The 2011 "Where's Whitey?" award for Best Animal Actor: the nominees

This has been a great year for performances on screen, especially from animals. Which makes the winner of the annual "Where's Whitey?" Award for Best Animal Actor especially challenging and rewarding.

For those unfamiliar with this prize the name comes from Korean director Kim Tae-kyun's "Crossing," which I saw a while back at the Palm Springs Film Festival. It takes place in North Korea where a little boy from a starving family finds joy despite his poverty in a beloved dog named Whitey. But then the family's fortunes seem to change for the better, and the kid comes home to an opulent feast featuring a big, meaty stew. He  joins the family at the table and digs in, eating heartily until he looks around and asks, "Where's Whitey?"

Animal performances just don't get better than that. And so, in honor of Whitey, here are this year's nominees:

Arthur, the Jack Russell Terrier in "Beginners."

Dolce, the Pomeranian in "Young Adult."

Joey, the horse in "War Horse."

The Parasaurolophus in "The Tree of Life."

Paw Paw the cat in "The Future."

Tjorven, the cat in "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo."

Uggie, The Jack Russell Terrier  in "The Artist."

I'm sure I'm missing some, so by all means send in your candidates and preferences.

READ: The "Where's Whitey?" Award for Best Animal Performance 2010

READ: The "Where's Whitey?" Award for Best Animal Performance 2009