PETA Goes After Kid's Network
Filed under: Film Flickers > Media Minute
PETA usually target the same offenders like Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss, who are known for their repeated use of animal furs and products.
But, this time, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is going after Nickolodean and their latest kid flick for the holidays, Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh.
The group is upset over the use of a live chimpanzee in the movie instead of using CGI or animatronics.
PETA has taken to their site and online blogs now to protest the flick starring, Drake Bell and Josh Peck.
The official website for PETA states:
"Tell Nickelodeon to Stop Chimpanzee Abuse
We recently learned that Nickelodeon's new holiday film, Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh, features a live chimpanzee. With so many realistic alternatives available—such as CGI, animatronics, costumes, and blue screen—there is no excuse for Nickelodeon to use live great apes in its programs.
Not only was the chimpanzee in the film portrayed in a demeaning way and even referred to as a monkey, the use of great apes in the entertainment industry is also inherently cruel. Training great apes to perform almost always includes physical abuse to ensure that the animals know "who's boss" and do as the trainer demands. In fact, the wide-toothed chimpanzee "grin" so often seen in movies and on TV is actually a grimace of fear or a carefully choreographed response to a command. By the time great apes are 8 years old—around the beginning of young adulthood—they are too strong to be safely handled and are frequently discarded in hideous roadside zoos or are warehoused in dismal, appalling conditions. PETA investigations have revealed that former "celebrity" apes were living in small cages littered with garbage and feces and denied basic necessities (like wholesome food and adequate veterinary care).
Please join us in urging Nickelodeon to follow the lead of other progressive companies—including SEGA, Honda, PUMA, Yahoo!, Keds, and others—that have already pledged never to use great apes in the future.
Please take a few moments to fill out the form below to send an automated letter to Nickelodeon Executive Vice President of Programming and Planning Peter Danielsen. Ask Nickelodeon to pledge never to use great apes in any of its programs again."
If everything above is true, then maybe they should have spent the extra money and gone for CGI or something.
What do U think about this?
[Image via WENN.]
wow thats insane the younger kids won't know what they are talking bout.
PETA is a terrorist group
Animals taste good.
OMFG - I saw that movie and there was no way those monkeys were mistreated unless it happened behind the scenes. Maybe they should go after Jennifer Aniston for having a dog in "Marley and Me" instead.
PETA should get a life and shut the f up about it. its a kids movie. the ape was probably treated as well as half the people on that set. Animals are taken care by people who care and love those animals, its not the fuckin 1920's where their locked in a cage all day.
PETA is retarded.
That chimp is so cute!
Not Teddy Hilton cute,
but cute all the same.
I WANT ONE FOR CHRISTMAS, WAAAAAHHHHH!
wow that's so sad!!!
I think it's appalling they'd use a chimp… how sad when they could easily use CGI. shame on Nickelodean I hope for an ALL out BOYCOTT!
i don't know, petas crazy enough to always sound legit. However, they could also be overexaggerating too. Who really knows whos right or wrong in this situation. I had no idea that the Apes wide grin indicates that they're in fear. ill do my research
PETA wants protection for flies too. Who cares about PETA.
I agree with PETA
Re: keepin it cool – I hope someone kills ur noworthy ass!.
I completly agree with Peta!, this is all true!.
Nickelodeon is a ugly firm for doing this, i`m boicottting them NOW!.
PETA is nucking futs.
"Not only was the chimpanzee in the film portrayed in a demeaning way and even referred to as a monkey…"
Well, aren't they all in the same category?? I don't understand how calling a chimpanzee a monkey is demeaning
I think PETA over exaggerates about 95% of what they talk about. They are too extreme. We can treat animals well and considering we are the top of the food chain, we can eat them as well. Does PETA tell whales to leave the plankton alone? Why doesn't PETA start a cause to make lions stop eating gazelles?
So what is the difference between a lion and gazelle, and me and a hamburger? Or me wearing a fur coat?
Oh yeah! The cow is dead by the time I eat it, unlike the gazelle that might still be alive when the lion tears it apart.
I'm not a PETA member, but I support their cause. All the a-holes on here who don't give a shit about animals and their treatment need to get a swift kick in the butt with Karma. How would you like it if your pets or even your children, friends and other people you love were mistreated or tortured the way animals are? If you can't feel for animals than you obviously can't feel for anyone else or even yourself.
Nickolodean doesn't care about animals or even it's young actors - all they care about is MONEY and ratings. They hide behind all the cutesy little kid crap, but they are no different than any other greedy company.
