- Jan
- 23
Animal-Friendly Flicks—Without the Animals
Posted by Heather Moore at 3:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
I watched Rise of the Planet of the Apes on Martin Luther King Day. The underlying message about equality and justice for all beings seemed fitting, and the computer-generated apes were so realistic—and even humanlike—that I could really relate to them. The blockbuster hit—unlike Zookeeper, We Bought a Zoo, and other movies that feature animal "actors" who are rented from wild-animal training facilities—reminds viewers that animals are not here for research or entertainment purposes.
Animal "actors" are usually ripped away from their families when they're just babies. They're generally physically and psychologically abused. Many are beaten or jolted with electric-shock devices during pre-production training. They often aren't given enough food or space to move around. The trainers try to intimidate the animals so that they won't lash out against their captors, as the "apes" in Rise of the Planet of the Apes eventually did.
Thankfully, the outcry against the exploitation of animals for film, television, and advertisements is growing. A recent Time magazine article, "Why Wild Animals and Hollywood Don't Mix," reminds its readers that wild animals are not meant to perform—or even safely coexist—in captivity with humans and that they must be coerced into doing so. Julia Gallucci, a primatologist with PETA, cautions, "When you deal with tigers and elephants and chimps, these are animals who are dangerous, and their instinctive behavior can cause them to maim or kill human beings. It's who they are."
While people have been harmed—and even killed—by animal "actors," it's really the animals who suffer the most. The American Humane Association (AHA) disclaimer that "no animals were harmed during the making of this movie" does not actually guarantee that animals were not harmed. The AHA disclaimer doesn't cover the off-site training of animals—where most of the abuse occurs—or take into account animals' living and transport conditions.
A whistleblower who worked on the set of Speed Racer reported that he witnessed a young chimpanzee who was beaten behind the scenes, and trainers were caught on tape hitting the elephant used in Water for Elephants with bullhooks—sharp devices that resemble fireplace pokers.
Animals have been hurt and killed, even when AHA representatives are on the set, as was the case when two horses died during the filming of Flicka. Last year, a giraffe died during production of Zookeeper, a movie that also features an elephant who was provided by Have Trunk Will Travel, the "elephant rental" company whose trainers have been filmed abusing elephants with bullhooks and electric prods.
Even the animal "actors" who aren't gratuitously abused don't get to retire to Easy Street. When they get too old or too strong to be bullied, they are often shipped to decrepit roadside zoos or backyard menageries owned by people who have little to no experience caring for wild animals. (Matt Damon's character in We Bought a Zoo actually claims, "You don't even need any special knowledge to run a zoo.")
Of course, there's no need to worry about the computer-generated animals in Rise of the Planet of the Apes and other recent films. They were simply "turned off," no harm done. So the next time you want to catch a flick about animals, catch one that features computer-generated animals. And be sure to give the real stars—the visual-effects team—two thumbs up.
Posted to Family & Friends | Posted to Tags: animals in entertainment, Heather Moore, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Time Magazine, We Bought a Zoo
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Jane says...
January 23rd, 2012, 9:49 pm
That line isn't in We Bought A Zoo. It was in the first trailer but not the film (Time was incorrect).
Nicole says...
January 27th, 2012, 6:13 pm
Jane – So you paid to see "We Bought a Zoo?"
Holland says...
January 27th, 2012, 6:53 pm
"The Grey" is a rapidly anti-wolf movie. Not only is the representation of wolves demonized (think sharks in "Jaws"), but the spectacle's vile director Joe Carnahan arranged to have the cast eat wold meat during production.
Urge all you know to boycott The Grey.
Judith says...
January 27th, 2012, 9:21 pm
Well written article and spot on. It's sad to see intelligent animals like chimpanzees exploited for a few cheap laughs.
Kara says...
February 16th, 2012, 1:55 am
I'm confused. When my wife and I first saw this trailer months ago; it was starring Mark Walberg, I'm almost sure.
Does anyone know about this?? Did Mark start filming, and pull out? Maybe he saw something he didn't like?
Any insights are appreciated.
….also, don't forget Tom Cruise/Cameron Diaz's "Knight and Day", where the bull got killed.
Paul says...
February 16th, 2012, 12:15 pm
Kara,
The Tim Burton Planet of the Apes film with Mark Wahlberg definitely was not animal-friendly (and released in 2001).
The release Heather mentions here was last year's Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which starred James Franco and was a much different–and IMHO way the heck of a lot better –animal-friendly film.
Kara says...
February 17th, 2012, 12:03 am
Paul,
I was actually talking about, "we bought a zoo". I guess I should have clarrified, see as Mark was in the original "Planet of the Apes". I could swear we saw Mark Wahlberg in the original trailer of "WBAZ" a few months back.
By the way, we saw the one with James Franco, and it was better. It was showing what happened(ie. what humans did wrong, as usual); before the original.
What does IMHO mean?
Paul says...
February 17th, 2012, 1:03 pm
Not sure about the early production of We Bought a Zoo. IMHO = In My Humble Opinion (dang internet slang!)
Kara says...
February 18th, 2012, 4:33 pm
Thanks. I'm not real good at the internet slang myself.