They did it in pork.
Avatar: The Last Airbender was 13 years in the making, and it took a few minutes for animal lovers to be upset by the stewardship of live, captive dolphins at its Japan premiere on Saturday. This was reported by Yahoo News.
Director James Cameron and actors Zoe Saldanya, Sam Worthington and Sigourney Weaver attended the event in Tokyo, where dolphins performed tricks in a swimming pool to orchestral music.
“I’m sure everyone asked their permission to be on the show,” Cameron joked. in the work video. “I love these animals, I love their intelligence.”
Dolphin fans expressed varying degrees of “heartbreak” and “anger” at the sighting. Some even threatened to boycott the film altogether.
“I would like James Cameron to pledge never to attend a dolphin show again and to condemn the cruel capture and slaughter of dolphins in Taiji. [Japan],” activist Bailey Mason called on Instagram.
The Post reached out to Cameron, 68, for comment.
Animal rights activists say they initially believed the mammals were digitally produced because Cameron is a vegetarian who makes films with strong environmental messages.
Lisa Lange, senior vice president of human affairs for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said she thought the dolphins were animatronics or some kind of “movie magic” — but the more she watched, the more she saw them. realized that they are real.
“It was amazing to see James Cameron, Sigourney Weaver and Sam Worthington clapping,” Lange told Yahoo News. “The trainers treated the dolphins like circus clowns. They were riding on dolphins’ beaks, I mean, that’s how bad it is.”
Rick O’Barry, who starred in the Oscar-winning documentary The Cove, which explored the horrors of Japan’s dolphin industry, called the publicity stunt “crazy.”
O’Barry trained dolphins for the 1960s TV show Flipper before speaking out against dolphin captivity.
Animal Welfare Group said the stunt was a “disturbing inversion” of Cameron’s reputation.
“Captive dolphins are housed in barren artificial environments, 200,000 times smaller than their natural habitats. They endure great pain and suffering, and on average live much shorter lives than their wild counterparts,” US program director Cameron Harsh said in a statement.
Avatar: The Last Airbender continues to make waves at the box office. The film grossed $15.8 million in 15 foreign markets on its opening day, far surpassing the original Avatar and Top Gun: Maverick. Variety reported.
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