AnimeTVN

How AnimeTVN looks

AnimeTVN takes its look from the archived pages of animetvn.in, a long-running Vietnamese anime site with a busy, colourful design in the style of the early web. The page is a deep charcoal, and the content sits in a light grey panel in the middle, like a noticeboard on a dark wall. Across the top runs a black, slightly see-through bar with a teal television logo, a large rounded grey search box and a row of grey menu links that turn white when you point at them, the current page shown on a darker tile.

The home page opens with a tall slideshow of film stills, as the original did for its featured anime. Each slide carries a dark caption box with rounded corners in the lower left, holding the title, the year and running time in bold white and a few lines of the story. Small round buttons in the corner move between the slides.

Below the slideshow, a black bar carries the page title in green capitals, and a short notice line glows in bold yellow on black inside a thin olive border, exactly like the original's search tip. Each section opens with a teal heading in light type framed by two small gold stars, and ends with a blue See more bar that turns red when you point at it.

The films appear as white cards with a soft grey shadow, four to a row on a wide screen. On each poster, a green tab at the top left shows the rating, an orange tab at the top right shows the year, and a blue tab with rounded corners at the lower left shows the running time, the same arrangement of coloured tabs the original used for its episode counts, views and seasons. Beneath the poster, the title sits in bold black type on a white strip.

On the right, a ranking widget with grey tabs that turn green lists the top films on a deep purple background, each with a coloured number circle in red, green, blue or lilac, a small poster, a bright green title and orange details. At the foot of the page, a dark, translucent footer with a pale glow holds the links and the copyright line. The text is set in Tahoma, the plain and practical typeface of the original. On a phone, the menu folds into a button, the search box moves into the menu and the cards settle into two columns.

Finding your way around

The rounded search box in the black bar is the quickest way to any film. Type a title, an animal or a name, such as Lassie, Flicka, Garfield, dolphin or Beethoven, and the matching films appear as you type. On a phone, the same search sits at the top of the menu.

The home page is built for browsing. The slideshow shows a handful of favourites, the Newest films section shows the latest additions by release date, and the sections below bring dogs, horses, wild and sea animals and talking animals, each with a See more bar that opens the full shelf. The ranking widget on the right shows the most popular films of all time, and its second tab switches to the top classics. Beneath the ranking, every shelf is listed as a small grey button.

Each film has a page of its own with the poster, the title, the year, the running time, the rating and a summary of the story, followed by the cast, the director and the studio where they are known. Further down, a panel headed Where to watch asks for your country. Press Watch now, and JustWatch opens with the official services that offer the film there, whether by subscription, rental, purchase, a free channel with adverts or a library service.

My List keeps your choices in your own browser. Add a film from its page, open My List from the menu, and remove a film once the family has watched it. The list can be saved as a small file and opened again on another computer, tablet or phone, which makes it easy to plan the next film night anywhere.

The classic years, 1943 to 1979

The family animal film as we know it began at MGM in 1943. Lassie Come Home told the story of a Yorkshire family who must sell their beloved collie, and of Lassie's long journey back across Scotland and England to the boy who loves her. With a young Roddy McDowall and Elizabeth Taylor, and a collie called Pal in the title role, it became one of the most loved films of the decade and began a series that has lasted for generations. Hills of Home, from 1948, sent Lassie to a Scottish village doctor who teaches her to swim.

Horses arrived the same year. My Friend Flicka followed a dreamy Wyoming boy who chooses a wild filly as his own, and its sequel Green Grass of Wyoming continued the story. National Velvet, with Elizabeth Taylor as a girl who trains a piebald horse for the Grand National, is one of the great family films of the forties, and The Red Pony brought John Steinbeck's story of a boy and his colt to the screen in 1949. The Yearling, with Gregory Peck and Jane Wyman, follows a boy in the Florida backwoods who adopts an orphaned fawn, and The Story of Seabiscuit tells the tale of the famous racehorse.

