Take a ‘Meow’! Find Out Which Animal-Friendly Stars and Films Took Home an ‘Oscat’ From PETA

No lions, tigers, or bears, oh my! Ahead of the 98th Academy Awards, PETA is rolling out the red carpet for our 9th annual Oscat Awards, which celebrate the most animal-friendly films and stars of 2025. From championing cutting-edge VFX to featuring compassionate characters, each one of these picks spotlights kindness to animals and leaves exploitation on the cutting room floor.

So, without further ado, let’s start rolling!

The Bear Who Wasn’t There – Happy Gilmore 2

No, you weren’t dreaming! This “happy place” dream sequence in Adam Sandler’s return to the green pulled out all the stops: Bad Bunny, Travis Kelce, and a fake bear! A bear suit and VFX could’ve fooled us! Bears used for movies are typically stolen from their mothers as babies, kept in extreme confinement, “trained” to perform under the threat of punishment, and all are deprived of what’s natural and important to them. That’s why bears and animal advocates alike rejoiced in the humane decision to use practical and digital effects. Also, be sure not to miss a special spay and neuter message in honor of PETA friend Bob Barker. Talk about a hole in one! This film deserves a gold jacket!

Best Prop – Black Bag

There are plenty of memorable moments in Steven Soderbergh’s Black Bag—but the one that hooked us had nothing to do with espionage. When Arthur, played by Pierce Brosnan, sits down to dinner, he’s served what looks like a live, flopping fish—a dish so cruel it’s illegal in the UK, as Cate Blanchett’s character points out.

Thankfully, no live fish were harmed. Instead of using a real animal, the team created a lifelike silicone prop, complete with a tiny motor to mimic realistic movement. The result? A scene that looked convincing without causing suffering. That’s real movie magic: using creativity, not cruelty.

Stand Up Guy for Animals: Bradley Cooper – Is This Thing On?

Let’s face it: Bradley Cooper is among the kindest filmmakers on the scene today. No matter what story he tells, he stands up for animals. In Is This Thing On?, Bradley – playing a lovable goof named Balls – first appears in the film with a chaotic trip and fall. He lands on his groceries and sprays a carton’s worth of milk. Don’t worry! The legendary Laura Dern insists, “Don’t cry over spilled oat milk.” As if the vegan milk mention hadn’t already made our tails wag, he cast his own companions, Charley and Lucy. In doing so, he ensured the dogs onscreen returned to a loving home after he called “cut.” Too often, directors overlook their own family members and hire seedy trainers who keep their dogs in barren cells until it’s time to rent them out like props. Not Bradley! Whether he’s telling a story about divorce and comedy or country singin’, he’s a stand-up guy who stands up for animals.

Up, Up, and Adopt! – Superman

Writer/director James Gunn took every opportunity to let fans know that his adopted dog Ozu inspired Krypto the CGI super dog. Krypto’s lifelike expressions and lovable antics helped this reimagining soar to new heights – so much so that there was a reported 500% surge in adoption interest after the film’s premiere. From saving squirrels and sparing cows to fostering dogs and treating them as family, this Superman showed us that you don’t have to be a superhero to be super kind to animals. Everybody can help to combat the animal overpopulation crisis by adopting and never buying, and Hollywood can follow Gunn’s kind example by using humane VFX for animals on screen.

Snakes’ Selection – Anaconda

How many real snakes are in this one? None, hun! That’s right, snakes everywhere rejoiced when the love letter to the ’90s classic relied on CGI, props, and other humane alternatives to real snakes. Our scaly friends are sensitive to loud noises and bright lights, which makes a film set particularly hostile to their senses. The film advocates for snakes most strongly when Ronald Griffin Jr., played by the magnificent Paul Rudd, puts his face close to the (fake) snake. Prompted by the unhinged snake trainer, Ronald gets within a few inches of the massive snake’s mouth, but he panics, sending the digital serpent overboard and into a boat’s motor. As if we needed another reason to keep real snakes off the big screen!

Best Actress: Ariana Grande – Wicked: For Good

She’s one popular pick! Ariana Grande enchanted us with her performance in Wicked: For Good, which shows Glinda grow from a bystander in an exploitative system to a leader in charge of destroying the Wizard’s anti-animal policies. Her soulful, moving performance champions animal liberation, showing global audiences that true power comes from speaking out against cruelty. With her tireless work off-screen for animals through her ethical vegan lifestyle and commitment to promoting animal adoption, she is the best example of real star power shining brightest when it’s fueled by love and compassion for others—on and off-screen.

Best Actor: Robert Pattinson – Mickey 17

Robert Pattinson delivered seventeen jaw-dropping performances as Mickey, a man endlessly subjected to cruel experiments. Despite the tremendous suffering he experiences, not so different from the cruelty millions of animals endure in laboratories every year, Mickey extends a compassionate hand to the extraterrestrial animals called Creepers. While a ragtag group of villains plan to kill the Creepers for simply existing in their natural habitat, two of the Mickeys recognize their right to live. One even sacrifices himself, in part to save the Creepers from extinction. Bravo, Mr. Pattinson!

