Latest news with #TheAbyss
Spectator
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Spectator
We need more animal cruelty on TV
Animal rights campaigners are up in arms because Disney+ is able to use a legal loophole to broadcast a scene of a rat being forcibly immersed in liquid. The RSPCA has slammed Disney for showing a controversial scene from the 1989 thriller The Abyss where a live rat is deliberately submerged in fluorocarbon liquid. The rat is seen struggling during the scene and the charity said the experience was clearly one of 'terror' for the poor little rodent, although the filmmakers insist it survived. The scene had previously been cut from all UK screenings by the British Board of Film Classification, which ruled that it breached animal cruelty laws and must be removed from all cinema releases, DVDs and traditional TV broadcasts. But streaming platforms such as Disney+ aren't covered by the same rules, so they're not technically breaching any codes by including the rat scene. As a self-confessed preachy vegan who's written for this very publication in defence of rats, you might expect me to be angry about this too, but I'm really not.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Les Dilley, ‘Star Wars,' ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark' Art Director, Dies at 84
Les Dilley, the Oscar-winning art director and production designer, has died. He was 84. Dilley died on May 20 due to complications from Alzheimer's disease, his family said. 'Les's legacy lives on in the many iconic films he helped bring to life for over six decades and in his family home he personally built as an homage to his work. His love for the motion picture business was evident to the very end. When he wasn't on set, he enjoyed constructing things in his workshop at home, playing ice hockey, and a good cup of tea. In addition to his incredible work ethic, quirky British humor, and love of life, he was a dedicated and loving husband, father, grandfather and friend to many. He will be greatly missed,' the family said in a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter. More from The Hollywood Reporter Marcel Ophuls, 'Sorrow and the Pity' Documentarian, Dies at 97 'Duck Dynasty' Star Phil Robertson Dies at 79 Mara Corday, Star of 'Tarantula' and Lots of Westerns, Dies at 95 Dilley worked on 100 film and TV projects over his 60 year career, with his biggest credits being Raiders of the Lost Ark and Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, for which he earned Academy Award trophies for best art direction. That brought him on set to work with Hollywood directors like George Lucas, James Cameron, Steven Spielberg, Ridley Scott, Irvin Kershner, John Landis and Mimi Leader. Dilley was also nominated for best art direction for Alien, The Empire Strikes Back and The Abyss. In 2020, Dilley was honored with a BAFTA Award for his contribution to British cinema. Born on January 11, 1941, in the Rhondda Valley of South Wales. Dilley's family at the end of the Second World War moved to London. At 15 years of age, Dilley started his film career with a plastering and construction apprenticeship at the Associated British Picture Corporation, while also studying architecture and building construction at Willesden Technical College. At age 23, he was a plaster worker on the James Bond movie From Russia With Love and continued to work his way up the art department ladder as a draughtsman and then assistant art director on films including like Kelly's Heroes and Jesus Christ Superstar. In 1973, Dilley became an art director on Richard Lester's The Three Musketeers, and eventually became part of the UK team working on Star Wars for George Lucas, as Dilley worked alongside John Barry, Norman Reynolds and Roger Christian. Over the next decade, Dilley helped shaped the visual identity on enduring films like Superman, Alien, Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark, An American Werewolf in London, Never Say Never Again and Legend. In 1985, he moved to Hollywood to work as a production designer on films like The Abyss, which was released in 1989 and directed by James Cameron. For that movie, Dilley transformed an abandoned nuclear power plant in South Carolina into a large underwater filming sets, wit the main underwater tank measuring 55 ft deep by 209 ft wide. 'The Abyss was the most challenging for me. It was over a year's worth of work, very long days with a few nights until 3 am, and on weekends the art department did not stop, so I was continually checking on the construction being done. I had worked with water on Legend, Never Say Never Again and Lucky Lady, so I had some experience with water, but nothing close to the scale of The Abyss. Also, my wife Leslie and I had the first of our four children during that film, so that made that time even more memorable,' Dilley recalled in a 2020 interview in Buzz. Other credits included The Exorcist III, Guilty by Suspicion, Casper, The Peacemaker, Inspector Gadget, Deep Impact and Men of Honor. In the 1990s, Dilley expanded to work as a second unit director on projects like Honey, I Blew Up the Kid, Diabolique, Pay It Forward and Cold Creek Manor. Dilley is survived by his wife of 38 years, Leslie Lykes Dilley, their four children, Sophia Dilley, Leslie John Dilley II, Ivory Dilley and EmmaJane Dilley, and a daughter, Georgia Dilley, from his marriage to Amanda Dilley. Dilley was a member of AMPAS, BAFTA, ADG, DGA, and SAG. Dilley was repped for his entire career at The Gersh Agency, by the late Phil Gersh, David Gersh and Barbara Halperin. Best of The Hollywood Reporter 13 of Tom Cruise's Most Jaw-Dropping Stunts Hollywood Stars Who Are One Award Away From an EGOT 'The Goonies' Cast, Then and Now
