Movie Night: Christmas Edition

Including your pets in your movie night is practically second nature at this point for most pet parents, but are they just in it for the free cuddles or do pets actually enjoy the moving pictures? Most research has gone into our canine companions and their television watching habits with some pup guardians leaving it on all day while they’re at work to keep them company. There are many reasons why pups enjoy the television being left on for them, including the noise that covers up footfall past the house and any other creaks and sounds that usually might cause them to become alert and bark.

Not only does the sound and the moving pictures keep them company, but research has shown that they are able to recognise what those pictures are. Dogs see very differently from humans, so it’s thought that a television screen looks very different to them. This is because the frame rate as the pixels refresh will seem slower, along with their vision only seeing limited colours. Despite this, our canine companions are still able to recognise dogs, people and other species on the screen. In one study, dogs were shown 144 pairs of images and scientists gathered data on if they recognised their own kind. They were shown various breeds and crossbreeds and it was found that dogs did in fact have a bias towards their own species, regardless of the breed.

If dogs can distinguish dogs from humans and other animals on the screen then watching a pup-centric Christmas movie with your pooch is bound to spread the cheer this Christmas.

There are fewer studies when it comes to other species of pets but your domesticated moggies are likely to enjoy watching the movement on screen as it tickles their hunting instincts. There are countless videos online of our feline friends getting curious by the television and approaching it to bat at the screen or try to work out where the movement is coming from by checking behind the screen. A fun festive pet film can be enjoyable for any pet, regardless of if they recognise their own kind or not!

A survey by Rover found that 60% of pet parents thought their pet had a favourite television show and 40% would rather watch the screen with their pets rather than their partners or children. There are plenty of benefits to sticking on a Christmas film with our pet! There’s nobody to chatter through the whole thing and make you miss important parts, and you don’t have to share the snacks - your pet can have their very own!

Now the next question is, what counts as a Christmas movie? This argument is too complex to ever truly understand if Die Hard counts or not. For the ease of finding something that everyone can enjoy, pets included, we’ve been quite relaxed with what counts. If it features a feel good Christmas scene, it counts as a festive film!

There seem to be a hundred versions of The Christmas Carol story by now. The first adaptation of Charles Dickens’ story goes back to 1901 which was a silent, black and white telling of the story. Now there are countless singing and dancing versions, some more serious than others. The Muppets have their own telling of the story but puppy owners should all be in agreement that by far the best version is the all dog cartoon cast of An All Dog’s Christmas Carol. Carface takes over as the main character who was the villain of the first two films and in true Christmas Carol fashion he is visited by ghosts who teach him the errors of his ways.

Now, your pooch may not be able to take any life lessons away from the film but you can still enjoy it together on a frosty night!

Every dog’s preference is different and if your pooch prefers watching real dogs over the animated kind then How the Grinch Stole Christmas could be the one for them. While the Grinch is the main character and it tells a heartwarming story of how his heart grows from doing good deeds against his will, his adorable dog Max certainly steals the show.

Max is typical of any perfect pooch, he is loyal to the Grinch and works to help him while also trying to nudge him towards being a better person. He never judges his big green companion and even lets him dress him up like a reindeer to carry out his plots. It was never the aim to make a movie about the dedication of a pup to their sometimes morally questionable human but Max is certainly a highlight of the film.

The late Tardar Sauce is one of the earlier and most famous kitty influencers better known as Grumpy Cat. In 2014, she got her very own movie about a grouchy-looking kitty stuck in a closing down pet shop. Nobody buys her because of her less-than-joyous expression but she makes friends and discovers she can communicate with a 12-year-old girl. They join forces to solve the case of a stolen Leonberger.

If you’re looking for a feel-good film where the smallest, cutest cat helps to save the day then look no further. It might have been a straight to television movie but for cat parents, it’s an unmissable watch.

You might be a little stuck for options if you’re looking for a Christmas film where a little critter gets the chance to save the day but the 2001 film, Second Star to the Left might just be the very thing you’ve been thinking about. It has a surprisingly star-studded cast consisting of Hugh Laurie, Barbra Windsor and Mark Williams. They play a hamster, a rabbit and a guinea pig who come across a present that Santa dropped and have to get it back to him in time for Christmas.

What better way to treat your furry family member to a Christmas film where they get to watch a member of their own species be the hero? Make sure to have an array of tasty treats for your pets to munch on throughout!

As the pets get a little more niche, so do the movies and call this one a stretch, but it checks the boxes. Now, if we want to be really technical about it, the Mogwai are aliens, not reptiles but they have scales and it’s set at Christmas time so it’s close enough. These critters hate the sunlight and don’t enjoy a bath, while you’ll probably catch your scaly friends bathing in their water dish before sunning themselves under their heat lamp. Gremlins is a classic and even your more slippery family members should appreciate such a cult fave!

There truly is a Christmas movie for everyone, you can even invite your farmyard friends inside to watch Babe if you want to – if there’s a Christmas scene, it counts. All you need to do is make sure everyone’s nice and comfortable, you can even treat any puppy viewers with their own popcorn with the Mr Wuffles Wuffcorn Brie Popcorn. For everything you need to create the perfect film night for you and your pets, visit us in store and online.