10. Dances With Wolves (1990)
You can find wolves in movies of all kinds—even in prestige films, like Kevin Costner’s acclaimedDances With Wolves.
In this Best Picture winner, Army Lieutenant John Dunbar (Kevin Costner) travels to uncharted terrain to set up a military post, but encounters a group of Lakota and decides to join them.
There are two major wolf motifs in this film. First is Two Socks, the gray wolf that Dunbar befriends on his journey. Second is the title itself, which is the name given to Dunbar by the Sioux after they see how Two Socks harmoniously accompanies Dunbar.
Dances With Wolvesisn’t just a great film with a wolf, but one of the best movies of its decade. If you haven’t seen it yet, make sure you do!
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9. Hold the Dark (2018)
Wolves in thriller movies are rarely on the side of protagonists. For example, take the Netflix filmHold the Dark, where the wolves are placed in a man-versus-animal scenario.
InHold the Dark, writer Russell Core (Jeffrey Wright) is tasked with finding a boy who’s lost in the Alaskan Wilderness.
Core has no choice but to endure and outlast all the elements of the wild, including a pack of wolves who just want to survive.
With this being a Jeremy Saulnier film—who was fresh off the neo-Nazi thrillerGreen Roomwhen he made this—don’t expect any mercy from the wolves, who are more bloodthirsty than we’ve ever seen.
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8. White Fang (1991)
Jack London’s classic stories are always reliable source materials for movie adaptations, withWhite Fangchief among them (which is a bit of a reverse to his other big story,The Call of the Wild).
There have been several adaptations ofWhite Fang, but the 1991 Disney version remains a comfy fable for families to watch.
In this version ofWhite Fang, Ethan Hawke plays Jack Conroy, a man who has goals of finding gold in the Yukon. While there, he finds and takes in a wolfdog, whom he names “White Fang.”
While it isn’t as gritty as the novel, Disney’sWhite Fanghas beauty in its shots and a lot of heart in its relationship between man and canine.
Related:The Best Movies About Man and Animal Relationships
7. The Journey of Natty Gann (1985)
The Journey of Natty Gannis another Disney gem involving wolves, but this one’s more obscure than the others.
Set in Chicago during the Great Depression,The Journey of Natty Gannfollows a tomboyish girl named Natty (Meredith Salenger) on a cross-country trip to find her father. Along the way, she encounters a wolf who becomes her companion and protector.
What makes this film work is its willingness to paint the harsh realities of Depression-era America. Natty Gann’s journey is fraught with hurdles and challenges, but her friendship with Wolf makes their adventure one to be cherished.
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6. Never Cry Wolf (1983)
Before the turn of the millennium, Disney gave us a surprising number of movies about wolves, as we feature yet another! But this one’s far from what you’d expect from a typical Disney film.
Never Cry Wolfcenters on a biologist named Tyler (Charles Martin Smith) who studies caribou that are threatened by a pack of wolves. Eventually, he moves on to studying the wolves themselves.
Based on the autobiography of famed Canadian environmentalist Farley Mowat,Never Cry Wolfhighlights the beauty in Tyler’s encounter with the wolves, an experience that’s almost meditative.
Complete with gorgeous shots,Never Cry Wolffeels almost like a documentary about wolves. It’s a worthy expedition, for sure.
5. The Grey (2011)
Back in 2011, Liam Neeson was hot on a path toward career reinvention, and many expected him to pursue more action-packed flicks akin toTaken. So when he came out inThe Grey, it felt out of left field.
Then again, “Liam Neeson versus wolf” isn’t reallythatout of left field, is it? AndThe Greyended up being one of his best performances.
In this film, Neeson plays John Ottway, a bodyguard for a group of oilers. When their plane crashes in the harsh Alaskan wilderness, they must survive the elements and a pack of gray wolves.
WhileThe Greyis certainly a man-versus-nature thriller, it has an emotional and intellectual depth that goes much deeper, making this one of the best movies about wolves worth watching.
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4. Alpha (2018)
They say dog is man’s best friend, a bonded relationship that stretches back thousands of years—and the most accepted hypothesis is that dogs come from the domestication of wolves.
Here comesAlphain 2018, promising to tell the prehistoric tale behind that very event: the origin of man’s best friend.
Set during the last ice age,Alphacenters on a young hunter named Keda (Kodi Smit-McPhee), who befriends and takes care of an injured wolf, which eventually leads to trust and companionship.
With minimal dialogue,Alphaeffectively portrays the intimate encounter and growth between Keda and Alpha. It’s a friendship that transcends both nature and time.
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3. The Jungle Book (2016)
When Rudyard Kipling wroteThe Jungle Book, he included a pack of wolves that served as Mowgli’s foster family. Almost every adaptation since has stuck with this element, where these wolves help Mowgli to grasp the importance of family and belongingness.
The 2016 live-action remake by Jon Favreau is no exception. Yet while most of Disney’s other modern live-action remakes have failed,The Jungle Booksucceeds with Favreau at the helm.
Favreau brings vigor and agency to Mowgli’s surrogate wolf parents, Raksha and Akela, who are charming and joyful. All in all,The Jungle Bookis one of the best kid movies about wolves.
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2. Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001)
Right off the bat,Brotherhood of the Wolfdefies any singular genre classification. It’s what you might get if you made a tongue-in-cheek mashup ofHighlander,Sherlock Holmes, and every Hammer horror film.
Throw in several martial arts sequences and you getBrotherhood of the Wolf: an adventure story about two noble warriors who are hunting a beast that’s on a murdering spree.
Brotherhood of the Wolftakes advantage of its lore, which is derived from the Beast of Gévaudan but twisted in inventive ways to make it all the more timely and timeless.
Complete with its gothic atmosphere and seamless fight choreography that’s effortlessly pulled off by Mark Dacascos,Brotherhood of the Wolfis a fantastic wolf movie worth howling to.
1. Princess Mononoke (1997)
For me, the title for best wolf movie of all time goes to Hayao Miyazaki’sPrincess Mononoke. There’s no contest!
Princess Mononokeis Studio Ghibli’s crowning achievement due to its beautiful animation, beloved characters, emotional depth, and the way its mythology and themes are woven throughout.
Prince Ashitaka (Yōji Matsuda) needs to resolve the struggles between his people and the kami—but to do so, he must deal with San (Yuriko Ishida), a girl raised by wolves who now serves to protect the forest.
InPrincess Mononoke, the wolves represent the hostility that results from humanity’s ignorance of nature. It’s only through Ashitaka and San’s understanding of each other’s worlds that peace can be found.
Princess Mononokeis about mankind in conflict with Mother Nature, and it remains a timeless gem with timeless themes. It will forever be one of the greatest wolf movies ever made.
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