The canine stars of Hollywood confess all, two owls provide commentary on Night of the Hunter and Jonesy the space cat finally speaks.

Critical and lyrical responses commingle throughout this expansive volume. Ranging and deep, serious and playful, they address the varied roles animals have played throughout the history of film. From the first chronophotographic experiments in capturing animal movement to the CGI facsimiles of the modern era, from Hitchcock to Lynch, cartoons to military metaphors, sharks to protozoa, Lives Beyond Us considers an array of cinematic fauna, along with their relationship to humans – as our companions, our subjects, our alter-egos and our guides.