News culture The Lord of the Rings: the Amazon series accused of animal abuse, what really happened?
Published on 03/28/2023 at 12:30
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The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power series is accused of animal abuse following an unfortunate event.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power was the event series of the end of year 2022. Nevertheless, this adaptation was not unanimous among the writer’s fans Tolkien, because considered too far from his universe. To illustrate the disappointment of the spectators, on Rotten Tomatoesthe series has an average of 83% coming from the press… But only 38% of internet users. However, Amazon, which is behind the production of this series, announced that it met a great success with more than 100 million viewers. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is far from over! Nevertheless, despite its prosperity, this series has recently encountered certain difficulties, especially during its filming.
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Horse and controversy
The PETA (association which aims to defend the rights of animals) publicly accuses the series Amazon of animal abuse. The reason ? An animal died on the set of the Rings of Power. Medieval-fantasy productions very often have to deal with many animals, especially horses. Even if they are supervised by professionals, accidents can quickly occur. That’s what happened on 21 mars, when a horse was exercising before rehearsals. While the trainer was not in costume and filming had not started, the animal died. According to an autopsy performed by a veterinarian present at the time, the horse died of heart failure. Different sources claimed that it happened when he was in the middle of about twenty horses.
Following this incident, PETA requires production stop using real animals :
It seems living underground with the orcs is the norm for the producers of “The Rings of Power,” as they have the ability to use CGI, mechanical contraptions, and other human methods that wouldn’t result in the death of vulnerable horses on the set. PETA is asking the show’s creators – and all other producers – to embark on a new quest without using real horses. If they can’t avoid exploiting animals for their art, they should find a new medium, because no one wants to see a torment-themed TV spinoff. – Lisa Lange, Vice President of PETA
Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for animals to die during filming. In July 2022PETA had reacted in the same way when a horse died for the series The Gilded Age, even though HBO had declared that the animal probably died of natural causes. Peter Jackson had also been strongly criticized during the filming of the films The Hobbit where several animals died.
About The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
