ROTTEN TOMATOES: Total Recall: Our Favorite Talking Animals

Total Recall: Our Favorite Talking Animals

by Jeff Giles

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3. The Wizard of Oz

All right, so maybe this is fudging a little -- but what kind of talking animals list would be complete without a nod to Bert Lahr's turn as the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz? Victor Fleming's adaptation of the L. Frank Baum classic boasts a 100 percent Tomatometer rating for many reasons, not the least of which is Lahr's iconic performance. In Baum's book, the Lion gets his courage from a bottle, but Fleming and company understandably shied away from that idea; instead, his film counterpart finds it inside himself, and is rewarded with a shiny new medal. Lahr went on to acquire some hardware of his own, winning a Tony Award for his performance in the 1964 musical Foxy, but to most of us, he'll always be best remembered as the guy who sang "If I Were the King of the Forest."

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2. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

C.S. Lewis' Narnia books sat around for over five decades before someone started making blockbuster live-action epics out of them. The missing ingredients? CGI technology -- and the gravitas-drenched voice of Liam Neeson as Aslan, the titular lion. Announced as having been awarded the role just five months before the film's release -- and only after director Andrew Adamson bumped his original choice for Aslan's voice, Brian Cox. Neeson, of course, was perfect for the role, and although he can't take all the credit for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe's 76 percent Tomatometer rating (or its nearly $300 million gross), his involvement certainly didn't hurt. Neeson has described Aslan's role in the upcoming Prince Caspian as more "parental" -- here's hoping the movie still makes room for him to lay some smack down.

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1. Babe

Yes, it's true: A film about a talking pig who enters a sheepdog competition really was nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award. It was nominated for seven Oscars, actually -- and came away with one, for Best Visual Effects. This George Miller-adapted fable (taken from the Dick King-Smith book) built a lot of buzz thanks to its then-state-of-the-art visuals, but it earned its 98 percent Tomatometer rating based on the story's big heart, and a terrific cast that included the voices of Christine Cavanaugh (as Babe) and Hugo Weaving (as Rex the sheepdog) -- not to mention James Cromwell, whose laid-back turn as Farmer Hoggett earned him a Best Actor nomination and boiled his long, distinguished career down into five words: "That'll do, pig. That'll do."

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Dishonorable Mention - Howard the Duck

A Lucasfilm release based on one of Marvel Comics' most beloved second-string characters -- a wisecracking, cigar-chomping alien duck. A cast including Lea Thompson and Tim Robbins. A soundtrack featuring Thomas Dolby, Stevie Wonder, and Joe Walsh. What could go wrong? The answer, of course, is "everything" -- thanks largely to a nigh-incomprehensible mess of a plot that virtually ignored the comics, Howard the Duck went down in history as an enormous flop, earning the almost universal enmity of critics (look at that 19 percent Tomatometer rating!) and making back less than half of its $40 million budget back during its American theatrical run. Howard the Duck has never even been released on DVD here in the States -- and in a marketplace that has room for a 10th anniversary deluxe edition of Tommy Boy, that's really saying something.

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Related Items

Movie:	Babe
	The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
	The Wizard of Oz
	Joe's Apartment
	Francis the Talking Mule
	Stuart Little
	Charlotte's Web
	The Shaggy Dog
	Oh! Heavenly Dog
	Paulie
	Howard the Duck

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(1-19 of 19 posts) | Reply

jokerboy1991 writes:
on May 14 2008 06:25 PM

I thought the talking animals in The Golden Compass were cool.

(Reply to this)

Mishmerized writes:
on May 14 2008 06:52 PM

What! How did a human with a lion costume make the list? Its the worst animal portayal ever! If you want memorable, what about the whole cast in Dr Doolittle?

I am available for hire

(Reply to this)

Xandril Zaax writes:
on May 14 2008 07:19 PM

Yeah, the Wizard of Oz being on this list is a travesty.

(Reply to this)

iammusic17 writes:
on May 14 2008 08:25 PM

FINDING NEMO????? Dory????????

(Reply to this)

CoUcH ToMaToE DoUgIe writes:
on May 14 2008 09:43 PM

what about homaward bound: the incredible journey? Now that was

a great movie with talking animals and i'm telling if Don Ameche's

performance of Shadow doesn't tear you up just a little...well you hate

animals, then. Also, great job with number 1, Babe was a masterpiece and

i still wish i had singing mice seperating the chapters in my ongoing life.

