#3 – Jaws (1975)
Credit: Universal Pictures
No ‘movie animal’ list is complete without this inclusion. Spielberg brought widespread paranoia that is still around today with this terrifying shark story of a great white that menaces the small fishing town of Amity, and it’s up to a police chief, a marine scientist and a grizzled fisherman to stop it. It spawned three lacklustre sequels and an impressive theme park attraction, but the shark itself one of the most iconic movie animals ever.
#2 – Free Willy (1993)
Credit: Warner Bros.
An Orca Whale as a lead star. I bet that’s a line that no one could possibly have imagined in the first few years of film making, but the 90’s brought us exactly that. It’s a simple story of a young boy who risks everything to free a whale from an aquarium who plan to kill it. It’s the simplicity and sheer disbelief of how fantastically the whale responds to the child that what makes it a success and a family favourite.
#1 – The Birds (1963)
Credit: Universal Pictures
Master film maker Alfred Hitchcock did for birds what Spielberg did for sharks with his work about a small town that is plagued by, yep, birds. It’s a slow burner, but when the crazed featured creatures attack, all hell breaks loose. Even today, the effects are impressive, albeit obviously dated. But only someone as talented as Hitchcock could make something as seemingly harmless as a bird into a winged terror.
Do you think there should be a more deserving entry on the list? Let us know in the comments below.
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