The Planet's Funniest Animals is a United States television program featured on the Animal Planet

Animal Planet

Animal Planet is an American cable tv specialty channel that launched on October 1, 1996. It is distributed by Discovery Communications. A high-definition simulcast of the channel launched on September 1, 2007.-History:...

 cable channel.

Background

Following a similar format as America's Funniest Home Videos

America's Funniest Home Videos

America's Funniest Home Videos is an American reality television program on ABC in which viewers are able to send in humorous homemade videotapes. The most common videos usually feature slapstick physical comedy arising from incidents, accidents and mishaps...

and others, the program shows a series of home movies

Home movies

A home movie is part of the motion picture filmmaking process made by amateurs, often for viewing by family and friends. When the hobby began, home movies were produced on photographic film, but accessibility of video production with video cameras and low cost data storage devices has made the...

 on video submitted by viewers featuring humorous and odd behavior by pets and animals that are voiced over by the host, who usually describes the action in the clips in a funny way. However for some clips a laugh track

Laugh track

A laugh track is a separate soundtrack invented by Charles "Charley" Douglass, with the artificial sound of audience laughter, made to be inserted into television programming of comedy shows and sitcoms.The term "laugh track" does not apply to the genuine audience laughter on shows that shoot in...

 used instead of the studio audience

Studio audience

A studio audience is an audience present for the taping of all or part of a television program. The primary purpose of the studio audience is to provide applause and/or laughter to the program's soundtrack . A studio audience can also provide volunteers, a visual backdrop and discussion participants...

. The show was originally hosted by Animal Planet announcer Matt Gallant

Matt Gallant

Matt Gallant is an American television host. He is well-known as the former host of the Emmy Award-winning The Planet's Funniest Animals on Animal Planet. He has also served as a guest judge on various other television shows featuring animals and pets...

 until 2005 and then hosted by MADtv

MADtv

MADtv is an American sketch comedy television series. It licensed the name and logo of Mad, but otherwise had no connection with the humor magazine outside the animated Spy vs. Spy and Don Martin cartoon shorts and images of Alfred E. Neuman that the show featured during the late 1990s. Its first...

 cast member Keegan-Michael Key

Keegan-Michael Key

Keegan-Michael Key is an American comic actor best known for his roles as a cast member on MADtv for six seasons. He has also had recurring roles on Reno 911! and Gary Unmarried. He used to be the host of The Planet's Funniest Animals...

 until the show's ending. The announcer was John Cramer. In 2005, there was a studio audience in this set. The show's regular features include "Ani-Mail", where the host reads "letters from viewers" (it has not been verified that the letters read on the show are sent from actual viewers) and shows clips demonstrating his reply. The show also features a "Animals in the News" part where the host has a newscast only with clips and photos to associate with. And there's a clip in the show called "This Old Clip" (a parody on the home-improvement show This Old House

This Old House

This Old House is an American home improvement magazine and television series aired on the American television station Public Broadcasting Service which follows remodeling projects of houses over a number of weeks.-Overview:...

) where it shows a regular clip.

International versions

A British version of the show was also created by Brad Lachman Productions with the same set, music and the same canned laughter. Hosted by Richard Arnold

Richard Arnold (TV presenter)

Richard Arnold is a British television presenter. He is currently employed by Seven Network.-Early life:Arnold was born in a house in Hampshire, grew up in Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, and attended University of Edinburgh, gaining a MA in English Language and Literature. He then studied journalism at...

, it is often shown on the ITV Network

ITV

ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...

 and ITV2

ITV2

ITV2 is a 24 hour, free-to-air entertainment television channel in the United Kingdom owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998, and is available on digital television via satellite, cable, IPTV and terrestrial platforms. The channel has the...

.
The UK version has a few added features, such as a post bag, where viewers send in their funny stories, and they would be read out on the show.