In the fifties and sixties, Walt Disney's studio made animal films a speciality. Old Yeller, from 1957, follows a Texas boy and the big yellow dog who protects his family, and The Shaggy Dog turned a teenager into a sheepdog in Disney's first live-action comedy. The Incredible Journey follows two dogs and a cat across the Canadian wilderness, Yellowstone Cubs follows two bear cubs through a summer in the national park, The Legend of Lobo tells the story of a wolf in the American Southwest, and Charlie, the Lonesome Cougar follows a cougar raised by loggers. The Cat from Outer Space and The Littlest Horse Thieves carried the tradition into the seventies.

Other studios made memorable animal films too. Flipper, from 1963, introduced the famous dolphin and his young friend Sandy, and Flipper's New Adventure followed a year later. Misty adapted Marguerite Henry's book about the wild ponies of Chincoteague, Benji made a small stray dog a star in 1974, and The Black Stallion, from 1979, followed a boy and an Arabian stallion shipwrecked on a desert island, with breathtaking photography and Mickey Rooney as a wise old trainer. The classics shelf holds 48 films from these years.

Dogs

Dogs are the heart of the catalogue, with 117 films. The Lassie stories run from the forties to Lassie in 1994 and Lassie in 2005, which retells the original story in the Scottish countryside with a beautiful collie and a fine British cast. Lassie's Great Adventure sends Lassie and Timmy into the wilderness in a hot-air balloon.

The nineties brought a wave of dog comedies. Beethoven's 2nd gives the giant St. Bernard a family of puppies, and the series continued with Beethoven's 3rd, Beethoven's 4th, Beethoven's 5th, Beethoven's Big Break and Beethoven's Treasure Tail. Air Bud introduced Buddy, the golden retriever who plays basketball, and his adventures continued in football, soccer, baseball and volleyball, while his puppies starred in Air Buddies, Space Buddies, Santa Buddies, Spooky Buddies, Treasure Buddies and Super Buddies.

Some of the best dog films are quiet stories of friendship. Shiloh follows a boy who protects a mistreated beagle, My Dog Skip follows a shy boy in 1940s Mississippi whose terrier helps him make friends, and Because of Winn-Dixie follows a lonely girl whose scruffy dog helps her bring a whole town together. A Dog of Flanders tells the classic story of a boy and his dog in nineteenth-century Belgium, and The Adventures of Greyfriars Bobby tells the true story of the Edinburgh terrier who stayed beside his master.

Long journeys home are a favourite theme. Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco sends Chance, Shadow and Sassy across a city, Bingo follows a circus dog across America, and A Dog's Way Home follows Bella on a four-hundred-mile journey back to her boy. Hotel for Dogs turns an empty hotel into a home for strays, Snow Dogs sends a Miami dentist to Alaska with a team of sled dogs, Rescued by Ruby tells the true story of a shelter dog who became a police search-and-rescue star, and Runt follows a girl and her stray dog to a dog show in London.

Horses

The horse film is one of the oldest family traditions, and the horses shelf holds 59 films. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell's novel told by the horse himself, appears in four versions: Black Beauty from 1946, Black Beauty from 1971, Black Beauty from 1994, with its beautiful English countryside and the horse's own voice, and Black Beauty from 2015, a modern retelling about a girl volunteering at a horse rescue.

The Black Stallion returned in The Black Stallion Returns, which takes Alec and his horse to the Sahara, and in Young Black Stallion, which tells how the horse was born. International Velvet continues the story of National Velvet with a new generation, Casey's Shadow follows a family of racehorse trainers in Louisiana, and The Littlest Horse Thieves follows three children who rescue the pit ponies of a Yorkshire mine.

Australia has given the world some of the finest horse films. The Man from Snowy River, based on Banjo Paterson's famous poem, follows a young mountain man and a wild horse herd across breathtaking high country, Phar Lap tells the story of the champion racehorse of the Depression years, and The Silver Brumby follows a wild stallion among the brumbies of the Snowy Mountains.

