“This is a story about liberation—you can’t tell that story by exploiting real animals,” The One and Only Ivan screenwriter and longtime PETA pal Mike White exclusively tells PETA.
A Free the Animals Award is on its way from PETA to Disney, which uses animal-friendly computer-generated imagery (CGI) to tell the story of Ivan and Ruby, a gorilla and an elephant held captive at a shopping mall, in The One and Only Ivan, which premieres on Disney+ this Friday.
And at roadside zoos and other facilities like the shopping mall in The One and Only Ivan, animals are put on display in cramped, barren enclosures; denied adequate veterinary care; and forced to perform tricks or endure excessive handling for photo ops.
“PETA thanks Disney for shining a spotlight on their suffering and showing filmmakers how to tell important stories about animals without exploiting them.”