I agree with PETA!
i personally hate CGI, it looks stupid….but I'm also an avid animal rights activist. It sounds to me like PETA is only talking about past treatment, and isn't quite sure if this is how the ape was treated on this particular set. If they are right about it, then yes, CGI should be used…but only if this is proven. I thought there was now a law stating that an animal care provider had to be on all sets with animals to make sure there is no abuse?
there are ways of letting an animal know "who is boss" without hurting them. That is, after all, how we train our own dogs. PETA is not a terrorist group (what a fucking stupid thing to say), but i think that certain investigations they do are not as thorough as they seem. until i find out for sure, i won't be signing anything on this topic.
FUCK YOU and your bush down to your knees PETA BITCHES!
Re: petiteCobaye –
i agree with most of this (although i'm not sure if it's true that nick doesn't care about their animals) but you're right that they don't care about their young actors. i have met one of them, and let me tell you, he was a drugged out, conceited loser. he made us watch himself on tv and discussed every scene where he was drunk and high. it was appalling. luckily, i was old enough to understand that sort of thing, but i stopped watching that particular tv show.
Re: slove56 –
Ignorant much!
Animals don't know the difference between right and wrong
They abuse this animals if you get abused it's a crime well so is abusing of animals.Do a little research or think before you write something dumb.
Dude I was waiting for this when i saw the movie LMAO I knew peta would be after there ass hahahahhaaha
I'm a vegetarian and sometimes even I think that Peta is out of its mind. They can't really prove that the money was hurt.
Fuck you PETA. Douches.
Come on Perez, the federal government has charged PETA as a terrorist group. They fund the American Liberation Front which blew up a building at my University ten years ago. I sure as hell don't trust their 'investigations'. There is a huge difference between being compassionate to animals and being cruel to humans. Why don't you check with credible sources like the EPA, DNR, USDA and Humane Society. THINK for yourself and stop feeding people this PETA bull shit.
"Not only was the chimpanzee in the film portrayed in a demeaning way and even referred to as a monkey"
LMAOO thats soo fucking ridiculous!!! referred to as a monkey what are these people scientists the frigiin ape doesnt give a shit what people call it
peta is fucking stupid
FUCK YOU PETA!!!!!!!!!
No matter if this chimpanzee was treated badly on the set. The real point here should be about them being used at all.. whether humanely or not. The part about the fear grimace is completely true. These animals are our closest relatives in evolutionary history. It is not ok for a human child to be stolen away from its mother to be trained to do trick and make people laugh and it should not be ok for great apes. These animals are usually "kids" because when they are adults they could rip someone's face off. Chimpanzees and other great apes live with their mothers for 5-9 years old (sometimes more) and should not be used to entertain us. No matter if they are treated like kings.. they should not be there, but in the wild where they belong. Or at least in a sanctuary where they can almost be normal. They have feelings and emotions and are intelligent and this is just awful to do to them!
i agree with PETA.
alot of people dont know what happens behind the scenes. the chimp could have been mistreated and maybe not.
but the fact that alot of people that are commenting dont even care is ridiculous.
animals get abused everyday, and thanx to PETA, a lot of that is changing.
people here are saying that PETA is exagerating, their ignorante and appearently douches. wth?
u people need a life
She when has Pet gotten a degree in all things Animal. Wow, they know how animals feel and think. PETA has taken on EVERYTHING involving animals. That's their mistake. Instead of fighting legitimate battles, they take on everything making themselves sound like a bunch of nuts. If they have legitimate cases of animal abuse, they should fight those, not just put everything under the same blanket of abuse. Remember these are the nuts who want Ben and Jerry's to put HUMAN milk in their ice cream rather than animal milk.
PETA is ridiculous.
r9 = PETA PR person.
Peta needs to calm the fuck down. They're just annoying now. It's ridiculous.
Petatards are morons. Save the vegetables! Eat Meat! Yummy, tasty MEAT! Wear fur! Wear leather! PETA is for low class numbnuts who are the scum of society. Send them all to Venezuela so they can eat their tofu with Chavez!
this is crazy. no movie should have animals in it then right? no dogs, no horses, no monkeys? As long as they are treated well on set ( and there are no reports that they weren't) then PETA needs to back off and go after real animal abuse.
I love animals and think they should be treated fairly. But animatronics? CGI? are you fucking kidding? If peta is so distraught about this, why don't they do something to change the standards in the industry? I'm appalled to hear it's happening, but instead of bitching about it why don't they just take action? If they're so adament about it why don't they adopt all those older apes and take care of them instead of just suggesting other people write letters. JUST SAYIN
PETA keeps it real. If you do the research you can't deny the facts!
Nickelodean should know better. We can entertain children, and adults for that matter, without abusing animals.