Many recent horse films follow girls who find themselves through a horse. Flicka retells the classic story with a teenage girl as its hero, and Flicka 2 and Flicka: Country Pride continue it. Dreamer: Inspired By a True Story follows a father and daughter who nurse an injured racehorse back to the track, Emma's Chance follows a girl and a rescued show horse, Spirit Riders and Destined to Ride are summer ranch adventures, and Pegasus: Pony With a Broken Wing and Adventures of Dally and Spanky are gentle stories for younger riders.

Wild and sea animals

The wild and sea animals shelf holds 61 films about the creatures of forests, mountains, oceans and zoos. Dolphins are especially popular. Flipper, from 1996, sends a teenage boy to the Florida Keys for a summer that changes his life, Dolphin Tale and Dolphin Tale 2 tell the true story of Winter, a dolphin who learned to swim with an artificial tail, and Eye of the Dolphin, Bernie the Dolphin, Bernie the Dolphin 2 and Dolphin Kick follow children and their ocean friends.

Bears appear in many films. The Bears and I follows a young man who raises three black bear cubs in British Columbia, King of the Grizzlies follows a Cree ranch foreman and a grizzly he knew as a cub, Gentle Ben follows a boy and a giant black bear in Alaska, Bear with Me follows a family who raise an orphaned cub and release her into the wild, and Midnight Sun follows a boy who sets out across the Arctic to return a polar bear cub to its mother.

Wolves, elephants and many more fill the rest of the shelf. White Fang adapts Jack London's story of a gold hunter and his wolf-dog, Silver Wolf follows a grieving teenager who befriends a wolf, and The Wolf and the Lion follows a young woman raising a wolf cub and a lion cub on a Canadian island. Whispers: An Elephant's Tale and My Lucky Elephant celebrate elephants, Dumbo brings the flying elephant to live action, and The One and Only Ivan follows a gorilla living in a shopping mall who dreams of a different life.

Some of the best-loved films are pure fun. Babe, from 1995, follows a little pig who learns to herd sheep, and Babe: Pig in the City takes him to a strange and wonderful city. Racing Stripes follows a zebra who dreams of racing horses, Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile follows a singing crocodile in a New York house, and Paddington in Peru sends the marmalade-loving bear back to his homeland to visit Aunt Lucy. Zookeeper, Furry Vengeance and Monkey Up are cheerful comedies.

Cats

Cats have their own shelf of 20 films. Rhubarb, from 1951, follows a stray cat who inherits a fortune and a baseball team, That Darn Cat sends a curious cat on the trail of kidnappers, and The Cat from Outer Space stars an alien cat with a magic collar. Garfield and Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties bring the lasagna-loving comic-strip cat to life, Stuart Little 2 follows the brave white mouse and his cat Snowbell, and Nine Lives traps a businessman inside his family's cat. A Christmas Gift from Bob follows a London busker and his ginger cat at Christmas, and Mo follows a young woman searching for the owner of a lost cat.

Animals with plenty to say

The talking animals shelf holds 42 films in which animals speak their minds. The tradition began with Francis, the wise-cracking army mule, whose adventures continue in Francis Goes to the Races, Francis Goes to West Point and Francis in the Navy. Babe and his farmyard friends talk among themselves, and Paulie, a parrot with a gift for conversation, tells a janitor the story of his long search for the girl who raised him.

The talking dog became a family favourite in the 2000s. Cats & Dogs imagines a secret war of gadgets between the two species, which continues in Cats & Dogs 3: Paws Unite, Beverly Hills Chihuahua sends a pampered chihuahua on a Mexican adventure, and Marmaduke follows the comic-strip Great Dane to California. Pup Star, Pup Star: Better 2Gether, Pup Star: World Tour and Puppy Star Christmas follow a singing Yorkshire terrier, and Rufus and Rufus 2 follow a dog who turns into a boy.

Other films find clever ways to let animals speak. Dr. Dolittle 2 stars a doctor who talks with animals, Think Like a Dog links a young inventor and his dog by telepathy, The Pooch and the Pauper lets us hear the thoughts of the president's bulldog, and Andy the Talking Hedgehog follows a girl whose wish lets every animal talk.

