“Cartoon animals can be as fun as the real thing — and educational. Well, a bit…”
Cartoon animals can be as much fun as the real thing — and educational, too. Well, a bit…
When it comes to movie premieres I am still on the ‘A’ List, as long as the film has a connection with wildlife and is intended for a family audience. I qualify because not only can I give the paparazzi a conservation quote or two, but also because I have two eloquent and photogenic granddaughters. Over the years they have willingly accompanied me on the red carpet, if only because they know they’ll get a free bag of merchandise that usually includes a drink, some popcorn, a bar of organic chocolate and a fluffy toy of one of the characters from the movie.
The majority of these films are animations and the majority of the characters are wildlife, though in the foyer they are usually just actors in animal costumes. We have posed with a giant squirrel for The Nut Job, a rubber tricerotops for Walking With Dinosaurs 3D and all manner of fake fauna for Madagascar 1 and 2 and Ice Age 1, 2 and 3.
It is never less than slightly embarrassing being asked to cuddle a life-size cartoon character. For a start, you don’t know if it’s a man or a woman in there. And there is no point in asking them, because they are not allowed to talk or indeed make any sound at all – even when an obnoxious child sticks a lollipop up their nose.
My granddaughters are of course immaculately behaved, but prefer real animals. The premiere of Disney’s allconquering Frozen in 2013 therefore scored a lot of points with them for having two real live reindeer outside the cinema, which were not only photogenic but didn’t mind having their noses patted. Believe me, there are few things in life more agreeable and sensually tactile than a caribou’s nose.
Rio 2’ s premiere scored even higher on the Oddie Scale by being held at London Zoo. The film was preceded by Brazilian dancers and a free wander around the enclosures, the highlight of which was tiptoeing through the Butterfly Paradise exhibit featuring species from all over the world, and having delicate jewels land on your hands and head.
The Rio movies can surely claim the most esoteric animated character ever. Spix’s macaw is a species on the brink of extinction – with no known birds left in the wild, it clings on in captive-breeding centres around the world. The films’ storyline involves the escape of a caged bird named Blu who is the last male of his kind, his search for a mate and the discovery of a small remnant population. It’s a worthy parable of conservation perhaps, but an unlikely species to fill two 100-minute movies.
In fact, I was only aware of one dialogue reference to the Spix’s macaw in Rio 2, though I frankly might have failed to spot others among myriad aerobatic blue macaws, a sulphur-crested cockatoo – who surely should have been in Australia – and a great deal of danger and destruction from dastardly bird smugglers and evil loggers intent on plundering the Amazon rainforest.
Spix’s or no Spix’s, the action is – like all modern state-ofthe-art computer animation – visually astonishing and mindbogglingly spectacular, while the creatures pepper their dialogue with more smart-ass wisecracks than you’d hear at a New York comedy festival. Plus the sequel contains at least one chart-topping singalong song. And all in the name of conserving wildlife!
Animated films owe a great deal to animals in general, and wildlife in particular. As Walt Disney himself acknowledged, “I hope we never lose sight of one thing. It all began with a mouse.” Yes, and Mickey was followed by a duck called Donald, a rabbit called Thumper, a fawn called Bambi, Woody Woodpecker, Bugs Bunny, Wile E Coyote, and one of the most joyous creations ever made by humans – The Jungle Book!
I love them all, but I do have to ask: did they ever actually do anything for conservation? Somehow I doubt it.
“BELIEVE ME, THERE ARE FEW THINGS IN LIFE MORE AGREEABLE AND SENSUALLY TACTILE THAN
A CARIBOU’S NOSE.”