flixter / CC

Two things we like about Disney's new movie, G-Force: The guinea pigs aren't real (they're computer-generated), and they totally kick butt.

But here's something we don't like: Kids who see the movie are no doubt going to beg Mom and Dad to buy them a guinea pig, pleading their case with the usual promises ("I'll take out the trash and clean up my room." "I'll stop telling my brother he is adopted." Etc.)

Since we all know these promises are as empty as a box of Teddy Grahams 30 seconds into a PETA volunteer work party: Parents, don't fall for it. Guinea pigs are not, I repeat not suitable "starter pets" for kids. They are noisy, are messy, have sensitive digestive systems, and are extremely fragile—a fall from a couch can break a guinea pig's back and paralyze him or her. They may be small, but guinea pigs require huge amounts of time, money, and care—including daily cage cleanings, regular nail trimming and grooming, annual veterinary exams, high-quality food, fresh fruits and vegetables, vitamin C to prevent scurvy, as well as daily exercise and attention.

So, Mom and Dad, repeat after me: "What happens in a Disney movie stays in a Disney movie." You wouldn't bring Hannah Montana home, so please don't bring Suarez, Darwin, and Blaster home either.

Written by Alisa Mullins

PETA's favorite fur-free fashion designer, Stella McCartney, has recruited Bambi (and Thumper, Flower, and Owl) to star in ads for her fabulous fall collection, set to appear in the September issue of British Vogue (which has a longstanding policy against running fur ads and is not to be confused with its evil sister, U.S. Vogue).

 

 

According to British Vogue's Web site, Stella was inspired to incorporate characters from Disney's seminal anti-hunting movie into her ads because they remind her of her beloved mum, Linda, who, as we all know, was a PETA angel for animals and who passed her compassion gene along to her kind kids. Awwww …

Written by Alisa Mullins

firstshowing / CC

Tonight marks the release of another animal-free (and human-free) flick from the awesome folks at Pixar. The upcoming blockbuster WALL-E features a lonely robot on an abandoned planet whose only friend is a cockroach—portrayed in a very cute and cuddly manner without being anthropomorphized in the least. In this Entertainment Weekly article, the director calls him "our version of Jiminy Cricket"

The friendship between the main character and a cockroach really makes me wonder how much thought folks have put into how incredibly complex and resilient these little guys are and how to humanely control them as opposed to just killing them, which is futile because more will arrive later—and with a score to settle. Heck, you could get so awestruck that you snag a "Crow and Roach" T-shirt to wear out to the theater.

Beyond being pro-roach, the film also has a strong pro-environment message woven in, as WALL-E's "profession" involves compacting trash on the now over-polluted planet Earth. What more could you ask for in a children's movie? They seem to be advocating two hugely important causes and icing it off with the family- and animal-friendly tradition of Pixar. Be sure to grab the nearest 8-year-old and check this one out!

Posted by Sean Conner