
Yes, it is our responsibility to ensure that animals are never harmed in the production of paid entertainment.
#A dogs purpose footage free#
If you’d like to reach out to the Screen Actor Guild’s toll free safety hotline, you can call (844) Safer Set/(844) 723-3773. The AHA rep has since been suspended pending a third-party review of the incident, and we will continue to follow progress into the allegations.Īnimal Rights are calling for a boycott of the film and shelters that had been planning to screen the film as part of fundraisers are left to recover funds already invested in promoting the event. The filming of this scene was done in Winnipeg, and in accordance with Screen Actor Guild rules, a American Humane Certified Animal Safety rep (or equivalent) was present for the film to use the “No Animals Were Harmed” certification. If it turns out that the policies to protect animal actors were not followed, it brings us – as Canadians – great shame. Obviously, there are a lot of questions raised, and we wouldn’t be surprised if money played a critical role in this situation. Why wasn’t it passed along to animal welfare or law enforcement officers? Or, if the person in question didn’t trust these sources, why not consult a lawyer to protect yourself and get the footage to an organization who would have had the dog’s best interest at heart? And why release the footage now, one week before the film is released in theatres?
#A dogs purpose footage movie#
Why the delay? TMZ most definitely purchased the footage from someone who was part of the movie set. Yes, that footage is hard to watch, but equally disturbing is that the footage was taken last summer, but only released now. When his handler forces him in the water, the dog’s head is seen disappearing beneath the rapids before the production team tells “cut it”. The dog fights to not be put into a pool that was made into churning rapids with the use of eight outboard motors. It was painful to watch – leaked footage to TMZ from the actual set shows what looks what looks like a handler forcing a German Shepherd into water made to look like rapids by his handler. (EDITOR’S NOTE: Because doesn’t believe in profiting from animal abuse, dog in distress, we have not included the video.) He said he had been promised “a thorough investigation.The movie “A Dog’s Purpose” is set to hit the big screens next week, but with secret footage leaked by TMZ showing an alleged example of animal abuse, animal rights activists are boycotting the film. Lasse Hallstrom, the director, said on Twitter he had not witnessed the events but was “very disturbed” by the footage. Several people involved in the film condemned the actions seen in the video. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has urged moviegoers to boycott the film. “On the day of the shoot, Hercules did not want to perform the stunt portrayed on the tape, so the Amblin production team did not proceed with filming that shot.”įor a movie aimed squarely at an audience of dog lovers, the footage threatens to repel the precise audience filmmakers hope to draw. “There were several days of rehearsal of the water scenes to ensure Hercules was comfortable with all of the stunts,” the statement continued. In a statement on Wednesday, Amblin and Universal said Hercules was “happy and healthy.” While we are all disheartened by the appearance of an animal in distress, everyone has assured us that Hercules the German shepherd was not harmed throughout the filmmaking.” “Amblin and Universal do not want anything to overshadow this film that celebrates the relationship between animals and humans,” the statement said, adding: “Since the emergence of the footage, Amblin has engaged with many associated with the production of the film, including safety personnel, trainers and stunt coordinators as part of their in-depth review. The movie, starring Dennis Quaid, will open in theaters nationwide on Jan.

The statement said Amblin’s review into the video was continuing. Amblin Entertainment, the film’s producer, and Universal Pictures, its distributor, said in a joint statement on Thursday night that it was in the “best interest” to cancel the premiere and press junket set for Saturday in Los Angeles.