Daily Mail
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Disney is evading cruelty laws and showing rat drowning scene in film, animal charity claims
Disney has come under fire from animal welfare campaigners for showing a disturbing scene in a classic sci-fi film which features a real rat being forcibly submerged in liquid. The RSPCA has slammed the streaming giant for broadcasting the infamous scene in The Abyss – James Cameron 's 1989 underwater thriller – in which a live rodent is seen struggling as it is dunked into a tank of fluorocarbon liquid. The distressing footage had previously been cut from all UK screenings by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), which ruled it breached animal cruelty laws. But now the controversial clip is available in full on Disney+, sparking outrage from Britain's biggest animal charity. David Bowles, the RSPCA's head of public affairs, said: 'The RSPCA is really concerned that a loophole currently exists allowing animal abuse scenes deemed unacceptable elsewhere to be streamed freely and legally into our homes. 'The Abyss' controversial rat scene has long concerned the RSPCA, and has always been deemed unacceptable by BBFC – so it's hard to fathom out why Disney+ has decided to broadcast it. 'We need to ensure people are not being exposed to content which promotes or showcases cruelty to animals. 'As the way millions of households consume entertainment changes, it's vital the legal framework is responsive to that and continues to consistently protect people and animals.' Despite the fact that the rats used in the film reportedly survived the ordeal, the BBFC has consistently ruled the scene must be cut for all cinema releases, DVDs and traditional TV broadcasts. The decision was made under the Cinematograph Films (Animals) Act 1937 and the Video Recordings Act 1984. UK TV channels are also forbidden from showing the scene under Ofcom's Broadcasting Code, which prohibits airing any material that has been cut or refused classification by the BBFC. But streaming platforms like Disney+ are not held to the same standards and the RSPCA has warned that this creates a dangerous 'loophole' where distressing animal abuse can still be shown. Mr Bowles added: 'We hope a new code of conduct under the Media Act will help close this loophole – but we need to see a degree of consistency between streaming platforms and other forms of more traditional entertainment, so people can have confidence when watching films and other shows. 'It doesn't make sense that we have robust safeguards for animal-related content shown in cinemas, on DVDs or on traditional television channels – yet those protections could go out the window when you turn on a major streaming service. 'We can't backtrack now on what society deems is acceptable in terms of how we treat animals.' A new law, the Media Act, is expected to tighten regulation of video-on-demand services like Disney+ under Ofcom and the RSPCA hopes it will bring greater consistency to how animal cruelty is policed across all viewing platforms. The BBFC has already worked with many streaming services on a voluntary basis to help keep content standards in line – and the RSPCA says it hopes Ofcom will encourage more services to follow this example.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Disney ‘evades animal-cruelty law' over rat-drowning scene
Disney has been accused of exploiting a loophole in animal cruelty rules by screening scenes of a rodent being forcibly immersed in a liquid. The RSPCA has criticised Disney over its decision to screen the scene in the film The Abyss where a real rat is deliberately submerged in fluorocarbon liquid. The scene has been cut from all previous screenings of the film after being banned by the British Board for Film Classification (BBFC) from cinema and TV over animal welfare concerns. The BBFC took advice from the RSPCA, the largest animal welfare charity in the UK, which said the 'forcible immersion of the rat caused terror' and amounted to animal cruelty. Because streaming platforms such as Disney+ are not covered to the same standards by BBFC or Ofcom rules as cinema, DVD or traditional TV channels, they are not technically breaching any codes. David Bowles, the RSPCA's head of public affairs, said: 'The RSPCA is really concerned that a loophole currently exists allowing animal abuse scenes deemed unacceptable elsewhere to be streamed freely and legally into our homes. 'The Abyss' controversial rat scene has long concerned the RSPCA, and has always been deemed unacceptable by BBFC – so it's hard to fathom out why Disney+ has decided to broadcast it. We need to ensure people are not being exposed to content which promotes or showcases cruelty to animals. 