...is Snowy in The Adventures of Tintin.
This award is not an annual citation but 2011 was unusually fruitful for the canine community. The puppies in Bridesmaids were the cutest of the bunch and contributed to one of the funniest scenes in the film. Arthur (played by Cosmo) was as significant in the emotional arc of Ewan McGregor’s character in Beginners as his human co-stars. Jack (played by Uggie in The Artist) was life-saving, both for the film’s leading character and the film itself when that third act was falling completely apart. And Blackie, whose character isn’t really integral to the narrative, was quite marvellous in Hugo. Yet, none of these dogs can win the top award. The puppies’ work is too much of an ensemble for any of them to shine through. Cosmo’s screen time is his biggest constraint. Uggie is too cute for his own good off-screen so my affection for him has gone considerably down since I watched the film. And Blackie is too vicious and freaks me out a little bit.
Snowy, however, is just my type of dog. He’s loyal till his last breath. He’s adventurous enough to follow Tintin anywhere. He’s powerful and smart enough to save Tintin’s life. And most importantly, he looks cute as hell all the while. A better companion than Captain Haddock even? Definitely!
Previously on 11 Highlights of '11
Sex Scene of the YearMost Underracted Actor of the Year
Super cute, however I'm an Uggie man myself.
ReplyDeleteAlthough now that I think about it, Spielberg has always been good with animal stars, see the dinos in Jurassic Park and the shark in Jaws. Even War Horse's title equine is kinda memorable.
Arthur of course. Although, ummm, I'm not remotely an animal person (for example, I don't get the Uggie love, or any other animal this year for that matter). I think I like Arthur for what he contributes to Ewan's performance.
ReplyDeleteAnd, because I love Beginners.