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| Yes | 57% | 152 votes | Total: 269 votes | |
| No | 43% | 117 votes |
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Add to FavoritesIt's always disturbing to me to see a TV commercial that includes a real orangutan, a chimp, or a wild animal of any kind whose life is clearly being exploited just to sell a product or service. Most of these unfortunate animals have been torn from the wild, broken and "trained" by humans, and used solely as a means for their owners to make money. When they get too old and dangerous, especially in the case of chimpanzees, they're dumped at roadside zoos or biomedical research labs to be further abused for the rest of their lives. There is no reason to perpetrate this kind of cruelty on intelligent and sentient creatures in our 21st century high-tech world, because they can be easily (and very entertainingly) replaced by animatronic animals.
I still remember going to the 1964 New York World's Fair as a child and watching an animatronic Abraham Lincoln spookily intoning the Gettysburg address, and riding through a UNICEF exhibit called It's a Small World After All as well as visiting Ford's Magic Skyway, all of which featured animatronic figures. When I visited Disneyland in the 70s, I was very impressed by the Pirates of the Caribbean and the many other animatronic exhibits there.
Walt Disney Studios first developed animatronics and used them in "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" in 1954. They were also featured in "Jurassic Park" in 1993. Animatronics figures are extensively used at Disney theme parks throughout the world. You can even find them at Chuck E. Cheese and the Showbiz Pizza Place. Fortunately, there is also a growing trend to use animatronics instead of live animals in Hollywood films and TV shows and commercials. This is a win-win situation because all kids and most adults love the fantasy of animatronic creatures. Using animatronics is much more practical than exploiting real animals, who need a lot of care and are constantly subject to exploitation by unscrupulous trainers.
Domesticated animals such as dogs, cats and livestock may be appropriate for film and TV appearances as long as their care and safety are strictly regulated by Humane Society representatives on the set. But in my opinion, trained wildlife should have no place in films or TV. I recently watched a program on the Animal Channel about a man who trains grizzlies and makes his living hiring them out to Hollywood filmmakers. The idea that the viewer was encouraged to embrace was that these grizzlies had been taken from the wild as orphaned cubs and raised by humans, so they could not be returned to the wild and be expected to survive. But there are other choices for hand-raised wild animals that learn to not fear humans, such as wildlife sanctuaries where they can lead a close-to-normal life without risk of being hunted and killed. Though not an ideal solution, this is better than enduring a restricted life as wild pets and meal tickets for the self-serving humans who keep them.
Animatronic animal are the wave of the future for Hollywood, and I look forward to the time when wild animals are no longer forced to perform for humans to earn their keep.
Learn more about this author, Ardeth Baxter.
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No
If an animal displays talent, and the owner of the animal has the wisdom to recognize that talent, then by all means the animal should be allowed to act, or perform as long as they are not being hurt.
There are allot of controversial issues regarding animal cruelty and treatment, and I do believe the majority of people are concerned for the safety and welfare of animals. In most instances, the animals in Hollywood do not get put into dangerous situations, they are not subjected to cruel or inhumane treatment, and they are well loved by their owners as well as their fans.
One could not begin to imagine any animal robot having loving and devoted fans. Nor could it be imagined that they could ever look or seem like a real animal. It is highly unlikely they would have the same intelligent look in their eyes that can easily be seen in the eyes of an intelligent animal. There is just something about an animal that cannot be duplicated by a machine, a robot or whatever you want to call it.
Think of all the kids that watch movies based on what they see in the previews. A cute dog, a pig, a cat, a mongoose, or any other animal that has been stars in kid films, that's what the kids are looking for. They don't want to watch a robotic animal. It's much more impressive to know that an animal was really that smart to play that role.
As far as any animal that has ever starred in any Hollywood movie, I do not believe they have ever been mistreated. If anything they are pampered pooches. Their owners lavish them with toys, good foods, whatever their needs are. They definitely can afford to be taken to the best of veterinarians. Some of these dogs are even purchased clothing, taken to hair salons. Not dog groomers, hair salons. I don't think my dogs would call that abuse. I don't think my dogs would mind doing a role for Hollywood. And I don't think most people would have a problem with their animals working in Hollywood. They probably most definitely would not have a problem with the money the animal would make.
Over all I feel that an animal should have the right to do what they can do, if they can act, then they should be allowed to. Maybe just because some animals are more talented than some people, they should be able to do whatever they want to do. They earned the right if they can learn whatever it is they need to learn to be in a role in a Hollywood movie.
Learn more about this author, Bambi Shrum.
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