MovieChat Forums > The Time Machine (1960) Discussion > Why no cats, dogs and other animals?

Why no cats, dogs and other animals?

posted 11 years ago by tbirdman-1
5 replies | jump to latest

I am watching this classic movie again on TCM and the thought just
occurred to me. Why in earth's far distant future where George Wells
traveled 800,000 years forward in time is there an absence of cats,
dogs, cattle and other mammals? Did all domestic and wild animals
just die out over time perhaps because of the multiple wars that
decimated the human race? Have never read the novel so am curious
as to why no animals exist in the world of the Eloi and Morlocks.

Lorenzo Sunny Arizona

Call me a sailor or a swabby just don't call me a squid!

[–] brucedgo 11 years ago

There's a lot of movies where you don't see any animals. Doesn't mean they don't exist.

... and the rocks it pummels. - James Berardinelli

[–] first-things-first 11 years ago

in the book the Time Traveller surmises that they are extinct.

If we can save humanity, we become the caretakers of the world

[–] SammySoprano 10 years ago

If I remember correctly from the book, he comes to this conclusion after having already had an encounter with an animal.

Just after he realizes his time machine has been taken, there is a line something similar to "I frantically rushed about in the forest startling some white bright eyed animal of some kind"

I was always confused about this contradiction.

Anthony Soprano Snr - "You don't gotta love me, but you will respect me"

[–] first-things-first 10 years ago

Good point. I saw the movie before reading the book, so never caught the on tradition, knowing what he saw.

If we can save humanity, we become the caretakers of the world

[–] Poisoned_Dragon1964 10 years ago

If I remember correctly from the book, he comes to this conclusion after having already had an encounter with an animal.

Just after he realizes his time machine has been taken, there is a line something similar to "I frantically rushed about in the forest startling some white bright eyed animal of some kind"

I was always confused about this contradiction.

But you do realize now that what he encountered was merely his first Morlock, right?

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