![]() I'm going to come out and say it. 'Ferdinand' is a very pro-animal rights movie. The entire premise of the movie is that bulls are being either killed in bullfights or they are sent to slaughter. Nothing about this movie makes excuses for animal agriculture or the abuses that these animals endure. There are a few ill-placed play on words that I'll mention below, but the rest of the movie is very well done and is perfect for teaching kids that animals do not want to die. There is even a scene in a slaughterhouse. And while it is not graphic or necessarily inappropriate for kids, it is clear enough that nothing humane happens in a slaughterhouse. Even for vegan adults, this movie is well worth seeing. It is basically the cow version of Charlotte's Web or Babe. Elements in the movie that are possibly disturbing to a vegan: 1. The goat character calls the horse a 'glue stick'. 2. The goat says 'Holy Beefaroni' near the cows. 3. Some cows are acknowledged to have died in the bull fight. 4. One cow is offensively named Angus, and he calls another cow a 'bag of meat'. 5. There is a slaughter house scene and a slaughter truck with the diagram of cuts of meat of a cow. (this is shown in a negative light and lent sympathy to the animal rights cause, but still might be hard to see). 6. The horns of bulls that died in past bullfights are hanging on the wall in one seen (but this is shown in a sad way, not a positive way). 6. Most bulls are shown to be violent and wanting to fight in the bull fights. But this was linked to the assumption that if they won, they would go free (and possibly a plot device to show character development in the other bulls). All of that being said, these inappropriate attempts at using word play to get a laugh are minor issues in an otherwise hugely pro-animal rights movie. I think all vegans will enjoy this movie in spite of these few shortcomings!
2 Comments
![]() The movie 'Downsizing' had an interesting concept. People shrink themselves down so that they can afford to live a better life and help protect the planet from global warming. Yet, it seems a movie based on such a premise would acknowledge that animal agriculture is the #1 cause of global warming. Instead, 'Downsizing' is actually sponsored by Omaha Steaks and has scenes inside their facilities and paints them in a very good light. Elements in the movie that are possibly disturbing to a vegan: 1. There are scenes from inside Omaha Steaks butchering facility The movie exposes the viewer to many scenes involving the chopping up of cow bodies. It tries to present this in a very clean and pretty fashion completely ignoring all the suffering that went into the process or that what we are viewing is the mutilated bodies of sentient beings. 2. The movie attempts to make animal agriculture seem like a family run business that cares about their employees. Matt Damon's character is shown to be the in house occupational therapist at Omaha Steaks and is treated like a family member when he is leaving the company to go to get downsized. This movie definitely gives a very favorable version of animal agriculture. 3. Animal Testing is Shown in a Favorable Light This movie begins with a scientist testing the downsizing method on a rat. And the premise is that this helps successfully create a method of downsizing humans. 4. The Special Survival Hole Created for Humans Underground has Animal Agriculture Spaces Why the hell would humans bring the cause of global warming into their escape space from global warming? And their are video cameras showing cows, pigs, etc in holding pens for humans to consume while waiting for the Earth to be safe again. Are you kidding me? I recommend that no one see this movie. Even if it were not for all the offensive visual content, the blatant ignoring of animal agriculture's toll on the environment, and the favorable light in which animal abusers are painted, the story line is weak and poorly carried out. ![]() I thought vegans might enjoy having a vegan's take on the elements of a movie that might be triggering or offensive to the compassionate people going to see a movie. There are guides for parents and such, but no site really warns us about things that we might find offensive in movies. Summary of the basic plot (no spoilers) 'All the Money in the World' tells the story of the kidnapped grandson of John Paul Getty. Getty made himself the richest man in the world by controlling the oil coming out of the Middle East. This movie tells the story of how a group of men attempt to kidnap and ransom his grandson to him for $14 million. But, Getty treats this like any other economic negotiation while the mother of the boy struggles to get the billionaire to take the danger to her son's life seriously. Elements in the movie that are possibly disturbing to a vegan: ![]() 1. A fire roasted rabbit There is a scene where what appears to be the charred body of a rabbit is being cooked as one of the characters says something about rabbit stew. ![]() 2. A scene in a butcher shop In one scene, a man is clearly cutting up steak portions in a 1970s butcher shop in Italy. There are no recognizable bodies, but it is clearly meant to be parts of a cow being sliced up. 3. Many food based scenes where people are eating meat. Several times there are scenes where people are clearly eating the remains of animals. And in one scene the grandson of Getty is being told to eat a very large steak. These scenes are what one would typically see if walking through a restaurant with carnivores. These were the most difficult elements in the movie as a vegan. If you can handle this, the movie is an intense dramatic thriller that keeps you on the edge in regards to what is going to happen to the kidnapped grandson.
|
Archives
January 2018
Categories
All
|