Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
As weird and wild as 2021 was, at least it was a pretty solid year for movies. While it’s customary to close out each year by honoring the best onscreen performances and characters, my question is: Why limit those categories to humans?
Sure, when we think of animal movies, we typically think of them as appearing in children’s movies — this year alone, a giant CGI Clifford haunted the streets of New York, and seemingly every parent imaginable sat through the Paw Patrol movie to their kids’ unfettered glee. I’m neither a kid nor a parent, but I firmly believe that the presence of onscreen animals have very little to do with spurring toy and merch sales; rather, they’re secretly very integral to a film’s appeal.
Cinematically speaking, animals — real, imagined, or otherwise — can represent our ties to the natural world, or emphasize the size and scope of an entirely new world, like Dune‘s iconic sandworms. Similarly, the way humans behave towards non-human creatures can emphasize our best and worst intrinsic qualities. After all, Cruella’s puppy-skinning habits made her so notorious that she got an image rehabilitation movie this year. And just like villains can’t use iPhones in movies, I’m pretty sure that nearly every character who befriends a tiny, fuzzy sidekick is one of the good guys.
No matter what your movie tastes are, this year’s onscreen animals deserve a shoutout. Here are the best movie creatures of 2021.
Morgan Freemond the Crab
From 'Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar'
Decider crowned the delightfully bonkers Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar as its No. 1 movie of 2021, and the two pals at its center get by with a little help from their beachy friends. In one of the film’s most memorable moments, they encounter a crustacean called Morgan Freemond, whose recognizable voice sounds an awful lot like Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman. While he’s unfortunately not voiced by Freeman himself, watching a crab rattle off one of our best living actors’ iconic roles is a perfect example of Barb & Star‘s offbeat charm.
The Dalmatians That Killed Cruella's Mom
From 'Cruella'
Remember when Twitter was in an uproar over dalmatians killing Cruella’s (Emma Stone) mom? I unfortunately do! Like any good villain prequel, the live-action Cruella argues that the infamous 101 Dalmatians baddie isn’t all that bad — look, she even has a tragic backstory now! In a truly wild twist, we find out that this puppy-killer’s disdain for dalmatians began when the evil Baroness’ (Emma Thompson) dogs drove her mother off a cliff during her childhood.
It’s ridiculous, and it certainly doesn’t justify Cruella’s leap into villainy (a story that’s apparently being saved for Cruella 2). But I have to respect the audacity, and hopefully the sequel will lean into the wildness of its predecessor’s ’70s punk rock vibe even more.
Sonny and Cher
From 'Venom: Let There Be Carnage'
Venom: Let There Be Carnage works best as a kooky rom-com about Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) and Venom working out their relationship problems. They now live in an apartment together with who are adorably named Sonny and Cher. Venom has no reservations about feasting on human brains, but the alien symbiote draws the line at eating his beloved pets. It’s a cute representation of how our favorite anti-hero has grown since the first movie, but Venom’s preferences spell trouble for Eddie when a hungry Venom starts acting out during his superhero exploits.
Since the Venom movies are a love story at heart, the duo eventually work out their differences (by battling an unhinged Woody Harrelson, duh) and tend to their miraculously uneaten chickens. Now that Eddie and Venom are poised to enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I demand that Sonny and Cher get to tag along.
Godzilla and Kong
From 'Godzilla vs. Kong'
After the weird movie year that was 2020, this year marked the return of the big blockbuster. One of the first major films to grace theaters in 2021 was Godzilla vs. Kong, because what better way to celebrate the magic of the movies than by watching two famous monsters beat the crap out of each other on a gigantic screen?
Legendary’s attempts to make a Hollywood franchise out of classic kaiju characters have been mixed, and I’m not here to pretend that Godzilla vs. Kong measures up to its iconic predecessors. But after spending months cooped up inside, man did it feel good to watch two of our favorite huge boys go at it. Maybe they’ll kiss next time!
Monchi the Pug
From 'The Mitchells vs. The Machines'
Lord and Miller’s latest animated charmer follows the Mitchells, an eccentric family whose road trip to eldest daughter Katie’s (Abbi Jacobson) college orientation is thrown into chaos when our robot overlords decide to seize control of Earth. Each family member’s individual quirks are key to saving the human race, and even their lovably dim-witted pug Monchi has an important role to play. The movie explores the good and bad of living our lives online, so fittingly, Monchi is voiced by internet icon Doug the Pug.