Christmas animals

The Christmas shelf holds 21 holiday films. Bush Christmas, from 1947, follows five Australian children chasing horse thieves through the mountains, and The Christmas Colt follows a father and children who discover the meaning of Christmas on a detour. The Search for Santa Paws and Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups follow Santa's own dog, The Dog Who Saved Christmas and Shelby: The Dog Who Saved Christmas are cosy holiday comedies, The 12 Dogs of Christmas stages a Depression-era Christmas pageant with dogs, and A Heartland Christmas and Christmas in the Heartland bring the holidays to horse country.

True stories

Many of the most moving films in the catalogue are based on true stories. Dolphin Tale follows the real dolphin Winter, who lost her tail in a crab trap and learned to swim with a prosthetic tail at a Florida aquarium, and the real Winter appears in the film. Dreamer: Inspired By a True Story was inspired by a racehorse who returned to win after a terrible injury, and Phar Lap and The Story of Seabiscuit tell the stories of two of history's most famous racehorses.

The Adventures of Greyfriars Bobby tells of the Edinburgh Skye terrier who kept watch over his master's grave for years, a story that still draws visitors to his statue. Rescued by Ruby follows a Rhode Island state trooper and the shelter dog who became his search-and-rescue partner, Marshall's Miracle follows a bullied boy who rescues a mistreated dog, and Spirit Bear: The Simon Jackson Story follows a teenager's campaign to protect the rare white bears of British Columbia. The Bears and I and Bear with Me are also inspired by real experiences of raising wild cubs.

From decade to decade

The decade shelves trace the history of the family animal film. The 57 films up to 1989 bring the MGM classics, the Disney animal adventures of the fifties and sixties, Flipper, Benji, The Black Stallion and the Australian horse films of the eighties. The 44 films of the 1990s bring a boom in family animal comedies and dramas, with Beethoven, Babe, Homeward Bound, Air Bud, Shiloh, Fluke and Paulie.

The 55 films of the 2000s bring Garfield, Cats and Dogs, Racing Stripes, Because of Winn-Dixie and a long line of direct-to-video puppy adventures, and the 100 films from 2010 onward bring Dolphin Tale, the Pup Star and Buddies series, many new horse films, Dumbo, The One and Only Ivan, Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile and Paddington in Peru.

The animal stars

Behind every animal film is a team of trainers, and some of the animals became stars in their own right. The collie Pal played Lassie in the first film and passed the role to his descendants for decades. Higgins, the shaggy mixed-breed who played Benji, had already spent years on television before the film made him famous, and Buddy, the golden retriever of Air Bud, learned to shoot a basketball before the script was written around him.

Horses need just as much care. For The Black Stallion, several Arabian horses shared the role, each trained for different scenes, from swimming to racing, and the film's beach sequences are still admired for their beauty. Pigs grow quickly, so dozens of piglets took turns as the star of Babe, helped by puppetry and computer effects that won an Academy Award.

Modern films often mix real animals with digital effects, as in Paddington in Peru and Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile, where the main characters are created by animators, or Dumbo, where a digital elephant flies above a real circus set. Many of the smaller direct-to-video films use rescue dogs and horses, and several end with a message encouraging families to adopt an animal from a shelter.

Remakes and series

Some stories have been told so often that they have become family traditions in their own right. Lassie, Black Beauty, Flipper, The Shaggy Dog, Flicka and A Dog of Flanders all appear in more than one version, and each version has its own page, so you can compare how different generations told the same story. Watching The Shaggy Dog from 1959 and The Shaggy Dog from 2006 side by side, or Flipper and Flipper, makes a fun double bill.

Series are just as popular. The Beethoven, Air Bud, Buddies, Pup Star, Beverly Hills Chihuahua, Shiloh, Flicka, Dolphin Tale and Bernie the Dolphin films are all on the shelves, and the decade pages make it easy to follow them in order.

