Reel Corner - November 2026
Paw Prints on the Silver Screen
November 2026 Issue
Reel Corner by Donne Paine
Paw Prints on the Silver Screen
Are you a dog person? Did you grow up adoring canine characters like Lassie, Old Yeller, Snoopy, Benji or Wishbone? Hollywood’s affection for canine co-stars is as old as time and has never faded—it’s just found new storylines. Once the days of family melodramas and Saturday-matinee heroics, dogs are now popping up as central figures across genres, including survival dramas, apocalyptic thrillers, psychological tension pieces, and even the latest animated blockbusters. Their history is familiar: Rin Tin Tin, Lassie, and even The Wizard of Oz, taught studios that audiences respond viscerally to dogs on screen. This new wave of canine cinema isn’t content to recycle the tearjerker template. Filmmakers are exploring what a dog at the center of a story can reveal about human lives under strain—the bond that gets people through trauma, the ethical ambiguities of survival, and the way loyalty can confront chaos.
This is why we are seeing everything from survival tales about a veteran and his retired combat dog to apocalyptic thrillers that use canines as both companion and plot engines. In short, dogs are proving themselves adaptable to more mature storytelling, not just family fare.
Technically, the industry has new tools to make these stories work. Highly trained animal actors, specialized trainers, and improvements in visual effects allow directors to stage risky or complex sequences safely and convincingly. At the same time, there’s heightened scrutiny from audiences and animal-welfare groups, which is forcing productions to be more transparent about training practices and on-set care, which is a positive evolution.
Above all, dogs on movie screens work because they reflect something we want to see: loyalty that doesn’t ask questions, companionship that endures, and a mirror to our better instincts. As filmmakers continue to experiment, you can expect our cinematic dogs to keep surprising us—and maybe make us cry, laugh, and think a little harder about what it means to be human.
Heart of the Beast
Brad Pitt, J.K. Simmons, Uber II (6-year-old German Shepherd)
Director: David Ayer
Heart of the Beast stars Brad Pitt as retired Special Forces soldier James Belmont, but the film’s canine star, Odie, a handsome, expressive German Shepherd, deserves equal billing.
Belmont’s soldiering days are behind him, at least temporally, as he pilots his Cessna into a remote part of Alaska with his canine best friend. Both he and Odie are haunted by nightmares of their deployment in the Middle East. The dog lost a front leg. James suffered physical, spiritual, and mental wounds. But trauma seems to have strengthened their bond. The trip into the wilderness is intended to be healing. At first, things look pretty good. James lands the plane by the river, pitches a tent, lights a fire, and takes out a book. The tent is cozy and capacious. The fire is ideal for pan-frying trout that Odie plucks out of a stream by mouth. A friendly, white-bearded stranger paddles by and offers conversation and encouragement.
The calm doesn’t last. Soon, James and Odie will face the loss of nearly everything they need to survive in the gorgeous, but unforgiving, Alaskan wilderness.
You don’t have to be a dog lover to enjoy this high adventure of survival.
Happy Thanksgiving!
As Thanksgiving approaches, I’m grateful for every Reel Corner reader who shares a love of movies, lively opinions, and occasional debates over what deserves to be recommended. Thank you for reading along, recommending films, and keeping the conversation going.
Wishing you a warm Happy Thanksgiving with plenty of time for good food, good company, and perhaps a favorite movie or two.
References: www.imdb.com, www.rogerebert.com
Donne Paine is a film enthusiast, nurse, mother, grandmother, and author whose love of movies began years ago when she lived near the Orson Welles Cinema in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She has attended local and national film festivals, including Sundance, Toronto, and Tribeca, and she strongly believes in seeing films in theaters and supporting local movie houses. To help sustain her passion for movies, she works as a nurse consultant and instructor, and she is the author of Beyond the Basics: A Guide to Compassionate Caring, available on Amazon.