JAN 11, 2010: "Humanizing" animals in animated movies

Many of us have seen animated movies such as Finding Nemo, Ratatouille, Bolt, etc., where animals of all kinds are given "human" qualities. The producers of these movies know that when animals are given a human voice and human traits, we begin to feel what these animals feel, and start seeing them in a different light. There is a stronger connection to these animals, a bond develops. Most of us would rethink our approach to eating meat, and to mistreating animals, if they were, in fact, more "human". Who would eat a fish that talks? Or kill a rat that talks?

Unfortunately animals cannot talk in a human voice. They cannot tell you they are suffering, or that they are afraid, or confused. But these are emotions that animals do feel. The first step to realizing the truth about our relationship to animals is understanding that even though animals might not have the same human traits as they do in these animated movies, they still do have a lot of the same emotions (like joy, fear, confusion, etc.) as humans. We should feel the same sort of connection to real animals as we do to the animated ones on screen. Animals do feel fear. They do feel pain. They feel depression and sadness. The second step is to make a commitment not to take this suffering lightly, and to stop being part of the problem. The best, most effective way to do this is to become a vegetarian, and to become involved in helping animals in need in any way you can.

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