Also, lets not forget the voice of Babe,Christine Cavanaugh, also is

responsible for some famous voice overs including Chuckie Finster from the

rugrats, Dexter form Dex's Lab; and Oblina from Ahhh!! Real Monsters.

(Reply to this)

CoUcH ToMaToE DoUgIe writes:
on May 14 2008 10:01 PM

Also, everyone lay off the King Of The Forest!!!! He's got

courage and he's not afraid to show off his medal to prove it ;)

(Reply to this)

mashrur29 writes:
on May 14 2008 10:57 PM

Alvin and the Chipmunks?

(Reply to this)

atothec writes:
on May 15 2008 12:25 AM

I immediately thought of Finding Nemo.

Sad to see it isn't there...

(Reply to this)

knowingtoast85 writes:
on May 15 2008 02:06 AM

I have a feeling they were angling for live-action talking animals. Otherwise, Disney would own this list inside and out.

I truly believe "Babe" is one of the best movies of the 1990s.

(Reply to this)

detroit666 writes:
on May 15 2008 08:01 AM

BORRRRRRRRRRRRRRNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE AS FREE AS THE....

Elsa the Lion - a REAL lion, unlike Aslan OR "The" Cowardly one....

How about them flying monkeys?

(Reply to this)

scorpion_renderlord writes:
on May 15 2008 10:03 PM

HOW DID JURASSIC PARK 3 NOT MAKE THIS LIST?? ..That one talking velociraptor that says "Alan" is quite possibly the single most memorable talking movie animal of all time.

(Reply to this)

ecyoj writes:
on May 15 2008 10:51 PM

Babe certainly deserved to be number one -- a great and charming film. Charlotte's Web was another worthy contender. Both films were fine narratives featuring accomplished actors with positive messages sorely needed in these times.

(Reply to this)

MaleKim writes:
on May 15 2008 11:10 PM

Has anyone else ever wanted to see Disney try "Shaggy Dog" with a woman instead of a man. Yeah, I know what a female dog is called. But these days, even at Disney, it's a frequently heard term and they could have some fun with it. (Besides, it's a name a lot of women today are proud to wear.)

(Reply to this)

minderbinder writes:
on May 16 2008 08:34 AM

Definitely agree with Babe, one of my all time favorite movies. And the sequel is just as good, maybe even a little better. It's a real shame there was bad (and completely undeserved) buzz before it even came out, the sequel is one of the greatest, most overlooked and underrated kids movies of all time.

I think it's obvious that animated talking animals aren't on the list simply because it's a list of talking animals in live action films.

And I totally support Wizard of Oz being on there - great performance as the cowardly lion.

(Reply to this)

dgcritic writes:
on May 16 2008 09:49 AM

What about harry potter animals? I think buckbeak, the grey hippogriff was great!

(Reply to this)

Kudama writes:
on May 16 2008 09:55 AM

WTF??? WT****ingH!?!?

Where is Milo & Otis. That should be number one! That was Dudley Moore's masterpiece. They put Joe Apartment over Milo & ****ing Otis??? OK. Any minute now my alarm clock's gonna go off and I will awaken from this nightmare.

(Reply to this)

mbwassell writes:
on May 16 2008 01:51 PM

Are we talking animated or non-animated?? If we go with animated- well Disney owns that realm. They can claim a big portion with the non-animated as well. Again- The Incredible Journey was great, and what about The Cat From Outer Space, Thomasina, and The Richest Cat in The World? Of course I loved the Francis movies (with Donald O'Connor). Of course how could we forget Wilbur- a horse is a horse, of course of course.

(Reply to this)

mbwassell writes:
on May 16 2008 01:52 PM

Are we talking animated or non-animated?? If we go with animated- well Disney owns that realm. They can claim a big portion with the non-animated as well. Again- The Incredible Journey was great, and what about The Cat From Outer Space, Thomasina, and The Richest Cat in The World? Of course I loved the Francis movies (with Donald O'Connor). Of course how could we forget Wilbur- a horse is a horse, of course of course.

(Reply to this)

alsanali writes:
on May 17 2008 09:31 AM

I'm just sad that Garfield is missing from the dishonrable mentions.

(Reply to this)

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