Why PETA Is So in Love With ‘War For the Planet of the Apes’
Filmmakers didn’t use a single real primate in making of blockbuster — but you wouldn’t know that watching the film
Beatrice Verhoeven | July 13, 2017 @ 12:26 PM
Last Updated: July 13, 2017 @ 12:29 PM
“War For the Planet of the Apes,” like the previous films in the franchise, is full of apes and other primates, yet not a single real monkey was used during filming — something that thrills People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
PETA’s Senior Vice President Lisa Lange praised the blockbuster as “the perfect example and proof that you don’t need to use animals in films about animals,” in a conversation with TheWrap.
“It shows that it’s doable,” she said. “All you have to do is care enough to make it happen. This is a perfect example of a filmmaker saying a film shouldn’t cost animals their welfare and comfort. We’re thrilled.”
Dan Lemmon, the film’s Visual Effects Supervisor, agrees. He told TheWrap that there are a lot of good reasons not to use animal actors, especially primates.
“With primates, you are trying to do a lot of things that aren’t natural for them, trying to get them behave a certain way and there’s a lot of problems with that,” Lemmon said. “One practical challenge: Chimpanzees are so strong and can be so violent, once they are older than 5, they can’t be on movie sets. It’s just too unpredictable and dangerous. They aren’t actors — you can get them to do tricks but if you want to create a character that the audience believes is making complicated decisions and acting toe-to-toe with Woody Harrelson, you need highly-skilled actors.”
The rebooted “Apes” series has been widely lauded for the photo-realistic apes. But Lemmon said that before they started shooting “War,” the third entry in the new franchise, production made a list of what they wanted to improve from 2014’s “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.” He said they were able to fulfill their dreams due to advances in technology.
Lemmon told TheWrap that paying attention to light was a major factor in making their apes look more realistic than ever in “War.” To achieve this feat, his team used a new technology called Ray Tracing, which models the way light moves through the world — it allowed them to accurately portray the way light moves through the individual hairs of the ape’s fur.
While no real primates were used in the production of “War For the Planet of the Apes,” the filmmakers used some real horses in combination with digital ones on set.
“It’s of course a spectrum — it’s tough to make a Western without horses, for example,” he explained. “Even though we can make digital horses, to get an actor riding a horse, a digital horse — it’s really tough. However, sometimes, the horses were really unsettled and it became distracting, and in some shots we needed more apes and horses that we had available. In other shots, we had to have digital horses because we didn’t want the real horses do certain things in real life.”
Lange said the latest “Apes” installment is absolutely a step in the right direction in terms of saving animals from being abused on film sets — especially after a leaked video from the set of “A Dog’s Purpose” went viral earlier this year, with many animal lovers concerned about how the dog seemed in distress when forced into a pool of water.
“It’s a bit of a conundrum,” said Lange. “More and more people are interested in animal stories, and as a result, Hollywood is trying to capitalize on that. ‘A Dog’s Purpose’ is perfect example. If you can’t do it without animals being terrified like that dog in the pool or you can’t get animals living in good conditions, then the movie shouldn’t be made. It’s people like Andy Serkis, who have really helped push the needle on this issue. He is one of the reasons it’s worked so well, and he’s largely motivated by the animals interest. We need more Andy Serkis‘.”
Of course, using CGI-d animals instead of real animals requires a hefty budget: “War for the Planet of the Apes” cost a reported $150 million to produce. “The Revenant” broke ground with its portrayal of a bear with a $135 million budget. “The Jungle Book” had CGI animals and cost $175 million to make.
However, Lange doesn’t agree that you need a lot of money to replace animal actors: AMC’s “The Walking Dead” used a digital tiger instead of a real one in one of their episodes, and it looked pretty real. Their budget is a reported $3 million per episode.
“If they can create a tiger out of CGI in ‘The Walking Dead,’ anyone can do it,” she said. “And they did it because it was the right thing.”
“War For the Planet of the Apes” stars Serkis, Harrelson, Steve Zahn, Karin Konoval, Toby Kebbell and Amiah Miller. The Matt Reeves-directed third film in the revived franchise hits theaters on Friday.
16 Scene-Stealing Animals in Movies, From 'The Wizard of Oz' to 'Captain Marvel' (Photos)
There are a lot of fun animal movies, including “A Dog’s Journey,” which opens this weekend. But the animals that most jump out at us are the ones that come from movies that are NOT about animals. They’re the ones that genuinely steal the spotlight for a moment from their human counterparts and deserve just as much acclaim. Here are 16 that stole the show.
Toto the Dog – “The Wizard of Oz”
Is there a more famous dog in the history of movies? Capable of infiltrating an army of Oz soldiers and making sure you pay attention to that man behind the curtain, we’d choose Toto, whose real name was Terry, as a pet over Lassie or Rin Tin Tin any day.