Ranch and farm life

Many animal films take place on farms and ranches, where children learn responsibility by caring for animals. My Friend Flicka and Green Grass of Wyoming are set on a Wyoming horse ranch, The Red Pony on a California farm, and Babe on a Yorkshire-style sheep farm. Owd Bob sends an orphaned boy to his grandfather's sheep farm on the Isle of Man, where a sheepdog competition becomes the centre of his summer.

The modern ranch film is a lively tradition of its own. Horse Crazy 2: The Legend of Grizzly Mountain follows two friends trying to save a ranch from the bank, Lucky's Treasure follows a girl who cares for her late grandmother's horse, A Cowgirl's Story follows a Texas cowgirl at a new school, Dakota's Summer follows a trick rider who discovers a family secret, and Hope Ranch follows a former police officer who helps troubled teenagers through ranch work. The Greening of Whitney Brown sends a city girl to the country, where a horse helps her see life differently.

These films share a gentle rhythm and a love of open country, and they suit long summer evenings. Many feature real working ranches and trick riders, and the riding scenes are often performed by skilled young riders themselves.

Films from around the world

Most of the films in the catalogue were made in the United States, but Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have made some of the finest. From Britain come Black Beauty, The Littlest Horse Thieves, The Adventures of Greyfriars Bobby, Lassie and the Paddington films. From Canada come The Bears and I, Silver Wolf, Midnight Sun, The Wolf and the Lion and many of the gentle direct-to-video family films.

Australia gave the world Bush Christmas, The Man from Snowy River, Phar Lap, Dusty, about a wild dingo raised by a farmer, and The Silver Brumby, and New Zealand gave Hunt for the Wilderpeople, a funny and touching adventure about a city boy, his cantankerous foster uncle and their dogs on the run in the bush. Watching films from different countries is a wonderful way to see how many landscapes animal stories can fill.

Films for every age

Animal films suit every age, but a little planning helps. For the youngest viewers, the talking-animal comedies and the gentle puppy films are a natural start: Napoleon, about a golden retriever puppy lost in the Australian bush, Aussie and Ted's Great Adventure, the Buddies films and Pup Star are bright, short and cheerful. Babe and Paddington in Peru delight every age.

School-age children usually love the adventure films and comedies, from Air Bud and Hotel for Dogs to Dolphin Tale and A Dog's Way Home, and many enjoy the horse films with their competitions and races. Older children and adults often find the classics most rewarding: Lassie Come Home, National Velvet, The Yearling, The Black Stallion and The Man from Snowy River are beautifully made films that hold up for any audience.

Some films, especially the classics, include emotional moments when animals are lost, hurt or grow old. These moments help children understand loyalty, courage and loss, and they are best shared with a grown-up close by. The page for each film describes its story, so families can choose well.

What animal films teach

Beneath the adventures, animal films carry gentle lessons. They show children what it means to care for another living creature: feeding, training, patience and the courage to do the right thing when an animal is in trouble. Shiloh is about standing up for an animal that needs a protector, Because of Winn-Dixie is about how a dog can help a lonely child make friends, and Dreamer: Inspired By a True Story is about second chances.

Others celebrate the natural world and the need to protect it. Spirit Bear: The Simon Jackson Story, Wild America, Bear with Me and The One and Only Ivan encourage respect for wild animals and their homes, and several films about rescued dolphins and horses show the work of real rescue centres. Many families find that watching an animal film together leads naturally to a visit to a farm, a zoo, an aquarium or an animal shelter.

Animals in the city

Animal films also love the big city, and some of the funniest put animals in the middle of busy cities. Babe: Pig in the City sends the little pig to a magical, crowded metropolis full of strange animals, Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco follows three pets through the streets of San Francisco, and Chestnut: Hero of Central Park follows two orphaned sisters who hide a Great Dane puppy in a luxury New York apartment.

Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile hides a singing crocodile in an attic on the Upper East Side, Hotel for Dogs turns an abandoned city hotel into a shelter full of inventions, and A Christmas Gift from Bob follows a busker and his cat through the streets of London. Stuart Little 2 sends the mouse flying over Manhattan, and Beverly Hills Chihuahua contrasts the luxury of Beverly Hills with the streets of Mexico City. These films are full of energy, and they make a lively change from the wide open spaces of the ranch and wilderness films.

