Milo and Otis- What a HORRIBLE movie!!!!

I *love* that movie! It is my all time favorite movie.. When i got my hampster otis, that is why i named him otis ( i didnt have a dog at the time ;)) I highly doubt that they would make a cat jump off a cliff, :rolleyes: , or have a dog being attacked by a bear, reality guys.. Even then, im sure they have some kind of law, maybe not as bluntly here in the US, but im sure there is one in japan restricting harm to animals.. It looks like special effects to me.. I have it on video, so im going to watch it now..

Milo and Otis are so cute though!! :D

I haven't watched the movie...I can't handle watching animal movies, as I can't separate the 'real' from the fiction. I can't watch scary movies, I couldn't watch the Holocaust, nor will I see the Blood of the Christ (or whatever the Mel Gibson movie is titled). I just can't separate fact from fiction- in movies (lest any of you think I am completely impaired).

I don't know if the issue here is so much, "is this real or fake"...as it **should** be "is the image or images portrayed sending the right message".

I know there are horror films with people being shot/beat up/killed, etc. Now, I **know** these aren't real...but, is the image one to portray? Will it give someone an idea? Will it make it more 'normal' if we de-sensitive it?

That is how I see it with this film....one I have never watched. Real or fake, animals even appearing in danger, harms way, or mistreated, is NOT an image I want in my mind, or in the mind of people anywhere. Why? Cause it might give some one out there an idea that this is acceptable.

I've never seen the movie. I don't usually watch animal movies. I find most of them either disturbing or infuriating at some point, so it's just not worth it to me to watch them.

However, I will say, do NOT assume the laws are the same in Japan as they are here. It may be that they are, and the animals weren't hurt or stressed. However, it may be that they are NOT the same, and then you have no idea what actually went on filming this movie. I have no idea, nor do I wish to know, frankly. But assuming everything is sweet and rosy with an independent film made in a foreign country, which had to have scenes cut out to be shown in the US, seems a bit naive to me.

I don't like to watch animals be hurt even if it is fake. I don't like to watch chainsaw massacre movies, even if it is fake. I don't like to watch HBO show sex going on, even if it is fake.

I feel sick or have nightmares if I watch these bloody horror movies. I think they are fake.

I watched a Twight Zone when I was little that made me have nightmares. A cat a woman hated was served to her neighbors. I was 8 years old when that I saw that!

I think it is up to the individual what they want to watch at the movies or on their TV. You have to be your own judge what you let your kids watch or what you like to watch.

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Originally posted by Cataholic
nor will I see the Blood of the Christ (or whatever the Mel Gibson movie is titled).

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The Passion of Christ? I wanted to see that so bad, but now that everyone is saying its going to have violence, and be scary, I'm thinking against it. I'll let my dad watch it and tell me about it instead. Scary movies scare me no matter how good they are. :p

I haven't watched Milo and Otis, so I can't comment on that.

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Originally posted by CamCamPup33
I *love* that movie! It is my all time favorite movie.. When i got my hampster otis, that is why i named him otis ( i didnt have a dog at the time ;)) I highly doubt that they would make a cat jump off a cliff, :rolleyes: , or have a dog being attacked by a bear, reality guys.. Even then, im sure they have some kind of law, maybe not as bluntly here in the US, but im sure there is one in japan restricting harm to animals.. It looks like special effects to me.. I have it on video, so im going to watch it now..

Milo and Otis are so cute though!! :D

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I am not saying they throw the cat off the bridge, although it's fairly obvious he is swimming in the ocean. Also the bear never "attacked" the animals, but it's the point that the animals were scared and freightened.

In the part where the seagulls attack the cat, explain to me how a bunch of seagulls were trained to attack a cat, and even IF the cat was edited in, there was SOMETHING that made that kitten extremely scared! You cannot fake an animal running for his life, no matter how hard you try.

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Originally posted by Twisterdog
But assuming everything is sweet and rosy with an independent film made in a foreign country, which had to have scenes cut out to be shown in the US, seems a bit naive to me.