MGM
Asta the Dog - "The Thin Man"
Another classic animal star, the wire fox terrier Skippy portrayed Asta in "The Thin Man" films and over a dozen movies overall throughout the 1930s. Skippy starred opposite William Powell, Myrna Loy, Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn and more.
MGM
Capuchin Monkey - "Raiders of the Lost Ark"
The Indiana Jones question that has plagued fans for decades centers on the capuchin monkey perched on the shoulder of a Nazi soldier that manages to do the Seig Heil salute. Does that mean the monkey was a Nazi or was it just taught to perform the gesture? And either way, did it deserve its untimely fate at the hands of the face-melting Ark?
Paramount Pictures
Norman the Calf – “City Slickers”
Winning the part through a literal cattle call, Norman won the part after Billy Crystal came to the ranch where the calf was raised and picked it for having a “sweet Bambi look” and the “cutest face of all,” according to EW.
Columbia Pictures
Phil the Groundhog – “Groundhog Day”
Punxsutawney Phil gives a pretty good performance “for a quadraped” in the classic romantic comedy “Groundhog Day,” in which Murray’s character Phil Connors snaps, kidnaps the groundhog and gets in a high-speed chase. “Don’t drive angry!”
Columbia Pictures
Mr. Jinx the Cat – “Meet the Parents”
Deep down every cat owner wants to believe that they might train it as well as Robert De Niro figures out how to train Mr. Jinx to use the toilet. Just don’t try to milk your own cat.
Universal
Baxter the Dog – “Anchorman”
“You know I don’t speak Spanish!” Ron Burgundy’s multi-lingual, cheese-loving, pajama-wearing pet deserves some sort of medal for getting punted into the San Diego Bay. The original dog that played Baxter, Peanut, died in 2010, and a replacement, Quince, was cast to play Baxter in the sequel.
DreamWorks Pictures
Tiger – “The Hangover”
Yes, Mike Tyson really does have three pet tigers. The screenwriters even rewrote the script to include Tyson when they decided they wanted a tiger to appear in the Wolfpack’s hotel suite.
Warner Bros.
Joey the Horse - "War Horse"
We'll give that "War Horse" is technically a movie about an animal, but Steven Spielberg's sweeping war epic is actually so effective in part because of the 15 horses that managed to give an expressive, unified performance as the wonder-horse Joey.
DreamWorks
Uggie the Dog – “The Artist”
A true performer and in a way inspired by Asta from the Golden Hollywood era, Uggie often stole the stage from star Jean Dujardin both onscreen and off, making the rounds during the film’s press cycle and even getting his paw prints at the Chinese Theatre. Sadly, Uggie was put down in 2015 at age 13 after a battle with prostate cancer.
Warner Bros.
Cat – “Inside Llewyn Davis”
The cat Oscar Isaac’s Llewyn Davis holds in the Coen Brothers’ film isn’t just a lost house pet: it’s a symbol for all of Davis’s failures as a person, as a musician and as someone who can feel empathy. Plus it’s surprisingly comfortable on the subway.
CBS Films
Daisy the Dog - "John Wick" (2014)
Lesson learned: do not mess with John Wick's dog. This adorable, 1-year-old beagle at the time of filming won the job over a dozen other puppies in the filmmakers search for "the cutest dog in the world" and managed to warm the heart of even the most cold-blooded of assassins as played by Keanu Reeves.
Summit Entertainment
Black Phillip the Goat – “The Witch” (2016)
The goat in Robert Eggers’s indie horror gem “The Witch” is a very real, 210-pound billy goat named Charlie that gives such a devilishly good performance, turning completely demonic in a surprise twist, that A24 actually made an awards campaign promo for it. The same goat even later showed up in A24’s “It Comes at Night.”
A24
Little Man the Bird - "I, Tonya"
The bird perched on Allison Janney's shoulder in "I, Tonya" might've won her an Oscar. Janney actually "auditioned" three separate birds for the role and this one "just sat there and was so sweet," she told the New York Times. But when the time came to film, it kept pecking at her oxygen tank, forcing her to step up her game and focus.
Neon
Olivia the Westie - "Widows" and "Game Night"
This fluffy star in the making appeared in not one but two 2018 hits, the thriller "Widows" and the comedy "Game Night." Olivia gave an especially good performance when Brian Tyree Henry's character in "Widows" was forced to violently pick her up by the scruff. But all's well that ended well when the two reunited on a talk show.
Fox/Warner Bros.
Goose the Cat - "Captain Marvel"
The important thing to know about Goose is that he's not actually a cat, but rather a "flerken," a vicious, multi-tentacled space beast who can gobble up an army of alien soldiers and leave a permanent scratch for one Nick Fury.
Marvel
1 of 17
“A Dog’s Journey” opens this Friday
There are a lot of fun animal movies, including “A Dog’s Journey,” which opens this weekend. But the animals that most jump out at us are the ones that come from movies that are NOT about animals. They’re the ones that genuinely steal the spotlight for a moment from their human counterparts and deserve just as much acclaim. Here are 16 that stole the show.