'As the way millions of households consume entertainment changes, it's vital the legal framework is responsive to that and continues to consistently protect people and animals.' While the rats used during filming are said to have survived the ordeal, the scene remains prohibited from UK cinema screenings, DVD and traditional TV. Given the infliction of terror, the scene was cut by the BBFC under the Cinematograph Films (Animals) Act 1937, meaning it must be cut for any theatrical use. The BBFC – as the regulator of content released on physical media – has also cut the scene under the Video Recordings Act 1984, meaning it must not be included on releases on formats such as Blu-Ray and DVD. UK television channels must also adhere to the Ofcom Broadcasting Code – which states no material cut refused classification by the BBFC may be broadcast to viewers – meaning the scene should also not be aired on traditional TV. Streaming platforms, however, are not bound by the same standards as film releases in cinema, DVD or on traditional television – and the RSPCA fears this provides a 'loophole' to broadcasting animal abuse long considered unacceptable on other mediums. A new piece of legislation – the Media Act – enhances Ofcom's regulation of streaming services, and the regulator is due to publish a new video-on-demand code. The RSPCA said it hoped this would deliver a 'degree of consistency' with animal-abuse content standards across cinema, home entertainment and streaming services. Many streaming services already work with the BBFC on a voluntary basis and the RSPCA hopes Ofcom will highlight this work as good practice in the new code. Mr Bowles said: 'We hope a new code of conduct under the Media Act will help close this loophole – but we need to see a degree of consistency between streaming platforms and other forms of more traditional entertainment, so people can have confidence when watching films and other shows. 'It doesn't make sense that we have robust safeguards for animal-related content shown in cinemas, on DVDs or on traditional television channels – yet those protections could go out the window when you turn on a major streaming service. We can't backtrack now on what society deems is acceptable in terms of how we treat animals.' Disney+ has been contacted for comment. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Disney ‘evades animal-cruelty law' over rat-drowning scene
Disney has been accused of exploiting a loophole in animal cruelty rules by screening scenes of a rodent being forcibly immersed in a liquid. The RSPCA has criticised Disney over its decision to screen the scene in the film The Abyss where a real rat is deliberately submerged in fluorocarbon liquid. The scene has been cut from all previous screenings of the film after being banned by the British Board for Film Classification (BBFC) from cinema and TV over animal welfare concerns. The BBFC took advice from the RSPCA, the largest animal welfare charity in the UK, which said the 'forcible immersion of the rat caused terror' and amounted to animal cruelty. Because streaming platforms such as Disney+ are not covered to the same standards by BBFC or Ofcom rules as cinema, DVD or traditional TV channels, they are not technically breaching any codes. David Bowles, the RSPCA's head of public affairs, said: 'The RSPCA is really concerned that a loophole currently exists allowing animal abuse scenes deemed unacceptable elsewhere to be streamed freely and legally into our homes. 'The Abyss' controversial rat scene has long concerned the RSPCA, and has always been deemed unacceptable by BBFC – so it's hard to fathom out why Disney+ has decided to broadcast it. We need to ensure people are not being exposed to content which promotes or showcases cruelty to animals. 'As the way millions of households consume entertainment changes, it's vital the legal framework is responsive to that and continues to consistently protect people and animals.' While the rats used during filming are said to have survived the ordeal, the scene remains prohibited from UK cinema screenings, DVD and traditional TV. Given the infliction of terror, the scene was cut by the BBFC under the Cinematograph Films (Animals) Act 1937, meaning it must be cut for any theatrical use. The BBFC – as the regulator of content released on physical media – has also cut the scene under the Video Recordings Act 1984, meaning it must not be included on releases on formats such as Blu-Ray and DVD. UK television channels must also adhere to the Ofcom Broadcasting Code – which states no material cut refused classification by the BBFC may be broadcast to viewers – meaning the scene should also not be aired on traditional TV. Streaming platforms, however, are not bound by the same standards as film releases in cinema, DVD or on traditional television – and the RSPCA fears this provides a 'loophole' to broadcasting animal abuse long considered unacceptable on other mediums. New code of conduct wanted A new piece of legislation – the Media Act – enhances Ofcom's regulation of streaming services, and the regulator is due to publish a new video-on-demand code. The RSPCA said it hoped this would deliver a 'degree of consistency' with animal-abuse content standards across cinema, home entertainment and streaming services. Many streaming services already work with the BBFC on a voluntary basis and the RSPCA hopes Ofcom will highlight this work as good practice in the new code. Mr Bowles said: 'We hope a new code of conduct under the Media Act will help close this loophole – but we need to see a degree of consistency between streaming platforms and other forms of more traditional entertainment, so people can have confidence when watching films and other shows. 'It doesn't make sense that we have robust safeguards for animal-related content shown in cinemas, on DVDs or on traditional television channels – yet those protections could go out the window when you turn on a major streaming service. We can't backtrack now on what society deems is acceptable in terms of how we treat animals.'
