Top 7 Influential Vegan Documentaries You Need to Watch

Published January 2, 2026 by Scott Miller. Last Updated January 8, 2026.

Sometimes, a single film can change how you see the world—and how you see animals. The documentaries below have done just that for countless people. They pull back the curtain on industries built on animal suffering and show the power each of us has to reject it. Whether you’re already vegan or just starting to question what you’ve always been told, these films spark reflection, reveal uncomfortable truths, and inspire lasting change.

If you’re questioning how religion and compassion intersect …

What Would Jesus Do?

What Would Jesus Do? investigates how religious teachings rooted in love, mercy, and nonviolence have been distorted to justify harm to animals. Through interviews, historical analysis, and spiritual inquiry, the film challenges long-held assumptions about diet, faith, and moral responsibility across Christianity and other belief systems.

Rather than relying on shock tactics, What Would Jesus Do? invites reflection. Many viewers describe it as transformative—a film that strengthens their commitment to living with compassion and asks a powerful question: If spiritual teachings call for peace and kindness, why do so many traditions excuse violence toward other beings?

If you’re questioning the morality of how society treats animals …

Earthlings

Narrated by Joaquin Phoenix, Earthlings takes a hard look at how animals are used for food, clothing, experimentation, entertainment, and companionship. Using hidden-camera footage, the film exposes routine acts of violence that are usually kept out of sight and draws striking parallels between speciesism and other systems of oppression.

Viewers often describe Earthlings as devastating, but also eye-opening. It dismantles the myth of “humane” labels and asks a simple question: If animals feel fear, pain, and the desire to live, how can their exploitation ever be justified?

If you’re ready to see what the animal agriculture industry works hardest to hide …

Dominion

Filmed primarily with drones and covert cameras inside farms and slaughterhouses, Dominion shows what animals endure simply because humans use them. Workers poison pigs with carbon dioxide until they gasp for air, grind chicks up alive, and skin foxes for fashion—violence the law permits, industries normalize, and the public rarely sees.

For many, Dominion is a turning point. The film doesn’t rely on narration to persuade; it lets animals speak through their resistance, the fear in their eyes, and their attempts to escape.

If you’re worried about climate collapse and environmental destruction …

Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret

Cowspiracy investigates the environmental damage caused by animal agriculture, from deforestation and water depletion to the climate catastrophe and species extinction. It also examines why major environmental groups often avoid addressing animal agriculture at all.

The film reframes going vegan as an environmental necessity. Raising animals for food isn’t just violent, it’s pushing the planet toward collapse. For anyone worried about Earth’s future, Cowspiracy makes one thing clear: sustainability and animal exploitation cannot coexist.

If you want to understand how the food industry shapes public health …

What the Health

This documentary explores the connections between animal-based foods and chronic illness while questioning the role of health organizations that promote or profit from animal agriculture. Produced by the same team behind Cowspiracy, What the Health challenges long-held beliefs about nutrition, protein, and disease.

The film has motivated many people to rethink who’s on their plate—and to consider how industries shape public health narratives, often at the expense of both humans and animals.

If you’re looking for a practical, science-backed path to better health …

Forks Over Knives

Focused on whole-food, vegan nutrition, Forks Over Knives follows researchers and physicians who argue that many chronic diseases can be prevented—or even reversed—by eliminating animal products. The film highlights real people who changed their diets and saw dramatic improvements in their health.

Beyond personal wellness, the documentary reinforces a broader truth: Nobody needs to eat animals.

If you’re concerned about the oceans—and what’s really destroying them …

Seaspiracy

Seaspiracy exposes the devastating impact of industrial fishing on marine life, ocean ecosystems, and coastal communities. The film confronts not only the fishing industry itself, but also governments and environmental organizations that downplay or ignore the true scale of the damage.

Shocking and relentless, Seaspiracy forces viewers to reconsider seafood, sustainability, and personal responsibility. The documentary makes a stark case that protecting the oceans requires more than small lifestyle tweaks—it demands confronting consumption itself and choosing a different path forward.

Cows form friendships and grieve when their loved ones are taken away. Chickens recognize dozens of individuals and communicate with their young before they even hatch. Pigs dream, solve problems, and fight desperately to live. Fish, too, are intelligent and complex—capable of learning, communicating, and forming social relationships. These documentaries matter because animals aren’t commodities; they are individuals with their own lives, preferences, and will to survive.

If you’re ready to take the next step after watching these films, starting your vegan journey is one of the most powerful ways to reject animal exploitation and align your choices with your values.

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