Animal-friendly Movies with Award Aspirations

Listen up, Oscar: These animals are naturals

This winter's film slate features a zoo full of creatures, a War Horse and a pack of adorable dogs.

The movie world is all a-Twitter
over Uggie's acting in 'The Artist.'

"It's amazing how many animals there are this year," marvels Mathilde de Cagny, the lead animal trainer for Hugo and Beginners, two animal-friendly movies with award aspirations. "Animals add such character to a movie, and people just automatically relate to them. They bring such warmth."

"Besides," she says, "they are a lot cheaper than actors."

Four-legged thespians have long been unappreciated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. But in this year of banner performances, here are five animals worthy of acting nominations.

The Dog in The Artist

He might be known simply as The Dog in the silent comedy, but star pooch Uggie has developed a cult following complete with his own Twitter account. The 10-year-old Jack Russell terrier steals the show as Jean Dujardin's sidekick — especially when burying his head in his paws at the breakfast table.

"That was Uggie playing shy," says owner and trainer Omar Von Muller. "I said 'bow' and he did it. It's a trick I use a lot, but it was perfect for this scene and this movie."

Uggie showed further range playing dead at a key moment and added serious heft with the life-saving sequence that would have made Lassie proud, alerting the authorities to his master's peril. "He was so awesome and energetic in that scene," says Von Muller.

Big credit goes to Dujardin's handling. "Besides being a great actor, he was a great dog handler," the trainer says. "Jean was always letting Uggie kiss him. He has a real natural way with dogs."

Joey in War Horse

It takes more than one horse to carry a Steven Spielberg epic about World War I. Trainer Bobby Lovgren says there were up to 10 horses used to play Joey — showing the arc of the animal's life from foal to adult. "I don't think there was one hero horse," he says. "They were all heroes."

But the scenes in which Joey is entangled in barbed wire in no-man's land is the emotional apex. Lovgren says the "barbed wire" was rubber and the horse's intense looks were extracted with various tricks. "Someone running with an umbrella in the background might make a difference, for example," he says.

For the pivotal scene when Joey lies down while the barbed wire is removed, Lovgren used his own experienced horse, Finder. "I've used him as a mare giving birth," Lovgren says. "He's very confident in those situations."

Arthur in Beginners

Beginners' star dog, whose real name is Cosmo, was rescued from a shelter by de Cagny. The 7-year-old Jack Russell terrier seems attached to co-star Ewan McGregor, especially in the achingly cute scene in which the pooch gets a tour of his new home in the romantic comedy/drama.

Liver treats helped Cosmo's performance, but de Cagny mostly cites human-dog chemistry. "It was all about the real, natural connection the two had on and off camera," she says. "And they are both great actors. Cosmo is so inquisitive, and Ewan's dog-loving just shows. I was pretty much just the dog's driver on this film."

The two bonded so closely that McGregor adopted a poodle mix after filming wrapped. Says de Cagny, "He said he just couldn't go on without a dog after that."

Buster in We Bought a Zoo

Bart the bear stands on his own next to star Matt Damon, which is not hard when you're a 1,200-pound grizzly. While Damon's scene with 12-year-old Bart (called Buster in the film) was shot on separate screens, the bear roar was pure drama.

"Bart was totally acting," says trainer Doug Seus. "He only acts ferocious and growling. It's a trained behavior. They dub in the roar." The bear's inspiration to hit his marks: praise and treats. "It's meat, apples, a hug and a 'Good boy,' " Seus says. "Everyone appreciates a pat on the back."

Maximilian in Hugo

Maximilian comes across as all growl on the film about an orphan who lives in a Paris train station. But Doberman pinschers are not the bravest of dogs, says trainer de Cagny. "I was surprised myself," she says.

So she split the duties of the guard dog assisting Sacha Baron Cohen's station inspector between three identical dogs, including a "smarter" female, Blackie, for complicated scenes that required hitting multiple marks. Director Martin Scorsese's wide shots also posed complications for the trainer, who had to keep out of sight.

Ultimately even Scorsese was pleased. "He didn't have much experience working with animals in movies," she says. "It was an eye-opening experience."

Adapted from USAToday