PETA kills. they go nutso when people use animals in films, but, they murdered over 90 percent of animals submitted to them last year. i mean, perfectly adoptable, cute puppies and kitties.
the people from PETA need to go jump off a cliff.
PETA is right, the way we treat animals is inhumane and it needs to stop. We dont need to digest animals anymore, we dont need to test on them, we dont need them to use for our entertainment, and we CERTAINLY dont need their fur to stay warm. Leave the animals alone, they feel fear just like we do… they feel pain just like we do.
PETA is fucking stupid
they don't even like domestic dogs
that's STUPID
make an acronym out of that, bitches
This wouldn't be happening if they had honored Cheetah with his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame! Karma, bitches.
Re: missjulie –
Oddly enough, I've volunteered with chimps and have seen that toothy grin when they're interacting in a friendly manner with one another. Yes, they do open their mouths in a similar way when they're in pain, but you can definitely tell the difference between them being happy or smiling for a treat and them being in pain.
Please Show A Little Respect.. This guy is going to be running the country soon isn't he? So be nice.
" I LOVE ANIMALS " They taste Soooooooooo Good.
PETA is completely right. Not only is it inhumane, but chimps are EXTREMELY dangerous. Especially on a kids TV show, that is just dangerous
PETA is a very special group. They have great causes but they don't know how to properly use their power. Well, I guess they have to be that way since someone else will call them out on it and then it gets all political. It's dumb though. You handle the abusers. Don't lump every trainer in the same category because I know for A FACT trainers who don't abuse animals that entertain for crowds. PETA is denying our basic human rights for food, entertainment and security. Did you know, the more fake shit produced the more we destroy our planet and the Ozone? That factory smoke has to go somewhere. Our plastics have to go somewhere. Hows that for a cause? Save our planet by not making fake stuff.
oh yeah, like an animal terrorist group's attempt to boycott a movie is really going to do anything. please. PETA needs to learn how to be civilized and use their power to GOOD USE, for once.
The fact of the matter is, PETA is made up of crazy people. Sure, they're not a terrorist group, but they do not see the world realistically.
Nickelodeon probably treated that ape ten times better than half the actors on set, and if they didn't, we would have been told about it.
CGI is not a viable means of rendering a chimpanzee in live action movies–remember Scoobie Doo? It would look animated, fake, and silly.
Dammit PETA, be cost-effective, too! It'll cost less to rent an ape for a couple of days than to render a CGI ape, or use an animatronic version of one!
I would like PETA to give better alternatives during this tough economy and face the facts.
IS IT JUST ME OR IS PETA KIND OF SUPER-SENSITIVE???
AND I HIGHLY DOUBT THE CHIMP EVEN CARES THAT ITS REFERRED TO AS A MONKEY LOL….ONLY PETA GIVES A CRAP!
OMG… This chimp is probably better off than half the people in PETA. If they do not know for sure if the chimp was mistreated then they should keep their mouth shut. Fur coat I understand, but a monkey in a movie… come on?!?
Hypocrites
I am all for animal rights, but PETA is sometimes a bunch of ass monkeys that do anything for publicity (like Perez). Seriously, they slammed Michael Moore's Sicko because the film should have centered on becoming vegetarians to avoid needing to use health care. I stopped donating and removed them from my list for charities and causes.
PETA is just as bad as those E.L.F. (homegrown terrorists that punish the rich) idiots. I see their point about not wearing real fur and I appreciate and agree with it. HOWEVER, this was probably the best day of that chimp's boring life. PETA is just ridiculous! They cry foul over everything. Screw PETA…those crazies think we should all eat Boca burgers (nasty!) and play with fake animals at the zoo. Coo-koo! Coo-koo!
what the fuck?!
PETA is fucking insane.
drake and josh is a fucking kids show.
do they not realize that!?
No younger kids won't but their parents who BUY the tickets to this movie and pay for cable will. I think it's ridiculous we are still using apes for this kind of crap, they are incredibly intelligent and have to be enslaved and oppressed in order to behave in such a submissive way.
Stop abusing animals, it's just the right thing to do. Humans are better than this…right?
I hate PETA more and more each time you post their ridiculous propaganda…
yeah, I just saw a PBS special about this, it's terrible, there are so many waiting for the very few spots available in sanctuaries because once they are older they are discarded. Many of the ones in sanctuaries now endured horrible experimentation and either have some parts missing or were infected with HIV. PETA is right, most of the orgs doing work on this are not affiliated with PETA so people shouldn't have the knee-jerk reaction to PETA. There is plenty of info out there on the sanctuaries taking these apes, Perez, maybe you could feature one on here. (The vast majority of discarded chimps will not get into a sanctuary and will die in captivity.)
what a fucking joke.
