"Pets" Trailer: Bryce Dallas Howard Directs a Heartfelt Documentary About the Unbreakable Bonds Between Pets and Their Owners

Bryce Dallas Howard explores the unbreakable connections between people and their beloved pets in this new Disney documentary.

There’s no secret that Jurassic World actress Bryce Dallas Howard is the daughter of Oscar-winning director Ron Howard. So when we first heard she was going to follow in her father’s directing footsteps—after already establishing a solid acting career in Hollywood—we have to be honest, our first thoughts weren’t as positive as we’d like to admit. Skeptical much?

But Bryce’s skills behind the camera really impressed us with her directed episodes of The Mandalorian. It proved that her filmmaking pursuit wasn’t just a vanity project, but an actual cinematic calling.

In fact, even before her Star Wars work, Bryce Dallas Howard was already showing signs of a distinct visual eye. Take, for instance, one of her earliest directing gigs: a music video for the electronic pop band M83 (watch it here). Despite its typical high school drama framework, the video for Claudia Lewis demonstrated how Bryce approaches storytelling—balancing cinematic visuals with strong emotional depth. Was she breaking new ground? No, but she definitely proved she's a chip off the old block.

Which makes sense, considering her next move after The Mandalorian was directing her first documentary feature about, what else ... Dads!

A sweet and heartfelt exploration of contemporary fatherhood, the Apple original film was no doubt motivated by her own close relationship with her filmmaking father.

Now, if you were to ask us what Bryce Dallas Howard should direct next? Well, at this point, we’re all in. In fact, forget her acting career—that’s secondary now. She’s a bona fide filmmaker. So, here’s our pitch: Bryce should be named as the next director to take on the next Star Wars film franchise. Not only has she earned it, but she’d bring something the franchise has been sorely missing lately—a genuine storyteller.

So, imagine our reaction today when we heard Bryce’s next directorial project is this! Pets!

A new documentary exploring the deep, unbreakable bonds between pet owners and their animals—including dogs, cats, pigs, goats, and birds.

Okay, it's not exactly a Baby Yoda movie. But close enough. We guess it will have to do for now.

Pets marks Bryce Dallas Howard's second documentary feature, following 2019's Dads. She is collaborating with Disney Branded Television and Imagine Documentaries, with Brian Grazer and Ron Howard serving as executive producers.

Here’s what Bryce had to say about directing this new documentary in the press release:

“Directing a documentary about the relationship between pets and their people has been a dream for years. There’s something about these wordless intuitive bonds, full of mischief and love, that feel like magic. And pet videos? They tap into such pure innocence and happiness, the kind of laughter that catches you off guard and reminds you why we love them so much.”

Pets is set to premiere on Disney+ starting April 11th. Watch it with a friend—a furry one … or a feathered one.