Cruel predators and friends of man: These films and cartoons about wolves will captivate and make you think.

Russian fairy tales, Irish legends, the work of Hayao Miyazaki and frightening thrillers await you.

The best films about wolves

1. Wolf

Loup

• France, 2009.
• Drama.
• Duration: 102 minutes.
• IMDb: 6.4.

The plot takes place in the mountains of Eastern Siberia, where nomadic reindeer herders live - the Evenks. Young Sergei is assigned to guard a large herd of deer. In addition, he must kill the she-wolf and her pups, who settled nearby. However, the boy decides to spare the animals and thereby gets himself into a lot of trouble.

The films of the Frenchman Nicolas Vanier, as a rule, are devoted to the relationship between man and nature. This is not surprising, since the director not only makes films and writes books, but also acts as an environmentalist.

For the sake of filming “Wolf,” the director even went to Siberia. As a result, he managed to convey all the splendor of northern nature, believably reflect the life of the Evenks and, of course, show many charming animals on the screen .

2. Among the wolves

Entrelobos

• Spain, Germany, France, 2010.
• Drama.
• Duration: 113 minutes.
• IMDb: 6.7.

Because of debts, the father gives his little son Marquito to a rich landowner, and he sends the boy to the mountains to the old man Atanasio. The hero teaches the child the wisdom of survival in the wild, but suddenly dies, leaving Markito alone among the wolves.

The film, created with the joint participation of three countries, is worth watching for the picturesque landscapes of Spain and cute animals. The film was based on real events from the life of Marcos Rodriguez Pantoja. The man really spent a lot of time in the company of wild animals. True, this did not bring him much happiness.

3. Alpha

Alpha

• USA, Canada, China, 2018.
• Action, drama, adventure.
• Duration: 96 minutes.
• IMDb: 6.7.

The action takes place in prehistoric times - 20 thousand years BC. The young hunter Keda falls under the hooves of a mad bison. The comrades decide that the guy has died and go home with the loot. Waking up, Keda encounters a hungry pack of wolves and wounds one of them. According to the covenants of the tribe, he must finish off the beast, but instead he nurses it and calls it Alpha. Gradually the man and the wolf learn to be friends.

“Alpha” by Albert Hughes is more likely to please fans of hardcore survival films than viewers who are expecting a cute film about friendship with animals. The film collected a decent box office and good reviews from critics, but the reputation of the authors was slightly damaged by the scandal. It turned out that several bison were killed for one of the scenes.

4. Surviving with wolves

Survivre avec les loups

• France, Belgium, Germany, 2007.
• Drama.
• Duration: 118 minutes.
• IMDb: 6.7.

1941, World War II. The girl Misha is half Russian, half Jewish. Her parents seek salvation in Belgium, but the Nazis still find them and deport them. Left completely alone in a foreign country, Misha survives as best she can. Casual acquaintances and even wild animals help her in this.

Vera Belmont's film is based on the memoirs of Misha Defonseca, which have long been considered true. However, in 2008, under pressure from historians and journalists, the writer admitted that she had made up this heartbreaking story. This greatly disappointed fans who sincerely believed in the friendship between man and wolves.

5. Fight

The Gray

• USA, 2011.
• Thriller, drama, adventure.
• Duration: 117 minutes.
• IMDb: 6.8.

A plane carrying oil workers crashes in an uninhabited part of Alaska. The few survivors unite around the experienced hunter John and set off to seek salvation. The problem is that a pack of hungry wolves living here has taken up arms against people.

The animals in the film look so terrifying that the creators received the wrath of American wildlife conservationists. The latter even called for a complete boycott of the film for its implausible depiction of animals on the screen.

6. Old man

Shal

• Kazakhstan, 2012.
• Thriller, adventure, drama.
• Duration: 102 minutes.
• IMDb: 7.3.

Old man Kasym, a lively and agile man beyond his years, lives with his grandson and daughter-in-law. One day he gets lost with a flock of sheep in the fog, and then stumbles upon a pack of wolves. Meanwhile, his relatives are looking for his grandfather with the help of neighbors and the rescue service.

Ermek Tursunov's film will definitely impress those who love stories about an unequal struggle with nature and overcoming difficulties. The plot of the film has many similarities with Ernest Hemingway’s story “The Old Man and the Sea”, as well as the work of Alejandro G. Iñárritu “The Revenant” (the latter, however, was published three years later).

7. Don’t cry “Wolf!”

Never Cry Wolf

• USA, 1983.
• Drama, adventure.
• Duration: 105 minutes.
• IMDb: 7.5.

