WATER FOR ELEPHANTS Wins Second-Ever Pony Award for Animal-Friendly Theater Production

And the Pony goes to … Water for Elephants! PETA is awarding the production team with its second-ever Pony Award—the organization’s play on a Tony, honoring the most animal-friendly theater productions—for creating lifelike puppets and special effects to portray an entire cast of animal characters, including not only Rosie the elephant but also a dog, a camel, a peacock, llamas, and big cats. The production also incorporates powerful messaging about how animals suffer in circuses and showcases dazzling human performances, such as acrobatics, aerial dancing, and ropedancing.
 
“Water for Elephants is putting human artistry front and center—from its talented two-legged performers to its visionary production team’s exquisite animal renderings,” says PETA Senior Vice President Lisa Lange. “PETA encourages everyone in the entertainment industry to follow its example by bringing animals to the stage and screen through creativity, not cruelty.”
 
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—awarded its inaugural Pony Award to Life of Pi for similar puppetry wizardry.