Ron Burgundy, the Dolphin Activist? ‘Anchorman 2’ Urged to Shun SeaWorld
Will my favorite fictional news anchor, Ron Burgundy, make like my favorite fictional fish, Dory, and turn his back on dolphins and whales in captivity? If PETA has any say in the matter the answer will be a resounding yes.
The animal rights group is asking the filmmakers behind the upcoming Anchorman sequel to cut scenes shot at San Diego’s SeaWorld. “The constant deprivation that marine mammals face at SeaWorld is suited to a horror film, not a comedy,” said PETA’s Director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement Delcianna Winders.
Last week, Pixar nixed the planned ending to Finding Dory, the sequel to Finding Nemo. The original climax had all the sea creatures winding up at a marine-based theme park, similar to SeaWorld.
It was the new documentary Blackfish, which castigates SeaWorld for its captive orca program, that persuaded the film’s producers to change the ending, according to reports.
“After seeing ‘Blackfish,’ they retooled the film so that the sea creatures now have the choice to leave that marine park,” said filmmaker Louie Psihoyas, the director of the Oscar-winning documentary The Cove. “They told Gabriela [Cowperthwaite] they didn’t want to look back on this film in 50 years and have it be their ‘Song of the South.’” (Song of the South, a 1946 Disney film, is considered racist toward African-Americans and has yet to be released on DVD in its entirety.)
One cog in the animal rights victory wheel could be timing.
Unlike Finding Dory, which won’t open until November 15, 2015, Anchorman 2 goes wide on December 20, 2013.
Stay tuned.
Related stories on TakePart:
• 7 Things About Wild Killer Whales You'll Never Learn at SeaWorld
• Pixar Changes Ending of ‘Finding Nemo’ Sequel, Won’t Promote Captivity
• Interview: ‘Blackfish’ Director on the Film About the Killer Whale That Killed Its SeaWorld Trainer
Original article from TakePart
