” is a true American success story. Director Joe Camp couldn’t get any studio to make his movie about a mutt on an adventure. He made it for $500,000. It made $45 million, and then spawned four sequels, including the ominously named “Benji the Hunted.”

Benji is a friendly dog. Cujo? Not so much. Admittedly, he was nice enough at first. Then, the massive St. Bernard contracted rabies. Suddenly, he was rabid, violent, and trapped a mother and her son in their car in this adaptation of a Stephen King story.

Originally a Japanese movie, “The Adventures of Milo and Otis” tells the tale of a tabby cat and a pug. Apparently it was shot over four years, presumably just to get enough footage of the animals doing interesting things. It was adapted for American audiences by cutting out 15 minutes and adding narration by Dudley Moore. This worked, as it was a hit.

Obviously, originally Lassie became an iconic character thanks to television. Many years later, and with a different dog of course, we got a “Lassie” movie. It’s exactly what you would expect. A collie helps some people out. There are no surprises to a movie about Lassie, but people went to it to get exactly what they were promised.

One of the more-inexplicable movie series ever, “Air Bud” has made an impact on pop culture we cannot deny. This film about a dog that plays basketball basically revitalized the “animal plays sports” genre. It introduced a whole new generation to the “There’s nothing in the rulebook!” trope. Thanks, “Air Bud.”

We end this list with two movies not explicitly about dogs, but prominently featuring a dog. “The Mask” centers on Jim Carrey as a guy who puts on a mask and turns into a living cartoon. It was also Cameron Diaz’s first movie. Of course, we also of course remember when Stanley Ipkiss’ dog Milo puts the mask on as well. Truly, he was smokin’.

The dog in “There’s Something About Mary” didn’t have the best time. It goes through some rough stuff. Hey, this is a shock-value, gross-out comedy. Putting the little pup through the wringer was part of that. Maybe the dog in “There’s Something About Mary” isn’t as famous as Mary and the “hair gel,” but the dog is definitely a standout.