My Three Favorite Movies About Animal Communication

Movies are such great teaching tools. But are there any movies that can explain or demonstrate what animal communication is, how it happens, who can do it or how to do it? Animal communicator Shannon Cutts shares her three favorite movies about animal communication.

I'll get this out of the way up front. Neither of the Dr. Dolittle movies (Eddie Money, Robert Downey Jr) is on this list.

Why? I haven't watched either one. I haven't read the books either (and I adore reading). I don't really know why I haven't seen either movie or read the books. The movies didn't appeal and the books never crossed my path, probably because I had my adolescent nose buried in Anne McCaffrey's dragon series.

And I'm not at all suggesting these movies are not worth watching! I'm just pointing out that this isn't going to be your typical animal communication movies list. In fact, the movies you are about to meet probably have no idea they taught me about animal communication quite before I ever realized it was possible or that I could do it.

Which is.....you gotta admit it.....pretty cool. So here goes.

1. Unleashed.

I have lost count entirely of how many times I have watched "Unleashed."

The cast is amazing (and very cute). The acting is fantastic. The message is terrific. (Don't believe me? Watch the trailer.)

Most of all, the nature of the connection between the human animals and the non-human animals highlights what is possible when we recognize our companion animals for the mentors and teachers they truly can e (and are) in our lives.

You can watch the process unfold as the leading lady realizes she is going to have to listen from a different part of herself - her gut, her hunch, her intuition - to comprehend the unique events unfolding in her life.

The whole thing is brilliantly done, wise and witty, inspiring - a great film for the whole interspecies family to watch and enjoy together.

2. The Call of the Wild.

I didn't just pick this one because I adore Harrison Ford (truth).

I picked it because of the richness of the interplay between the nonhuman animals in the story. AND I picked it because Ford, seemingly alone out of the rest of his kind in the film, recognizes his canine counterpart for the wise, sensitive and intelligent soul that he is.

The empathy factor plays hugely in that, by the way. And empathy is the central required component of building a bridge to allow for interspecies communication to take place. You can watch the trailer here.

It is all shared. Regardless of species. The pain, the dreams, the desires, the longing, the grief, the anger, the kinship. Species doesn't matter. It is all felt and experienced regardless.

I don't know if you have to be a practicing animal communicator to get why this film made my short list. You can tell me. (By the way, if you want to learn to talk to animals so you can decide for yourself if that matters, I can help.)

And there are probably lots of other movies that showcase the depth and possibilities of the bond between humans and animals as well as if not better than this movie does. But I just liked it and it was on my mind so here it is.

Enjoy. :-)

3. Temple Grandin.

Dr. Temple Grandin communicates with animals. Or, more accurately, she communicates AS animals....specifically, cows and other livestock species.

Dr. Grandin is autistic. Which means her mind "thinks in pictures" - and these are her words, not mine. Watch the movie trailer here.

I suspect she would not call herself an animal communicator or even a cow whisperer, although she clearly is that and so much more.

She probably wouldn't even grasp why it matters what label we use to define her work. It is just how her brain works. It is who she is. It is how she came into this world and her fight has always been to use the tools autism has given her to make life better for cows and other livestock species she works with. What a beautiful mission and vision to have!

Dr. Grandin has written several books and I've read some of them. But I love this biographic film about her life the most because it shows exactly how a cow sees the world. Which is also how she sees the world.

Which is just so cool.

You and I may not have the innate default to see our world in pictures the way Temple does. But we can develop that pathway. And we can develop other sensory pathways through application of empathy - walking a mile in their hooves or paws or wings - and simple curiosity. This is why one of the first experiences I offer my animal communication students is through a game called "I wonder." What would your world look like if you wondered more and "knew" less?

As one of my mentors once shared, "to learn something new we have to come to the well with an empty cup." Temple has had such a profound impact on the entire commercial livestock industry, but first she had to find somebody - a mentor, a teacher, a champion - with an empty enough cup to listen and learn.

Your animals need that same gift. They need you to come to them with an empty cup. With empathy. With curiosity. With wonder.

So I have a little suggestion. A bit of fun play if you will. After you watch this movie, have a chat with your pet. Ask them about their day. Or their favorite food. Or what they love most about their life. Just see what you get.

Their answers might surprise you.

Want to talk to your pet? Or learn how to talk to animals? I can help!