Lion, elephant, bee, zebra, or fish: there’s something special about encountering animals in the cinema. Representations of animals could be found since the start of the cinema in all genres, in documentary and fictional film, in the avant-garde, and in animation. The animal is thus by no means only directed at child spectators. Often, the animal itself is not the real focus of attention, but human nature, morality and feelings, society and politics. This book explores the history of animal representation, from the early movement studies of the 1890s to present day animation. The writers reflect on the relationship between man and animal and their development in the twentieth and twenty-first century. In terms of classifications, cinephilias, and philosophies, the film animal proves to be a vibrant and delicate species, with an ear attuned to the spirit of the day: in its social and cultural habits both adaptive and aggressive at the same time.