How and why dogs are depicted differently in children's movies and adults' movies? Let's see some examples!

      The film I found for children is Bolt, an animation movie. Bolt is a dog that believed he had super power and could save his owner—a little girl Penny, over and over again. In fact, this was only in the film. One day Bolt got confused about the difference between the movie world and real world, believing Penny was in danger, went into the real world to save her. On his road, he met two good friends and gradually he realized he did not have super power. However, he eventually went back home with the help of his friends, saved Penny who was actually in danger in the real world, and lived happily with his friends (a hamster and a cat) and Penny ever since.

      See the trailer of Bolt here: 

The movie I found for adult is Quill: The Life of a Guide Dog. Born as a Labrador retriever, Quill was sent to live with a couple that volunteered to train guide dogs. He then went to training school and finally became the guide dog of Mr. Watanabe, who was a blind, lonely, middle-aged man with a bad temper. Gradually, Quill helped Mr. Watanabe rebuild his enthusiasm with the world and they became good friends. Unfortunately, Watanabe was fatally ill and lived in hospital all day, so Quill had to return to the training school. Years passed, Quill was old and retired. He finally went back to the couple that raised him in the first place. The movie ended with Quill’s death and a review of his entire life.

See the trailer of Quill: The Life of a Guide Dog here:

In the children’s movie, the dog is more humanized. Though Bolt could not talk to his owner, he could talk to other nonhuman animals in the movie. He had human-like thoughts and human-like behaviors. As for the human-animal bond presented in the movie, basically only the positive part of it was shown to us—it seems that at the end of the movie, Bolt would stay with Penny forever. In comparison, the adult movie apparently talks about some serious and even distressing topics that the children’s movie does not touch. It talks about dog’s grief when he lost his owner, and also talks about the couple’s grief when Quill was dying. It also talks about how guide dogs can help blind people find their confidence and enthusiasm, and how people’s lives can be different when dogs are present.

See the clip of Quill’s first walk with Mr. Watanabe here:

I think such differences appear because children and adults have different views of dogs respectively, and there are different issues related to pets for children and adults in this society to consider as well. Children are more spontaneously attached to dogs and they see dogs as basically no different from themselves. That is why Bolt in Bolt is more human-like. Besides, many children dream of living with their pets forever, so the film has a very happy ending. The only thing that children may need to think about is human-animal bond. Contrastingly, though many adult pet owners see their pets as family members, they don't expect their pets to talk and think like human beings, and that’s why Quill is more dog-like. Besides, there are some questions that adults do consider (but not children), like how people deal with pet loss and whether pets have the same emotions (like grief) as humans do, so that is why the movie is like a documentary of Quill’s entire life.

I think dogs were chosen in both movies because they are more attached to human beings than any other species are—people that have other animals may not agree, but if we look at dogs’ roles in society as a whole we have to admit that it is the fact. They are companion animals, they are family members, and they can also be service dogs (while few of other species can be recognized as service animals and help people in many ways like dogs do). Furthermore, dogs have long been known for their passion about, loyalty to, and love for human beings. I think their closeness to human beings, precious characteristics, and the various ways they interact with human beings make them be chosen for both films, and these are also the reasons that make dogs become popular subjects for so many films.

Sources Used:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4D8uZVQwQc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5aL5UtKrHg

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0397892/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0400761/

http://images6.fanpop.com/image/photos/34800000/bolt-disney-bolt-2-34873697-1920-1080.jpg

http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/12/126071/2433118-pictures_bolt_3.jpeg

http://www.afranko.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/141db3b763a2cedfb2e7db453efca0eb.jpg

http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120425033529/disney/images/c/c6/Bolt_Puppy.jpg

http://www.upcoming-movies.com/ashx/WFTCRMImageFetch.aspx?DType=ArticleImage%26ImageType=ArticleImg%26PhotoName=8ffe6fd0-d4c4-4ec1-b10f-33365eb37c97.jpg

http://www.slantmagazine.com/assets/film/quilllifeofaguidedog.jpg

http://www.joygazm.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/wallcoo.com_quill_dog_wallpaper_005-e1334613733495.jpg

http://theawesomer.com/photos/2012/04/170412_quill_trailer_t.jpg

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2012/05/18/arts/18RDP_QUILL_SPAN/18RDP_QUILL_SPAN-articleLarge.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMOA1FKhowA