Wonderful for Worms: Kurt Russell & Nick Offerman – Smurfs

The best Smurfs save worms! That’s the heartfelt message the Smurfs convey as they celebrate the smurf-tastic acts of their fallen hero, Ron, played by Kurt Russell. Papa Smurf, voiced by the indelible Nick Offerman, recalls how Ron, even while defending Smurfs, paused to rescue an inchworm from being crushed: “Ron loved everyone, no matter how small or insignificant they may seem.” From rats to worms, opossums to bats, so many animals are overlooked or deemed unworthy of our care, and taking a moment to protect even the smallest among us goes a long way in inspiring young audiences to do the same. We honor Smurfs for emphasizing that real heroes do not discriminate; they extend compassion to everyone, and they are truly wonderful for worms.

Best Sound Design – Dog Man

Sniffing out a win with tail‑wagging creativity, Dog Man fetches the Best Sound Design Oscat for proving there’s no excuse for dragging a real dog into a studio. Lead actor Peter Hastings delivers every bark, yip, and joyful howl himself, showing that compassion and craft can go paw‑in‑paw. Hastings’ playful, humane approach in the recording booth reminds audiences that the ethical choice is always the most entertaining one. By choosing vocal talent and artistic expression over animal exploitation, the film sets a gold standard for humane sound design and earns this year’s Oscat with a resounding, Hastings-made “woof.”

Tech Not Terror – Primate

Thanks to PETA’s relentless work, live chimpanzees are no longer used in films—and Primate shows just how far jaw-dropping VFX have come. The “killer” chimpanzee at the center of this slasher is brought to life with modern movie magic, but he’s not really the villain—because the family should have never kept him in their home to begin with. (One character even asks, “Who the f*ck has a pet chimpanzee?”)

Primate makes an important point: chimpanzees are not “pets.” In the exotic pet trade, unscrupulous dealers often breed them in captivity, tear them from their protective mothers as babies, and sell them to anyone with a big enough bank account. The film may be fake, but the consequences of confining complex, social apes to human homes are all too real—like the infamously tragic story of Travis, the chimpanzee who was kept as a “pet” and nearly mauled a woman to death in 2003.

PETA was team Ben from the start, and we applaud the filmmakers for showing how cruel and dangerous it is to trap primates in human homes or in roadside zoos, where many still languish today. If only the family in Primate watched Chimp Crazy…

Goodest Director: Ben Leonberg – Good Boy

Who’s a good director? Better yet, who’s the best director? Ben Leonberg is! PETA gives two dew claws up for Good Boy, thanks to Mr. Leonberg’s choice to cast within the family—that’s nepawtism at its finest! Indy, Ben’s real-life companion and bona fide good boy, might’ve looked frightened on screen, but the filmmaker and his wife, producer Kari Fischer, instead spent three years filming around Indy’s schedule, taking care to scare the audience—not the dog. Those of us fortunate enough to catch the film during its theatrical run were treated to a post-credit featurette that showed Indy eating treats, playing with toys, and getting love from his family. And those seemingly startled expressions? That was just the goodest director quacking at the good boy off-screen.

Best Adapted Screenplay: Dana Fox & Winnie Holzman – Wicked: For Good

The Wicked franchise doubled up on its Oscat gold for the second year straight! The Best Adapted Screenplay Award goes to Dana Fox and Winnie Holzman for brewing a spellbinding story where standing up for animals isn’t just background noise. Heck, even the wizard, Jeff Goldblum, went veg after filming wrapped. That’s the type of alchemy we can get behind! On screen, Elphaba speaks up while animals are silenced, and Glinda’s evolution from bystander to ally shows that compassion can be learned, embraced, and wielded for good. For crafting a screenplay where kindness leaps off the screen and conjures meaningful change, Wicked: For Good flies away with this year’s top writing honor

Marty Supremely Cruel – Marty Supreme  

While many 2025 films shined, this one gets a rotten tomato from PETA. In a scene undoubtedly influenced by marine abusement parks and cruel circus-style shows, Josh Safdie dressed a sea lion in a costume and forced them to pretend to “play” ping pong. He also forced a dog into distressing scenarios, used real camels, birds, a donkey, a pig, a rabbit, a snake, and for crying out loud, who puts an armadillo in a ping pong movie! Maybe Josh Safdie ought to go back to playing doubles. And Timothée Chala-mean, last year’s Mr. Mice Guy, needs to use his star power to speak up for animals on set if he wants to get back on the nice list. After all, what good is all that fame and renown if you won’t use it to make the world a kinder place? Gwyneth, well, she’s a lost cause.

Let’s Keep Making Hollywood Kinder

You can follow in the footsteps of these Oscat winners by supporting animal-friendly filmmaking and entertainment whenever you can. Call out studios and producers whenever a real wild animal appears on screen, watch films that use CGI or other humane methods, and report any abuse you see on sets. Also, say no to roadside zoos and other animal-exploiting “attractions”—because our fellow animals don’t exist for anyone’s entertainment.