Welcome back to the Freddie’s Big List of the All Time Live Action Animal Movie’s Playoff Bracket. We’re moving and the field is slimming down as we race towards crowning our ULTIMATE live action animal movie.
Last week we saw film on film action as our final eight battled to get one step closer to the Superbowl of Pet Cinema.
Let’s get to the results…
#1
The Jungle Book Live Action
VS
#3
101 Dalmations
This was a Kansas City/Cincinnati slobber-knocker. Two titans of live action remakes from the original Disney vault of classic cartoon films went head to head. Mowgli and crew vs. 101 spotted dogs and one of the meanest villains ever created in child friendly reels. Neither film could take control of this battle during regulation, so we went to a sudden death overtime to settle the match.
In a stunning upset, a bear, a panther, and snake could not hold back the sheer power of 101 Dalmatians focused on victory! The combo of cuteness and pure evil scored the winning kick as overtime expired. Get out your crying towel Mowgli, you’re eliminated by a wet nose!
#1
K-9
VS
#3
Homeward Bound, the Incredible Journey
This match up looked a lot like a repeat for the Homeward Bound Crew. If you’ll remember, Sassy and the boys sent Oscar Winner Tom Hanks home early, as they upset Turner and Hooch in a real shocker! Well, this week their opponent’s star power was less but the dog is much more appealing than the previous match. Hooch is a handful but Jerry Lee is able to outsmart the evildoers. Add the element of the classic car being destroyed and K-9 was a strong #1. However, Michael J. Fox in his prime voicing the lovable Chance with the legendary Sally Fields talking for Sassy the cat, the offense behind Homeward Bound was high powered! Add to that the nonstop action, the heart-tugging drama, and the suspense of the journey home!! Could all three friends make it back to their family?
In another #3 seed upset, Homeward Bound pulls out the upset and KO’s K-9 and the trio of lost animals will take their Chance into the next round!
#1
Free Willy
VS
#2
Charlotte’s Web
As much as we try to like Free Willy, it’s just a hard sell. They had a hard fought first round victory and advanced. The idea of saving the Orca is solid but the story of “misunderstood youth redemption” is tired and not played well here. You do have the ultimate dramatic scene where Willy jumps over Jesse from the closed off inlet into the ocean, and that IS dramatic. Up against Willy is the fab four power lineup of Dakota Fanning, Julia Roberts, Oprah and Steve Buscemi. The funny and heart wrenching story of a spider that saves a pig from slaughter and gives the ultimate sacrifice. The pig repays the spider in a most special and personal way, as the “coming of age” film comes to an end. In a Turf vs. Surf battle, the edge here goes to the Charlotte’s Web crew in another close battle. The horrible sequels to Free Willy didn’t help the whales cause at all! The Pig is still “Terrific” as the farm moves forward!
#1
Marley and Me
VS
#4
DOG
The #4 seed DOG snuck into the quarter finals with a huge upset in the last round. A new comer to the league with an opening date in 2022, DOG is a classic “I don’t need a dog, I don’t want a dog” tale of a man struggling with PTSD taking a military dog on his final trip across the country before being euthanized. The dog develops behavioral issues after his partnered human dies in action. The story is predictable for the most part but no less heartwarming, touching, and well written. Then there are the big guns of Marley and Me. Voted the 3rd saddest dog movie ever made, Marley has a great cast, headlined by Owen Wilson, and an incredible true story. The movie was adapted from a best selling book and lost nothing in the translation. Watching the family learn to love the dog, and the dog eventually blossoming into a wonderful member of the family, is well worth the watch. Bring your tissues, somebody is going to cry before it’s over! As much as our crew likes DOG… there’s just not enough bark to overtake Marley and Me, who moves on to the Final 4.
So, that sets our matches in the semi-finals. We’ve re-seeded by box office and ranking to create the following pairings…
Game #1
#1 Marley and Me VS #3 Homeward Bound, the Incredible Journey
Holy cow! Homeward Bound has knocked off two higher seeds to get to this match-up against #1 Marley and Me. Sassy, Chance, and Shadow have their hands full against a higher rated box office, a star powered cast and what may be a more touching story. Marley and Me look to use their tear jerking ending to push past the underdogs (and a cat). We’ve seen Homeward Bound pull some upsets before but this would be beyond anyone’s imagination. Marley and Me comes out of the gate as the early favorites to not only win here… but to take the entire tournament.
Game #2
#2 101 Dalmations VS #3 Charlotte’s Web
The farm team of a pig and a spider looks to take another big step after banishing #1 Free Willy in the previous week’s game. Disney brings their “A-Game” by sending 101 happy dogs to lick the opponent before they get started! Cruella Deville is against DEATH itself in this strong match. Who has the chops to move to the final game? Team Mickey Mouse is an early favorite as they bring slick production and years of children’s movie making magic to the field. But there’s something about the magic of Charlotte and her “one spider crusade” to assure her best friend staves off becoming a ham! This one should swing Disney and Dalmatians but I wouldn’t count out the dynamic ending to the Charlotte Web story!
Well, FreddieFam, it’s all on the line for these final four pairings. How do you think we did? Well, you’ll have a chance to weigh in on our Facebook page with a live poll for each game as the week progresses. We will post the original trailers for each movie for you to review and urge you to watch all four films so you can vote for your favorite. It all comes down to the next two games, only one movie can come out on top!
To paraphrase the movie “Babe, a Pig in the City”… that’ll do Freddie! We will leave you with these words. Remember, you can read the blog all you want but you can’t stay here when you’re done!
Be sure to watch for our online poll to help us pick the ultimate winners of these games! You can also provide your feedback here on our blog page. We love to hear from all of you!
We’ll talk at you next time! #FreddieSez
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