Home video favourites

Many animal films were made for home video and television rather than cinemas, and some of them became family favourites in their own right. The Buddies films, the Pup Star films and the Beethoven sequels were watched again and again on disc, and holiday films such as The Search for Santa Paws and The Dog Who Saved Christmas return every December on family channels.

These films are usually short, bright and cheerful, with simple stories about friendship, teamwork and helping others. Titles such as Bark Ranger, Treasure Hounds, Robo-Dog, Bernie the Dolphin and Space Pups are perfect for a relaxed afternoon, and their talking animals and comic villains are a hit with younger children.

Animal films through the year

The catalogue holds films for every season. Winter brings Snow Dogs, Midnight Sun and the Christmas shelf, spring brings the foals and lambs of the farm films, and summer is the time for the beach and ocean films, from Flipper to Dolphin Kick, and for the summer camp and ranch adventures of Horse Camp, Destined to Ride and Spirit Riders. Autumn suits the cosy mysteries of That Darn Cat and the spooky fun of Spooky Buddies.

School holidays are perfect for the long journey films, and a rainy weekend can be filled with a whole series, from the first Air Bud film to the last, or from the first Flicka to the third. My List makes it easy to keep track of what the family has already seen.

Five to start with

If you are new to the catalogue, here are five films that show its range. Lassie Come Home is the classic that started it all. The Black Stallion is one of the most beautiful films ever made about a boy and a horse. Babe is a wise and funny fable about a pig with a big heart. Dolphin Tale is a moving true story, and Paddington in Peru is a joyful modern adventure. Watch them in any order, add your favourites to My List, and let them lead you to the rest of the shelves.

Adventures in the wilderness

Some animal films are full-blown wilderness adventures. The Adventures of the Wilderness Family follows a Los Angeles family who leave the city for the Rocky Mountains, where they build a cabin and befriend bears, raccoons and a wolf, and Adventures of the Wilderness Family 2 follows them through a hard winter. Against the Wild follows two siblings and their Alaskan malamute after an emergency landing in the wilderness, and True Heart follows a brother and sister stranded in Canada who are helped by a kind stranger and his bear.

Lassie's Great Adventure and Call Of The Wild head into the far north, Lost in the Woods follows two children who outwit a band of bumbling crooks with help from forest animals, and Forest Warrior follows a forest spirit who can become a bear, a wolf or an eagle to protect his woods. These films are perfect for families who love camping, hiking and the outdoors, and they often inspire a weekend adventure of their own.

Rescue and shelter animals

A growing number of films celebrate animal rescue. Rescued by Ruby and Marshall's Miracle follow dogs given a second chance, Emma's Chance and Black Beauty are set at horse rescue centres, and Hotel for Dogs imagines children creating a home for the city's strays. Smitty follows a troubled boy whose summer changes when a rescue dog arrives, and The Dog Lover follows a young woman who goes undercover to investigate a dog breeder and learns that the truth is more complicated than she expected.

These films often end with real photographs of the animals that inspired them, and many encourage families to visit a local shelter. They are a gentle way to talk with children about responsibility, kindness and the joy of giving an animal a home.

Animals in sport

Animals and sport make a winning combination. Horses race in National Velvet, The Story of Seabiscuit, Phar Lap, Casey's Shadow and Dreamer: Inspired By a True Story, and jump in International Velvet and Sylvester. Dogs play basketball in Air Bud, football in Air Bud: Golden Receiver, soccer in Air Bud: World Pup and Soccer Dog: The Movie, and compete in agility in Runt. A zebra races thoroughbreds in Racing Stripes, and a dachshund family races at the internationals in Wiener Dog Internationals. Sports films with animals combine the excitement of a big game with the warmth of a friendship, and they are a favourite with children who love both.

