Frankly I think if a movie can’t put the “no animals were harmed in the making this film” stamp on the final product, it shouldn’t get released. Alas, that’s not how the world works, and people are hot garbage. These are some movies that had animals die on set. Sorry for ruining them for you forever.
For better news about Hollywood and animals, listen to the GOAT Team chat about how Joaquin Phoenix was involved with the Oscars going vegan…
Snow Buddies (2008)
Body Count: 5 puppies
When the American Humane Association showed up on the set of Snow Buddies, only 15 of the 30 puppies that the production team had were on set. The other 15 had been sick for over two weeks, and were eventually diagnosed with giardia and coccidia. On top of that, a disease called Parvovirus that’s deadly to dogs went through the pack.
Turns out that Disney had taken puppies that were only six weeks old for filming, which is far too young for puppies to be separated from their mothers. Because they were too little, the puppies had weakened immune systems. Three dogs had to be euthanized, and two more passed away a little later.
Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl (2003)
Body Count: A whole heap of sea animals
Setting off special effects explosions in the water seemed like a good idea at the time. According to production documents, “no one thought they would result in disturbing the marine life, so no precautions were taken.”
There’s no official count of the animals that died for this movie, but they wrote that dead marine animals were seen “washing up on shore” for days after the explosions.
The Adventures Of Milo And Otis (1986)
Body Count: Probably more than 20 kittens
The Adventures of Milo and Otis was one of my personal childhood favourites, so this one hurt. There was reportedly rampant animal cruelty on set, including breaking a kitten’s leg so that it would limp when they filmed it.
We don’t have an exact official number of deaths for this film, but it’s generally accepted that between 20 and 27 kittens died.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
Body Count: Up to 27 various animals
A 2013 investigation revealed that up to 27 animals had died on the set of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Those animals were mostly farm animals like horses, goats, chickens, and sheep that died because they were kept on a farm that was full of sinkholes.
Flicka (2006)
Body Count: 2 horses
Even though the American Humane Association classified them as “unpreventable accidents,” the two horses that died on the set of Flicka wouldn’t have died if they weren’t being used for filming. One broke its neck after tripping over a rope while it was running, and the other broke its leg and had to be euthanized.
Always be in the loop with our snackable podcast breaking the biggest story of the day. Subscribe to It’s Been A Big Day For… on your favourite podcast app.