Ten Deep 1.14.10: The Top Ten Significant Animal Deaths on Film

Posted by Mike Gorman on 01.14.2010

Grisly, gruesome and sometimes sad, animal deaths in movies are always important. This week Ten Deep takes a darker turn and ranks the Top Ten Animal Deaths in Film.

As the writer of a very subjective column I find that sometimes the readers like to demonize me for my choices. A fellow writer and friend urged me to embrace that dark side and kill some puppies. Rather than go that far I thought it would be better to dig up some of the most heart wrenching and gruesome scenes ever put down on film and then rank them.


"The Top Ten Animal Deaths at the Movies"

Ok, maybe I am not a cold hearted menace to society because I will admit some of the scenes on this list actually get to me but some of them are there because they make me laugh. Am I terrible? I think sometimes people forget the importance of animals and pets in our lives and these moments in film can bring out some pretty primal protective instincts and also memories of loss.

This week I totally "go there" with the hopes of pushing some of your buttons. You might also need some tissues, I know I did when I was researching this one. Check out the list and then bring it on, you know you want to!



10. Bambi's mom in Bambi

Perhaps one of the most famous animal deaths ever on film belongs to this Disney animated character. Bambi for many is the quintessential coming of age film as it follows the young deer from his birth to adulthood. As with most Disney films, a parent dies and dies violently. Bambi's mother is killed by a hunter leaving him to be raised by his distant father and Friend Owl. Many articles have been written about mothers dying or being absent in Disney films. There is definitely something going on there. Bambi's mom may have been killed off screen but her death reverberates with viewers all these years later. Perhaps it is her loving nature and Bambi's sensitivity that seem to intensify the sense of loss created. I find it fascinating how her death has become such a part of our pop culture. Whenever hunting is discussed you can be sure that someone will eventually ask said hunter, "You kill Bambi's mom?" I myself have said this to my brother before, to which he replies, "Yes, because she is so tasty." I cannot argue with him on that point.




9. Samantha the dog in I Am Legend

Think about it. If the world as you know it was ending and you could pick one companion, who would it be? Another person? Your significant other? Or would it be your dog? In I Am Legend Will Smith's only living friend is the dog, Samantha. Not only is she his constant sidekick, she also marks the passage of time in the film because when she is first seen it is as a puppy. For most of the film however, she is a mature German Shepherd. From this we see the length of time Smith's character has spent alone trying to find a cure for the insidious disease. Samantha takes on human characteristics in a way when she interacts with Smith. He speaks to her like she is a person and she shows him love and care. She eventually makes the ultimate sacrifice defending him and becomes infected. This leads to the films most tragic moment. Smith is forced to end her life when she starts to show signs of infection. The killing of a pet is a theme seen in several of the films on this list. As far as emotional resonance goes, it rates right up there with the death of a child.




8. The Cat in Pet Sematary

Sure, it is sad that the family pet suffers a tragic accident in this Stephen King nail biter but this death is about a whole lot more than simple grieving. This time, the animal doesn't stay dead. It comes back and mean as can be. This whole sequence of the film seems to be advertising for those people who don't like cats to begin with and see them as angry monsters. In the context of the movie, the cat's death and subsequent resurrection are like gateway actions that eventually make it seem ok for the main character to attempt to bring back their child. I cannot imagine the grief this man went through but once you see that the cat doesn't come back quite right wouldn't you at least consider that your child might come back a murderous lunatic who wears a top hat and wields a mean scalpel? Apparently not.




7. Mufasa in The Lion King

If any animal death in a movie makes me outright angry it is this one. It makes you want to strangle Scar. For the first time in a while, Disney decided that this time it would be the father who was killed. Betrayed by his brother, Mufasa's death is epic and Shakespearian in its scope. Death is again used here as an agent of maturation for a young animated animal. The actual portrayal of his death is brutal and very much a turning point of the film. It fills the screen with emotion and action then generates just as much grief in a small moment. Mufasa's broken whiskers let us know that he is gone and that it will soon be Simba's turn to grow up and take his place as king.




