I am both fascinated and horrified by the idea of being transformed into an animal. This is likely because I have seen numerous films and TV shows, such as the following, that depict human characters undergoing this process, either by choice or against their will.
Quick disclaimer: I wanted to keep this list exclusive to characters who, in most cases, fully metamorphosed into an Earthly non-human being, so there will be no half-human, half-creature hybrids like in The Fly or other body horror flicks of that nature, or mentions of werewolf movies, for instance. Without further ado, let’s get wild!
Wilby Daniels (The Shaggy Dog)
movies about talking dogs involve a canine who started off as human, such as The Shaggy Dog. Disney’s live-action fantasy from 1959, which later spawned a sequel called The Shaggy D.A. and a remake with Tim Allen, stars Tommy Kirk as Wilby Daniels, a teenager who is cursed with an affliction that periodically transforms him into a sheepdog.
Disney animated film The Princess and the Frog is based on, the prince returns to human form after receiving a kiss from the princess. However, in this reimaging, when New Orleans restaurant server Tiana (Anika Noni Rose) kisses Prince Naveen (Bruno Campos), she becomes a ribbiting amphibian as well.
Harry Potter movies, Professor Minerva McGonagall, frequently uses a spell that transforms her into a cat. She demonstrates this in 2000’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, when the title hero (played by Daniel Radcliffe) and Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) assume they have made it to the Hogwarts instructor’s class before she arrives, only to discover she was the feline sitting atop her desk.
beloved animated series, Teen Titans, as voiced by Greg Cipes.
Justice League, Super Friends. While the male sibling, Zan, can only turn into water (including in liquid, solid, or gaseous form), his sister, Jayna, can transform into any animal existing on any planet, even including mythological creatures.
David Spade voices a selfish royal named Kuzco, who receives a much-needed crash course in humility in a most bizarre fashion. When he is mistakenly transformed into a llama by his vengeful former advisor, Yzma (Eartha Kitt), who really intended to poison him, he is forced to enlist the help of a peasant named Pacha (John Goodman) to return to normal.
science-fiction TV show from the 1980s, Manimal, Simon MacCorkindale stars as Dr. Jonathan Chase, who possesses the ability to shapeshift into any animal of his choosing. He uses this power to help the police solve crimes.
wild movie fan theory suggests that this is what happened to Eddie Murphy’s character from Shrek.
movie about reincarnation, considering the main character is not resurrected into a new human body, but that of a dog. The 1995 film stars Matthew Modine as a selfish, workaholic family man who, after his untimely death, wakes up as Fluke, a dog named after his own breed, and struggles to reconnect with his family.
Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy) must show an act of love toward her, and does so by serenading her at a club.
Hocus Pocus who has it worse than Thackery Binks (played in human form by Sean Murray and later voiced by Jason Marsden). Right after they drain the youth and life from his sister, Emily (Amanda Shepherd), the Sanderson Sisters (Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy) curse the 17th-century boy with both the form of a black cat and eternal life.
A24 horror movie, Tusk, Justin Long plays an arrogant podcast host who is transformed into a walrus. Instead of by some strange witchcraft, the metamorphosis is achieved through a surgical procedure and psychological conditioning orchestrated against his will by a crazed former sailor played by Michael Parks.
horror movie classic of the same name, director Paul Schrader’s 1982 thriller Cat People stars Nastassja Kinski and Malcolm McDowell as descendants of a people who turn into panthers after engaging in steamy encounters. The only way to revert back to their human form, however, is to commit murder.
not-so-scary witch movie based on Roald Dahl’s novel, The Witches (which is still pretty traumatizing for younger audiences), young Luke Eveshim (Jasen Fisher) is caught spying on a group of malevolent spellcasters who punish him by turning him into a mouse.
underrated Nickelodeon TV show 100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd is about a young troublemaker (voiced by Seth Green), who is transformed into a dog by a mystical drifter (played by Richard Moll). Before he can return to his human form, Eddie must complete 100 redemptive tasks, with help from the last kid he bullied (played by Brandon Gilberstadt), who is also the only one he can speak to, which is why he ends up adopting him into his family.