Movies that have no/minimal humans but are still emotional for the viewer.

[SimonCharlesHanna]

With the release of Transformers: rise of the witchking or what ever it is, I have been thinking about the main critisism it receives being: That the films are more about human-beings than the Transformers.

After thinking about it, I thought surely there are plenty of examples of films that are not human-centric but I am having a hard time thinking of any.

So my question is, "Do they exist?" and secondly, "Do they work?"

Now a few things, it has to be live action and it can't be creatures that are almost in every way (bar cosmetics) human.



Inform me!

EDIT: haha okay more rules. LIVE ACTION (meaning not cartoon, anime or CGI). And it has to be a FICTIONAL narrative.



EDIT 2 : Okay I like the enthusiasm, but for LOTR for instance, I would argue that most characters are human-like (regardless of their species in the world they are in). I'm talking like the original Transformers Toons or a japanese anime with no humans (what ever that may be), but in live action. Does it exist?


EDIT 3: BABE!!! we have one. I haven't seen fox and the hound but I guess we have 2!!! good..
anymore? More dramatic? more emotionally intense?

EDIT4: Short Circuit, possibly! As far as EMOTIONAL LIVE ACTION NON-HUMAN CENTRIC films go, thats probably an example.

lol this is hard - im looking through our collection of films right now. It seems to be limited to toons and CGI.

 

[unicron44]

Wall-E definitely springs to mind. That was just a masterful experience of storytelling.

 

[aba1]

I am pritty sure thats what "wall-e" is like also the classic "2001 space oddesy"

 

[Catchy Slogan]

The Fox and the Hound.

Wall-E

9

There are a few, but those are the ones off the top of my head.

EDIT: But you said live action so, maybe just the Fox and The Hound, and also Babe.

 

[XaVierDK]

Do cartoons count? Then I'd like to propose the Lion King

 

[madwarper]

Do we get to count nature documentaries?

Is so, then March of the Penguins.


Edit: People, live action means LIVE ACTION.

 

[Wuggy]

Do cartoons count? Then I'd like to propose the Lion King

I was going to say this. I mean... MUFASA NOOOO!!!

 

[savandicus]

Bugs life, toy story, monsters ink, wallie, pretty much anything made by pixar really. Those films are generally all amazing and rarely have the human characters as the main ones.

Non pixar, there is the old transformers film, which barely involved the humans atall.

Lord of the rings is arguable mostly about hobbits if you want to argue technicallity. And the new hobbit film will contain even less humans.

I'll list some more as i think of them

 

[MasterOfWorlds]

I Am Legend is pretty emotional at some points, and there are only a handful of people until the last 30 seconds or so of the movie.

I can't think of anything else off of the top of my head.

 

[SimonCharlesHanna]

check the edits guys!

 

[madwarper]

EDIT: haha okay more rules. LIVE ACTION (meaning not cartoon, anime or CGI). And it has to be a FICTIONAL narrative.

EDIT 2 : Okay I like the enthusiasm, but for LOTR for instance, I would argue that most characters are human-like (regardless of their species in the world they are in). I'm talking like the movie 9, but in live action. Does it exist?

So, you want something [1] Live Action, [2] fictional and [3] casts majority non-human... Does not exist.

And, if you're referring to the Shane Acker film, as opposed to the Broadway musical, I'd say those ragdolls are essentially human which would mean your own example fails criteria 1 & 3.

 

[docSpitfire]

Homeward Bound! Just because they can talk, doesn't mean they're "practically human" especially when compared with transformers.

Despite not passing your "live action" rule I would say Wall-E is a good example... and lets be honest again compared to the actual transformers in the movies Wall-E is just as real

Short Circuit has humans (not human-centric) and while Johnny 5 is very much like a human, he's not used as a substitute for a human like Mickey Mouse is, so I'd argue that fits your conditions.

Milo and Otis
Look Who's Talking (which ever one was about the dogs and not the babies)


blech... I feel like there's a bunch I'm just unable to think of but will as soon as I go to sleep... perhaps I'll pop back later with a list.

 

[SimonCharlesHanna]

EDIT: haha okay more rules. LIVE ACTION (meaning not cartoon, anime or CGI). And it has to be a FICTIONAL narrative.

EDIT 2 : Okay I like the enthusiasm, but for LOTR for instance, I would argue that most characters are human-like (regardless of their species in the world they are in). I'm talking like the movie 9, but in live action. Does it exist?

So, you want something [1] Live Action, [2] fictional and [3] casts majority non-human... Does not exist.

And, if you're referring to the Shane Acker film, as opposed to the Broadway musical, I'd say those ragdolls are essentially human which would mean your own example fails criteria 1 & 3.

To be perfectly honest, I haven't seen 9, but by the look of it and the comments on here, I thought it was..I shall use another example!

 

[docSpitfire]

EDIT4: Short Circuit, possibly! As far as EMOTIONAL LIVE ACTION NON-HUMAN CENTRIC films go, thats probably an example.

YAY I made the edits!
I like this example because
A) Despite being a comedy, it touches on a pretty deep subject (what makes us human/alive)
B) It explores what makes us Human/Alive by using a character who is definitely not human but is questionably alive (this could probably be an entire interesting thread topic)
C) Nostalgia Goggles!
D) JOHNNY 5 IS ALIVE!
E) While there is only one non-human character, it is clearly NOT human-centric as a movie
F) and if we're counting the sequel... "Los Locos"!

 

[Thaluikhain]

Do various adapatations of Frankenstein count? Or supernatural themed movies...you have a humanish monster, yeah, but you almost never see characters that aren't humanish...maybe they are 20 feet tall and made of space ice, but they'll probably be fairly human despite that, if they aren't just a monster.

Do Muppets count as live action? Cause the Dark Crystal had alot of important characters, and the non-gelfling ones weren't that human.

 

[CouchCommando]

Planet of the Apes

 

[Vault101]

Wall-E definitely springs to mind. That was just a masterful experience of storytelling.

also I found the romance...actually worked beautifully and better than alot of other live action films

 

[Aedes]

Do cartoons count? Then I'd like to propose the Lion King

I was going to say this. I mean... MUFASA NOOOO!!!

Damn! Ninja'ed!

I don't believe there's anyone who have saw that movie and hasn't cried at that scene. I know I did.

 

[Zabriskie Point]

Ctrl + F "Bambi"

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Really? That's the first thing that came to my mind.