6. King Kong in King Kong

Perhaps is because I sometimes feel like King Kong myself trouncing through a world not quite meant for my size, but this is one that jumps right out at me. King Kong is not only killed on film but is first made out to be a spectacle. Taken from his native home, where he was indeed "king," and brought into a world of flashing lights and overreactions, this ape was just trying to be himself. As we all know though being understood is a difficult thing in this world and poor Kong eventually falls victim to humanity's fears. What hubris to think that we could tame a wild beast to begin with. Oh, when will man learn that there are some things in nature that are not meant to be messed with? Probably never and it is this desire of ours to find and conquer those things that are different that fuels the fire in this instance. Kong is a creature of instinct that learns to love a woman in the purest way possible and that love is mistaken for something dark. Who can blame him for reacting as he did? In the wild, an ape would head for the trees to escape the madness of man and the Empire State Building looks like one really tall tree to Kong. His death is made more dramatic by the heights from which he fell. You can't help but watch this one and wish that he had found a way to make his escape.




5. Old Yeller in Old Yeller

Is there a more classic tale than that of a boy and his dog? We have seen it told many times but not quite as it was handled in Old Yeller. Intended to teach the lesson that death is a natural part of life this film traumatized many children in its day and continues to inspire such tragic films wrapped up as happy family fare like Marley and Me. Turn your spoiler goggles on now if you have never heard of this one... The boy falls in love with his great dog. The dog gets rabies. The boy SHOOTS the dog. Yep, that happened. I am not sure who was acting out what kind of rage episode here but seriously Disney? This sounded like a good idea to put on film to who exactly? What else can you say about this one? I am not sure.




4. The Taun Taun in Empire Strikes Back

Sometimes an animal must die in a film to protect its master and sometimes that death involves a gruesome evisceration and steaming warm Taun Taun guts. In Empire Strikes Back Luke is lost in a white out and when Han Solo finds him the situation seems deadly for them both. Ok, so I suppose if you want to get technical the Taun Taun has already died from hypothermia so its death is a consequence of the -60F degree temperatures on Hoth not the necessity of Luke's survival. Yet, it is Han using Luke's light saber to slice open the Taun Taun's belly that we all remember the most about this moment. I read on neatorama.com that it is postulated that Luke would only have been kept warm inside of the Taun Taun for about 56 minutes so perhaps this was not the most practical survival technique but it was a damn cool move. The geek that put together the theory on neatorama.com went on to say that if Han did not act fast the gelatinous insides of the beast could have frozen into an icy tomb. All kind of makes you want a snack now doesn't it?




3. The Horse in The Godfather

Again, here we have another off screen death but one that makes a lasting impact on the characters involved and the viewers at home. What better way to let someone know that they should not have refused the request of the Don by letting him wake up with the severed head of his prize horse? The scene was shocking and is still one of the most discussed in film history to this day. Intensifying the impact of the moment was the fact that it was an actual horse's head and not a Hollywood prop. Francis Ford Coppola, amidst protests from animal rights groups, stated that the horse's head was delivered to him from a dog food factory and that a horse was not killed specifically for this film. It is the veracity of this moment that gives it such a high place up on my list.




2. Artax in The Neverending Story

Now here is an animal death scene that can break even the hardest of hearts. Atreyu and Artax are travelling through the Swamp of Sadness. A place so full of despair that if you lose hope for a moment you can be pulled down into the swamps quicksand like mess. This is not simply a horse stepping in the wrong spot but the death of an animal because it gives up, even when its rider screams in protest. Even as a kid watching this movie I was not sure of the purpose served by Artax's death. Sure it is a great way to let you know the dire straits our hero faces but didn't we already know that as we watched his world be eaten by darkness? Who do you blame when an animal loses hope? This one poses more questions than my noggin is able to digest at once. All I know is that this is perhaps one of the sadest moments I have ever seen on film.


And lastly…





1. The shark in Jaws

If you are attempting to rank the deaths of animal on film the top spot should be held by what is the "best" death, but how do you select a death as being better than another? Then it came to me. The best death of animal on film is that of a beast that you spend two hours hoping will die. The sharks from the Jaws films fill this role perfectly in my opinion! In the first film in its not really until the penultimate battle with Roy Scheider that we finally see the shark in all of its terrible, toothsome glory. In those cold dark eyes you see nothing but hunger. If we did not see the creature die on screen I would have been worried it was waiting for me outside my door. The shark has created so many nightmares in so many people I think that Steven Spielberg should be ashamed of what he has done to us. Raise your hand if you still get a little bit afraid every time you enter the ocean, a lake, a deep pool or even a bathtub in a shadow... I knew you would. Good riddance Jawsy! What's that? There were sequels? There are more sharks? Great, thanks for that. Cross sleeping off my to-do list for the next year!



Ok, so maybe this trip into a slightly gruesome world turned out to me more emotional than I originally intended. What do you want from me? I guess I have a soft spot for our furry friends after all! Until next time…