King Shark and Sebastian the Rat
From 'The Suicide Squad'
It’s no secret that The Suicide Squad functions as a soft reboot of 2016’s disastrous Suicide Squad film. This time around, director James Gunn considerably elevates the misadventures of a villainous prison crew by actually making you care about the assholes saving the world. Luckily, that includes some furry (and scaly!) friends.
Anyone living in a major metropolitan area can tell you that rats aren’t the most popular creatures around, so rodent enthusiasts will be happy to know that they get a much-needed rebrand courtesy of Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchior). As her name suggests, this lovable villain can communicate with rats alongside her little friend, Sebastian. It’s a gross yet endearing ability that comes in handy when a dangerous mutant starfish begins ravaging a city. Fellow Suicide Squad member King Shark’s (aka Nanaue) deal is simpler — he’s hungry and just wants to make some friends. Really, what’s more relatable than that?
Ada the Lamb Hybrid
From 'Lamb'
From Annette to Titane to Lamb, 2021 was a year filled with weird movie babies. At least Ada the lamb-human hybrid has a cute flower crown and a cozy sweater! Her birth is the catalyst of Lamb, which centers on the conflict that arises between the childless couple who adopt her and the sinister forces seeking to return her to the animal world. While the film falls in line with A24’s well-curated indie horror collection, it manages to stand on its own thanks to its themes of grief and the often-complicated circumstances surrounding adoption.
Sir Gawain's Fox Guide
From 'The Green Knight'
If only we all had a handsome fox to guide us on far-flung quests. The Green Knight puts a new spin on the classic poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, as King Arthur’s headstrong young nephew Gawain (Dev Patel) sets out to face a mysterious giant who challenged him in Camelot.
While the fox was the subject of a hunt in the original poem, here he acts as both a guide and a representation of Gawain himself. Throughout the film, he must learn to cleverly navigate his quest with his heart and mind, rather than fail by seeing it merely as a test of physical strength. The fox’s ambiguous presence in Gawain’s coming-of-age journey is strange yet undeniably captivating, much like The Green Knight itself.
Arrakis Critters
From 'Dune'
The first half of Denis Villeneuve’s big Dune adaptation did the sci-fi classic justice by fully immersing audiences in the desert planet of Arrakis. And what better way to get acquainted with a new world than by getting to know its local fauna? Dune may be concerned with Paul Atreides’ (Timothée Chalamet) fraught hero’s journey, but it’s the critters who nearly steal the show.
There’s the adorable desert mouse (aka Muad’Dib), whose big ears and kangaroo tail make even tortured Paul smile. Arrakis’ native population, the Fremen, admire these little guys for their ability to adapt to the harshest of environments, so it’s only fitting that Muad’Dib eventually becomes Paul’s Fremen name.
Of course, you can’t discuss Dune without mentioning its iconic sandworms. Villeneuve teases the sandworms’ big debut like the shark in Jaws before Shai-Hulud finally towers over Paul and Jessica in all its glory. Does it look like a butthole? Yes. Is it still awe-inspiring? Absolutely.
The Titular Pig
From 'Pig'
This year was also marked by what feels like countless one-word, one-syllable film titles: Old, Finch, Lamb, Wolf, and so on. But in my opinion, the best of those films is easily Pig, a gem of an indie heartbreaker that’s waiting for you on Hulu.
Nichoas Cage stars in the film as Rob, a rural truffle forager who travels to Portland in search of the kidnappers who stole his beloved pig. This movie could so easily been rooted in another manic, madcap performance by Cage (and to be clear, many of those performances rule). But part of the magic of Pig is how unexpectedly moving it is. A premise that could’ve easily been rendered flimsy instead becomes a deeply affecting portrait of grief and regret, with an unforgettably raw turn from Cage.
And in terms of the pig of it all, look at her! Who wouldn’t embark on a Pacific Northwestern odyssey for that sweet, fuzzy hog? To me, that is cinema.