Young biologist Tyler is sent to the Arctic to find evidence that wolves are killing caribou. However, the hero manages to make friends with a wolf family and understand that these animals are not as simple as they seem.

The film is based on the biographical novel of the same name by Farley Mowat. This is a famous Canadian writer and biologist who personally experienced everything shown in the film. The scientist at one time managed to refute the claim that wolves are to blame for the extinction of caribou: it turned out that the predators feed mainly on small rodents.

By the way, the tape is not only educational, but also very beautiful. After all, animals in their natural habitat and stunning northern landscapes are shown here no worse than in National Geographic documentaries .

8. Dances with Wolves

Dances with Wolves

• USA, 1990.
• Drama, western, adventure.
• Duration: 181 minutes.
• IMDb: 8.0.

At the height of the American Civil War, officer John Dunbar receives a new assignment. Now he serves in a small fort. At some point the hero is left completely alone. With nothing else to do, Dunbar becomes close to the wolves, and then to the nomadic Sioux Indians. He learns their culture and customs and eventually becomes one of them. But the regular army is approaching, and John has to make a decisive choice.

Actor Kevin Costner personally produced and directed this film, and he himself played the main role in it. The film not only turned out to be commercially successful and was loved by the audience, but also received two Oscars . The point is that Costner was able to break the paradigm of the Hollywood Western and pay tribute to the Indians, showing them as gentle and noble people.

And the beautiful animals in the frame show how important the connection with nature really is and what a mistake people made by moving away from the world around them.

The best cartoons about wolves

1. Ivan Tsarevich and the Gray Wolf

• Russia, 2011.
• Fantasy, comedy, adventure.
• Duration: 86 minutes.
• IMDb: 6.3.

Princess Vasilisa the Wise refuses to marry for convenience. To teach his daughter a lesson, the tsar decides to marry her to the simple-minded Ivan from the neighboring Far Away Kingdom. But before marrying a girl, the guy needs to complete a difficult task. Fortunately, the charming and extremely cunning Gray Wolf comes to the hero’s aid.

If the Melnitsa studio decided to film a fairy tale based on a classic plot, without changing anything in it, it would turn out to be a thriller. In the original, the predator ate the hero's horse, and the prince himself was then killed by his siblings.

Be that as it may, the modern interpretation has almost nothing in common with the cruel fairy tale, except for the name. The cartoon is completely harmless, except that some jokes intended for adults may not be understood by children.

2. White Fang

Croc-Blanc

• France, Luxembourg, USA, 2018.
• Drama, adventure.
• Duration: 85 minutes.
• IMDb: 7.0.

The wolf White Fang ends up among the Indians and is tamed by a local resident. Later, the cruel and treacherous Handsome Smith deceives the beast, thereby turning the animal's life into a real hell.

Director Alexandre Espigares greatly simplified the plot of Jack London's story of the same name. In addition, the cartoon spent a long time in production hell, and was released only thanks to the patronage of Netflix .

The hiccup in development did not do the picture any favors: the animation looks rather rough and angular. But the creators managed the main thing - to tell the story of how love and affection turn a wild animal into a devoted friend.

3. The Legend of Wolves

WolfWalkers

• Ireland, Luxembourg, France, USA, UK, 2020.
• Fantasy, adventure.
• Duration: 103 minutes.
• IMDb: 8.1.

English hunter Bill Goodfellow and his daughter Robin move to the Irish city of Kilkenny. A man must save local residents from a pack of unusual wolves living in the surrounding forests.

Despite her young age, Robin dreams of helping her dad. One day, secretly sneaking into the thicket, she meets the red-haired girl Maeve there and with her help finds out that wolves are not enemies at all and there is no need to fight them.

Tomm Moore always comes up with his cartoons based on national Irish legends. This happened this time too. The creatures discussed in the film are faolads who could turn into wolves in their sleep.

4. Princess Mononoke

Mononoke-hime

• Japan, 1997.
• Fantasy, drama, adventure.
• Duration: 134 minutes.
• IMDb: 8.4.

The young Prince Ashitaka kills a boar possessed by a demon, but is himself cursed. In order to make good use of the time allotted to him, the hero sets off on a dangerous journey in the wake of a wild boar. They bring the young man to Iron City, which is ruled by Mrs. Eboshi. There, Ashitaka unwittingly becomes a participant in the confrontation between man and nature: the villainess Eboshi cuts down an ancient forest, and the wolf goddess Moro and her human adopted daughter San try to stop her.

The main theme of Hayao Miyazaki's film was a call for environmental protection. It’s not for nothing that wolves became the main characters: these animals were completely exterminated by hunters in Japan.