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Exactly. There was a reason scenes were edited out in order to be shown here in the US, because obviously they know us Americans would have disproved of some of the footage.

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Originally posted by YellowLabLover
Come on now, stop and think: :rolleyes:

Do you think a movie company would actually allow a movie to be made where animals are put in danger where they can get really hurt and die!? Um...yeah...if they want lawsuits up the wazoo. Common sense.

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It wasn't that long ago when westerns were made and they used trip wires to make the horses fall when they were "shot".
A lot of those horses didn't make it out un-injured.

Laws have changed now, but perhaps back then they were different, especially in a different country.

I haven't seen that movie since my kids were small, and I guess that was only once or twice.

I would say if that movie had to be edited for our benefit, then there was obivously something wrong with it.

It does appear to give our smaller children ideas that there are things perfectly acceptable to them.

I hate to watch anything that has animals being hurt. I used to watch TV as a child and think in the westerns that they were really shooting the horses in the head after running them near to death. That always upset me as a child, and they didn't have people on the set watching out for the animals.

Now I wonder about movies like Milo and Otis, especially reading some of the articles that was posted here by Cass.

I have to completely agree with Johanna, I feel the same way.

I don't blame you at all Cass for not wanting your child to watch, children don't read whats at the end of a movie. I know Dylan does not read yet. Does he?

As Dogz suggested there are probably many other movies like Milo and Otis that also display animals in danger and doing things that would be scarey to the animal,any movie that exploits animals, children or human beings in any way is offensive to me, and from now on I shall be taking a lot more notice, so thanks Cass for opening my eyes.

Just off topic a bit, but I remember when I was 16 (yes I can still remember that far back he he) one of the girls I was nurse aiding with who lived in the nurses home with me went and saw the EXORCIST, she was really freaked by it and at night when patients rang their bells for assistance, a red light would show up in the dark and she was totally freaked out, for some reason it reminded her of this film,(I never saw if myself) everyone is different, and what affects one might not another.

As long as we donot become complacent and just accept these things that go on, that is what matters to me.

I think Cass has opened up a really good topic for conversation here, and made people think(well certainly has made me think) and that only positive things can come out of that.

They are not making movies just to amuse us. They are making movies to make big bucks! Think about it!

Of course they want us, as a people to want to see the movies. They are going to do what they can to make us want to see it. The more people going to watch, the more money they make.

Think about how the movies has changed in the past years, more explicit language, more sexual content and more violence. They are going to make movies to attract more veiwers!

It makes me cry every time, but I LOVE that movie.

Chill. It's a movie, and I'm sure they had some type of Animal Cruelty Laws in movies back then. Otherwise, what's stopping people from killing animals and stuff in movies? Some sicko probably would if there were'nt any laws.

How do you know its real? Do you have actual proof? They did have special effects back then you know. It was made in the 70's or close to there I think? Maybe not. It's in color though.

I love Otis'! I've always thought Pugs look like they've been chasing parked cars. LOL!

And, actually, you can train a cat to look like it's "running for it's life". I'm not saying no animals were hurt in the film. Heck, people get hurt all the time, and, I'm sure animals were injured making many films. I haven't seen "Milo and Otis" in a long time, I'll probably check it out tonight, though. I think I have it on VHS. But, they can train an animal to look scared, to cry loudly, to hiss, to run for it's life, to gasp for air, etc. My friend trained her dog to cry and whimper like he was injured. And, these animals are professionally trained. And, again, I'm not saying I agree with the movie or the movie making industry in every way, but, I AM saying that they can totally train an animal to look miserable. Interesting debate, though. I've just read all the posts, so, i thought i'd make a comment.

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Originally posted by kevinrats
I'm sure they had some type of Animal Cruelty Laws in movies back then.

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Actually, even nowadays, there are very little animal cruelty laws in Japan. It's the worst place for animal cruelty when compared to other developed countries.

Edit: Here is a site that explains that Japan doesn't have good laws when it comes to animals. People are virtually allowed to do what they want with them, and I'm assuming that included videos.
http://www.alive-net.net/english/en-law/Oliver.html