Magic and fantasy

Some animal films add a touch of magic. Albion: The Enchanted Stallion carries a twelve-year-old girl on a black stallion into a mystical world that needs her help, and Pegasus: Pony With a Broken Wing imagines a winged pony who helps save a family ranch. The Shaggy D.A. turns a lawyer into a sheepdog at the most awkward moments, Fluke tells of a man who returns to his family as a dog, Underdog gives a beagle superpowers after a lab accident, and Abner, the Invisible Dog makes a dog both invisible and able to talk.

Science fiction has its animal heroes too. Good Boy! brings a dog from the Dog Star to check on Earth's canines, The Cat from Outer Space stars an alien cat, Space Pups hides three aliens disguised as friendly dogs, and Jurassic School and The Adventures of Jurassic Pet give children a baby dinosaur to look after. These films are especially popular with younger viewers who love a little wonder with their animals.

Families and friendship

At their heart, almost all of these films are about families. Some follow children who move to a new town and find a friend in an animal, as in My Dog Skip, Because of Winn-Dixie and Cool Dog. Others follow families who pull together when times are hard, as in Christmas for a Dollar, set during the Great Depression, and Rusty: A Dog's Tale, in which a brave dog helps two orphans stay with their grandparents. The animals bring out the best in the people around them, and that is why the films are so easy to love.

Grandparents appear in many of these stories too, from the wise grandfather of Owd Bob to the kindly grandparents of A Dog of Flanders and Lucky's Treasure, and the films often bring three generations together on the same sofa. That shared experience, across ages and across decades, is the quiet magic of the family animal film, and it is the reason these stories keep being told.

The help pages

Fifteen short help pages are listed in the menu for anyone who likes a guided tour. Start with How to watch with AnimeTVN, which follows a film from the poster cards to its official service, then read Finding a film for search tips and My List to plan a family film night.

The animal guides open the catalogue by theme: Dogs, Horses, Wild and sea animals, Talking animals, Classic animal films and Christmas animals, each with a few recommendations and a link to the full shelf.

The practical pages explain Languages and versions, including how the remakes are listed, and cover Apps and devices, Where AnimeTVN films stream, Watching safely, The official AnimeTVN site and Is AnimeTVN working?.

Ideas for film nights

Animal films make perfect family film nights, and the catalogue offers endless combinations. Here are a few ideas to start with.

For a classic double bill, pair Lassie Come Home with National Velvet, both from the forties and both starring a very young Elizabeth Taylor. For a Disney evening, choose Old Yeller, The Incredible Journey or The Cat from Outer Space. For horse lovers, try The Black Stallion followed the next night by The Man from Snowy River, two of the most beautiful horse films ever made.

For a comedy night, pick Babe, Paulie, Racing Stripes or Hotel for Dogs. For a summer by the sea, choose Flipper, Dolphin Tale and Bernie the Dolphin. For a wilderness weekend, try The Bears and I, Gentle Ben, White Fang and Midnight Sun, and for a cosy December, gather The Search for Santa Paws, A Dog Named Christmas and The Christmas Colt.

Add your choices to My List, export the list for the family tablet, and make the popcorn. Animal films are at their best when everyone is watching together, cheering for the dog to come home and the horse to win the race.

Watching today

Family animal films are easy to find. The big studios carry their classics on their own streaming services, from the MGM and Disney animal films to the modern comedies, and many of the smaller family films appear on free services with adverts and on family channels. Public libraries lend many classic animal films on disc and through their digital services.

What is available depends on where you live, so every page asks for your country first. Press Watch now and JustWatch lists the official options there; when a film is offered by several services, choose the one your family already uses.

Some classic animal films include moments of sadness, as animals grow old or families face hard times, and these moments are part of what makes the films so loved. Watching together and talking about the story afterwards is the best way to share them with younger children.

Happy viewing

For more than eighty years, animal films have brought families together in front of the screen. Lassie came home, Flicka ran free, Benji found a family, Babe herded the sheep, Winter swam again and Paddington found his way back to Peru. The 256 films on AnimeTVN gather those stories in one place, from 1943 to today.

Search for a film, open a shelf or start with one of the film nights above. Press Watch now, choose your country, and enjoy the show together. Welcome to AnimeTVN.

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