Pet Presence at the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards

On Sunday January 15th, the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards will air on NBC to the fanfare of moviegoers and television audiences everywhere. The best of the best in film and television in 2011 will compete against each other, vying for coveted awards and momentum (for film categories, at least) heading into the mother of all movie-award shows, The Oscars.

So what could this celebration of the silver screen possibly have to do with pets? This year, a couple of animal / pet-infused films are up for Golden Globes, as is one high profile celebrity pet owner.

At the 2012 show, three animal-related films will be competing against each other for the top prize in the Best Animated Feature Film category: The Adventures of Tintin, a movie based off of a successful Belgian graphic novel which features the journalist Tintin and his pet sidekick Snowy; Rango, which features Johnny Depp reanimated as a lizard in a comedic Western; and Puss in Boots, which features the adorable cat Puss in Boots in a spin-off from the wildly successful Shrek franchise.

Also at the 2012 show, one animal-infused film received a prestigious nomination for Best Motion Picture (Drama): War Horse, which was directed by Steven Spielberg and chronicles the trying times of a horse during World War I (based off of the children's novel and play). War Horse also received a nomination for having the Best Original Score in a Motion Picture.

In addition to these nominations for animal-infused films, one notable pet owner has been nominated for a trio of Golden Globes.

George Clooney, who made headlines last year for the quirky way in which he adopted his most recent pup, Einstein, is up for a couple of awards for his involvement with the film The Ides of March, including Best Director for a Motion Picture and Best Screenplay for a Motion Picture. Additionally, the actor has been nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama) for his role in the critically acclaimed film The Descendants. We’re pretty sure Einstein is going to be cheering Clooney on!

Will you be watching this year’s Golden Globe Awards? If so, will you be rooting for these animal-infused films and George Clooney as a pet owner? Share your thoughts in a comment!