All-CGI ‘Lion King’ Premiere: Rescued Lion Sponsored in Jon Favreau’s Honour
In honour of director Jon Favreau’s reliance on computer-generated imagery to create beautiful, photorealistic animals in The Lion King, PETA US is sponsoring a rescued lion named Louie in his honour.
Remember who you are. #TheLionKing pic.twitter.com/SVrIMgq8HX
— The Lion King (@disneylionking) May 30, 2019
Louie was taken from his mother as a cub in South Africa and forced to perform in film and television productions but now lives peacefully at the Lions Tigers & Bears sanctuary in the US state of California.
PETA US has also sent lion-shaped vegan chocolates to Favreau and members of The Lion King‘s star-studded cast, including Beyoncé, Seth Rogen, Donald Glover, Keegan-Michael Key, James Earl Jones, and John Oliver.
The Lion King, which will be released in UK cinemas on 19 July, brings to life compelling characters such as Simba, Nala, Pumbaa, and Timon without exploiting a single live animal.
In Mufasa’s name, we urge Disney to help prevent real lions like Louie from suffering by pledging to follow this movie’s direction and never allow big cats on a Disney set.
What Happens to Animals Used for Entertainment?
Louie was relinquished to the sanctuary in 2017 by a former animal trainer, but most animals aren’t so lucky. When they’re no longer useful to trainers, many are dumped at roadside zoos, where they can languish for years. In the entertainment industry, wild animals are typically trained through fear and violence, as revealed in a PETA US exposé of a Hollywood animal trainer:
When they’re not being forced to perform, wild animals are often kept in small cages and deprived of exercise, enrichment, and companionship.
What You Can Do
Being aware of the abuse behind animal attractions enables us to make informed choices. Never go to zoos or circuses that exploit and imprison live animals, stay away from places that offer selfie opportunities with lions or tigers, and beware of other attractions that hurt animals:
