Lassie

If you want animation that is not just for kids, Lassie is available in Australia on Artiflix, and in the US on Artiflix right now. A tight runtime that never overstays its welcome. With 219 viewer ratings on TMDB, this is not a title flying under the radar. Tom Guiry brings more to the role than the format usually demands. Available now on Artiflix — press play and find out why people keep recommending it.

Lassie is not trying to be everything to everyone, and that focus is exactly what makes it work. The look of Lassie gets people in the door, but the writing is what keeps them there. On their way to start a new life at a sheep farm in rural Virginia, the Turner family are halted by a wreck on the highway that has claimed the life of a truck driver. Spotting the trucker's now-abandoned collie on the side of the road, they take pity on the dog and adopt her. As the city family copes with the change to rural life, including a feud with a neighboring farm family who resent the city interlopers, the ever-loyal Lassie helps them adjust to their new surroundings. Tom Guiry and Helen Slater lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 1994. Lassie uses the freedom of animation to tell stories live-action could not attempt. There is real craft here, even in the moments that do not fully land.

Genuinely enjoyable for a wide range of viewers, Lassie treats animation as a delivery mechanism, not a limitation. It does not lean on comparisons to make its case. Best experienced as a single, sustained watch from start to finish. The writing operates at a level the format's reputation does not fully prepare you for. Adult animation that actually works for adults.