EAT MEAT! hahaha.
Re: zane22 – HSUS agrees with PETA on chimps, as do most reputable animal welfare groups. EPA has been useless for decades, DNR and USDA are that are motivated only by profit and politics. Get. A. Clue.
PETA is crazy….sure I understand their passion and morals BUT you have to remember that you are not JESUS…you CANNOT erase someone else's rights just because you want it YOUR WAY! I mean I love animals to death…but come on now, wake up. It's life, a food chain - maybe it's not right but hey last time I checked, it wasn't illegal to wear fur….so maybe you all should back off and get a real job or support a real cause…..f*ckin douchebags…
PETA IS FULL OF A BUNCH OF WACKOS!!!!!!!!!! They are extremist and they know nothing about animal training. I was an animal trainer at a popular tourist attraction and PETA accuses us of "abusing" our animals and its CRAP. I am one the biggest animal lovers out there but I would NEVER EVER join PETA, they are crazies! I know many animal trainers in the entertainment industry and most of those animals and treated better then me!
I HATE PETA. They are just a money making organization. I agree–they are terrorists. Some animals have jobs– that's the way it is. Who really gives a crap. If that chimp was in the wild he'd run the risk of being poached/killed. I bet he sleeps in a nice cushy place and eats good food every day. Fuck off Peta do something worthwhile.
It IS a monkey. WTF? They act like they called a black person the "n" word. MONKEY MONKEY MONKEY! Get a fucking life. Nickolodean (or however it's spelled) would never tolerate misuse of animals. I've watched that show 20 times with my boys. It wasn't doing tricks or anything crazy…nothing it had to be beaten or clubbed to pull off…lol It just was basically being carried around and hugged the whole time. PETA is fucking retarded. (gasp) I mean mentally challenged.
Fuck peta and everything they stand for, they are about $$$, not animals.
PETA needs to relax and STFU.
there they go again! what perez would call 'media whores'. anything to keep their name in the news. just the whole line about them being demeaned for being called monkey just shows their level of ridiculousness!!! lmfao!! what a bunch of morons!
stfu peta;
your trying to save fucking animals;
&& cant even save the kidds that are getting beat like animals?
fuckk you peta…
I think that PETA is a terrorist group that infringes on people's civil liberties. I agree with Brendalove, that animal was coddled and carried and loved in the movie. Nickelodeon is an upstanding network. PETA takes their bull shit too far. I think that Lacey from Rock of Love is the quintessential PETA supporter and I wanna stab them all.
Sorry, but this is the most the stupidest bullshit I've ever heard.
BFD
A NOTE TO PETA: no one really cares if they "accidentally" call a chimpanzee a monkey. it really doesnt matter. would you get mad if you were finnish and someone called you danish?
Oh, if they only worried about babies and kids that are treated far worst than an animal…
I'm sorry… there may be plenty of well minded legitimate PETA members out there, but when I go through the Starbucks drive through w/my pug and they make my coffee wrong so I run back inside to have it fixed, leave my little man in the car, when it's not even 60 degrees out in Seattle, with the sunroof open and windows down just for him even though it's fucking cold outside, and I come back to my car aand someone dropped a stack of PETA pet in car warnings in through my sunroof, and a note that if they see this again they will call the police I say FUCK OFF! I wouldn't get a dog if I didn't know how to treat it responsibly! I'm not owning a pitbull in the ghetto w/cuts and whip marks on it like I see daily in the neighborhood I work in for Christ's sake. Maybe they should spend some time over there! There are laws about animals being on set now that are meant to protect the animals and crew. PETA just has to say something about everything and make it into a huge deal when the owners of that chimp could be like Jane Goodall and love it more than life itself. Now if they had done an investigation and found some wrong doing I am on board!
Maybe the fuckin monkey 's been waiting his whole life for this opportunity, HOW DARE they infridge on his RIGHTS to make a living and possible HOOK UP with Paris Hilton………SHAME on the PETA-NAZIs!
Maybe the fuckin monkey 's been waiting his whole life for this opportunity, HOW DARE they infringe on his RIGHTS to make a living and possible HOOK UP with Paris Hilton………SHAME on the PETA-NAZIs!
PETA is being a little over zealous.
peta should be banned they are a terrorist organization that threaten people
fuuuuuck peta , they need to raise money for children peta is dirt
People are saying PETA is retarded, stupid. Their trying to help animals go to their website what do you think their doing? Their not stupid I say you guys below saying that their stupid is kinda STUPID! I'm saying this becasue I'm a vegetarian and I don't wear fur. :]
PETA is an organization of irrational fuckwits that no nothing about ethical animal treatment or more importantly rational treatment of human beings. They have gone from a group that actually meant something when it came to outrageous abuse of animals to completely lacking credibility due to their extreme behaviors and ridiculous "look at us and lets ban that" judgment.
