Michael Jackson is known to have been a huge lover of animals and one of his most beloved pets, the Chimpanzee named Bubbles, is featured (in CGI) in the new biopic Michael.
Not many people might realize that the real Bubbles is very much still alive! He has been living at the Center for Great Apes sanctuary in Wauchula, Fla. for more than two decades.
Lionsgate, the distributor of Michael, shared a statement with Variety about the decision to use a CGI chimp in the film rather than a living one.
Keep reading to find out more…
“We have had continuing constructive dialogue with PETA about the portrayal of Bubbles the chimpanzee as a pet. This portrayal is simply based on historical fact and is not intended to be an endorsement of keeping chimpanzees as pets,” they said.
Director Antoine Fuqua also used CGI with the llama, giraffe, and python.
The King of Pop rescued the chimp from a research facility in the 1980s and brought him on tour with him. He was even his plus-one to lawyer John Branca‘s wedding.
Michael stars Colman Domingo and Nia Long recently opened up about why the movie doesn’t address any of the child molestation allegations the singer faced before his death.
