Hollywood is home to many famous movie stars. But it's not only humans that make it in Hollywood. Many animals have become famous because of their acting skills.
It takes a special animal to be a movie star. Animal actors have to be well-trained. They must behave on a movie set.
Animal actors work with handlers. They train them to do lots of tasks. Dogs are trained to wag their tails or lick somebody. Horses are asked to stand up on their back legs.
Animals and actors become close. Trigger the horse was a famous horse actor. Trigger the horse acted with Roy Rogers, a famous actor, in many movies. Trigger could do at least 150 tricks. He was a clever horse.
Rogers and Trigger shared a special bond. Rogers loved the horse so much. He decided to buy Trigger. They continued to act together. Rogers took the horse to visit children in hospitals. They all loved Trigger. Rogers wanted to be buried with Trigger when he died.
One of the most famous animal actors was Pal. Pal was a dog. Pal played Lassie in famous films and a television show. Pal played Lassie in seven films.
When he was too old, his children took his place. They played the same role. Pal died at age 18. That's old for a dog. He had an amazing life. He had an amazing career.
Sometimes, animals in movies can speak. Training animals to speak is not easy! This is when we need voiceovers.
Actors speak for the animals. The voice is added after the acting. Voice actors must choose the right voice for the right animal. Some animals sound clever. Some animals sound silly.
Babe the pig is a famous talking animal. He was a brave pig. He had a cute voice.
Hollywood is not always kind to animal actors. Sometimes animals get hurt. While filming an Oscar-winning film, a tiger named King almost drowned. He was acting in a large water tank. He tried to swim to the side, but he got lost. He almost drowned trying to escape.
The American Humane Association was worried. They looked for other Hollywood movies using animals. They wanted to make sure they were safe. Life for the animals is better. But it is not perfect.
Some people say that acting is stressful for wild animals. Wild animals are hard to control. Some people think that they don't get enough food and water. This makes them easier to control on movie sets. But this can make them angry. It can put people in danger.
Bears and monkeys are exotic animals. They can be dangerous. Should they work with humans?
Animal actors can be great. But we must take care of them. We must respect them. We must make clear rules to keep the animals safe.