I hope that wild animals find these idiots and eat their stupid vegan asses one at a time so they can defecate their remains all over the earth. Then, and only then will these losers actually contribute to the betterment of the earth. As fertilizer. . . yeah I said it! Merry Christmas.
Re: dopeadoorian –
I think its funny because I doubt the chimp actually gives a shit. All they seem to care about is beating off, throwing its shit and hanging out. I doubt being called "monkey" is high on their give an ass whoopin list. . .
They don't know what the hell they are talking about. And CGI is extremely expensive if you want it to look real, which is close to impossible. And they studied former stars? That's like saying we treat our current President horribly because our past Presidents don't live in mansions (this is just a made up thing used as an example). PETA has a long history of going to far and this is just another addition. If they stopped the crazy crap maybe more people would take them seriously!
"Not only was the chimpanzee in the film portrayed in a demeaning way…"
This is where they lose all credibility. The chimp knows or cares what the definition of "demeaning" is…or that someone referred to it as a monkey? Did any one actually fall for this?
That is SO sad.
I am appalled. For all the people who say PETA is a terrorist group, I would say you are a dumbass. I think the people who do that kind of thing to animals are the terrorist group! They are inflicting terror and pain to creatures that depend on us for our kindness.
Re: Kaa –
I am guessing English is not your first language, you were in the "special" classes at school, or perhaps you are only "this many" (holds up number of fingers) years old.
So you don't eat meat or wear fur. . . congrats! Clap, clap, clap . . .
If you don't want to eat animals that is your decision. If you don't want to wear fur, then that is your decision. When you are trying to take away my ability to make a decision on what I eat, what I wear, or how I live my life then we have a real problem.
Here is the problem with a group like PETA or any other pseudo-ecoterrorist group. . .
You see there are people on the other side of the world killing each other right now because they are trying to dictate how people should live their lives and make their decisions. Many times they try to get their message across with terrorist activities. People that try to force other people to follow their ideas by any means necessary are way scarier that someone eating meat or wears fur or calls a chimp a monkey.
Re: eliwire –
Please elaborate on this comment. . . I would love to read the depth of your ignorance.
As a vegetarian and fellow animal rights activist, I think that PETA has, and continues to, go too far in their mission to try and create equality for animals. The animal on that show wasn't abused in any sort of way, no more than a baby would have been if used to do the same thing. Babies are used in show business frequently, yet you don't hear anyone crying child abuse. PETA should start fighting for things that matter, instead of pointing fingers at everyone, overreacting, and making themselves look bad.
Re: browchickenbrowncow – Insulting other people's intelligence doesn't make you any smarter, my friend. In fact, it only brings light to the fact that you are actually ignorant yourself.
Re: omgcheyenne – Based on your horrid writing skills, I 'd say you are not scaring PETA in any way shape or form. And this is what I expect from cold hearted, cruel, animal haters like yourself. For the most part, PETA members care more about kids and others much more than the average person. YOU lack compassion, NOT Peta!
PETA is not above terrorizing children. Remember how they tried to make school children feel bad about eating fish by telling them that their father's were murderers for eating fish? Niiiiiice.
Re: paramountkate –
You are right. I should be nicer to the sensitive kind people that think boycotting movies with animals and physically assaulting humans is a rational thought process. My mistake. I take it all back. You PETA kids are okay!
The first part of the story: those PETA guys are jagoffs
Second half of the story: shit they may be right!
you're fucking pathetic for giving these whackos a sounding board. yet AGAIN.
ok, it's not like they ate a monkey (yes, I said monkey) on the show. We are people, they are animals. If chimps ran the world I don't think they would care about putting a human in a cage or anything.
PETA has good basic principles, but they are mostly nuts.
PETA SHOULD FRAKING GET A LIFE!
geeeeeeeeeeeez
Re: GossipGal13 – first off it's aN unlikely yata yat.
second, there's so much shit happening to actual human beings people should fraking think of them. Humans are animals too. what about them ?
Re: Mentalist – LMAO
Dear PETA:
Eat shit, and go fuck yourself.
I cannot believe all the people on here who support PeTA. Do just the smallest amount of research and you will learn PeTA is a crock of shit. All PeTA really cares about is raising money and calling attention to themselves. PEREZ, quit playing into their hands, why does PEREZ support terrorism???