Must Love Dogs

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Must Love Dogs

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By Ben Elliott

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There’s a persistent rumor that Rin Tin Tin, the heroic German Shepard who starred in a series of films in the 1920s, garnered enough votes to win Best Actor at the first Academy Awards. It didn’t happen, but the enduring popularity of the myth speaks to an undeniable truth: Movies love dogs.

From Toto to Asta to Lassie to Benji to Air Bud, dogs have always been a powerful presence on screen. They can be loyal sidekicks, terrifying menaces, or shaggy protagonists of their own stories. They can fuel nostalgic family stories like Marley & Me and My Dog Skip, or stand as a symbol for the relentlessness of nature in films like White God.

The Thin Man, 1934

One of the best movies to capture the spirit of living with a dog isn’t even technically about a dog. Lilo & Stitch, the animated classic that sees its live-action adaptation come to The Triplex this week, features a renegade alien posing as a dog with a little girl in Hawaii.

Lilo & Stitch, 2025

Stitch is a genetically engineered monster designed to cause chaos, which most dog owners would agree is a pretty good way of describing our fur-bound best friends. The story of an intergalactic stray who, despite his destructive tendencies, becomes the anchor of his found family also rings true for anyone lucky enough to adopt a pet.

The dogs in these movies take an element of control away from their human costars, giving the films an air of unpredictability whenever they’re on screen. It's the same kind of destabilizing effect that happens when we bring animals into our own lives — we’re forced out of our heads, out of our comfort zones, and become a little more human in the process.

Showtimes

Showtimes Freakier Friday | 1:00PM, 3:30PM, 6:00PM, 8:30PM The Life of Chuck | 1:15PM, 4:15PM Highest 2 Lowest | 1:45PM, 4:45PM, 8:00PM The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg | 7:00PM

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