Bryce Dallas HowarD

Since September 2019, Bryce Dallas Howard has been travelling the world talking to adults and children from all diverse areas and backgrounds for a documentary called PETS. Despite their different ages, countries where they reside or languages they speak, the one thing everyone has in common is the extraordinary relationship and love they have for their furry companions. Now airing on Disney+, PETS is a 79-minute film, centering on a wide range of interviews with individuals who live with an eclectic group of pets including an owl, a 1,000-pound pig, a physically challenged pig, dogs, cats, goats, cows, rabbits, chickens and a snake.

Howard, a long-time animal enthusiast told NYLM, “Pets bring out the best of people in many ways, and I wanted to celebrate the hilarity, the absurdity, the brilliance, and profound greatness of that relationship so many of us can relate to.”

The movie opens by questioning kids, who are standing in front of a turquoise screen, to individually explain what their pet means to them. “There were a lot of things I heard that were pretty consistent,” Howard tells us, “Because when kids have a pet, it’s their first relationship with someone other than a human and their thought process is, ‘I’m in charge of this. I need to be the responsible one,’ and the more I questioned them the more I realized these youngsters were mini grown-ups with very strong opinions, tons of great stories, and theories about why they get so much pleasure and joy from their pets.”

In addition to showcasing the joy and laughter having a pet brings, another point Howard conveys though a series of many conversations, “love is love is love is love,” and as Howard puts it, “that’s an important message to remember because people can have greater adoration for others, such as a pet, who they see as a vital member of their family.”

Howard, who produces and directs the film, with the support of dad Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s Imagine Documentaries, also incorporates original footage of a day in the life of the people she profiles and the bond they have with their beloved pets. Take for example, Kristin Hartness and Jay Yontz, co-founders of Ziggy’s Refuge Farm Sanctuary in North Carolina who take in and care for dozens of animals suffering from severe disability. Or Sergi Basoli, who kayaks around the world with his rescue dog, Nirvana. Howard tells NYLM, “There are lots of individuals who are doing wonderful things for and with their pets and we get to capture and spotlight it in this production.” Producer Elizabeth Jameson, who is a casting director with four pets and well connected in the rescue space, used her professional and personal background to help locate the pets’ parents you meet in the movie.

While the tone of the film is fun, family friendly, and upbeat, Howard also adds, it was important to add another component, the passing of a pet. “It’s hard to make a film like this without addressing pet loss because we know there will also come a time when you need to say goodbye.” During the making of PETS Howard says she was surprised to learn, “Culturally, there is not a lot of space for pet grief and yet up to 70% of households in the US have a pet.” Howard adds, “When someone loses a pet, we really don’t know what the protocol or space is. It’s still a big deal and no one should go through it alone, especially youngsters.”

Howard was given permission to gently discuss death with the children, which she said sent a powerful message about the bereavement process because the first encounter some children may have with dying is when they lose a pet. “Although the physical presence is no longer there,” Howards tells us, “The love and memories remain forever and that was reinforced when a child recalled the moment, he saw two white butterflies and described how they symbolized his two dogs that died. It was such a beautiful moment and was a powerful sentiment that still stays with me today.” 

PETS is streaming on Disney+.