Wolves in Hollywood

Wolves have been in movies for many years, typically as the villain. I guess every movie has to have a bad guy. While they do get to be the bad guy quite often, sometimes they do get to play the good guy parts too. Typically this satisfies those of us who love the wolves, seeing our favorite animal as the hero. The one thing that is fairly evident is that the more movies they get used in, the more it seems to put people on one side of the fence or the other. There really is no middle ground anymore. The other thing that has changed is the way these creatures are being bred and trained for the movies. This has helped, for those that have wanted to learn more, to educate themselves and others about these amazing creatures.

As I wrote in a previous blog about wolves and wolf-dogs, breeding has changed a bit so that the animals they use are able to work in intense situations and have the looks that are needed. This has helped with regard to training these incredibly intelligent animals. Wolves do not NEED people as they were on their own for a very long time and have adapted that independence that dogs just don’t have. This means that the wolves used in movies are being bred and trained differently than even ten years ago. This is a big win for the animals who do play parts in movies. There is more understanding in getting them to do what is needed and how to get them to do it in a positive manner. More emphasis on utilizing their natural talents means the movies are getting as real of behavior as possible. This is a great win for the wolves of Hollywood.

While not every wolf shown in the movies is a real wolf, there are more opportunities to use real wolves as they are able to handle the work. This also allows the animators to see how real wolves may react so that their animations can look more realistic as well. And we all know that wolves aren’t going to stay out of the movies because there are so many of us that absolutely love them and everything they stand for. Making Hollywood more understanding with regard to how animals are treated is very important. It would be great if the wolves could be the heroes in most of the movies, but as I said before, somebody’s gotta play the bad guy. And after all, their snarls really are something quite intimidating, just as the beauty of their run. So enjoy your wolf shows, Game of Thrones, True Blood, and the movies like the Twilight series, Dances with wolves, and many others. Wolves will continue to make us laugh, dream, and smile in the movies into the future. Their movements and behaviors have intoxicated us for a very long time and that’s not about to change any time soon.

For now, reach for the stars, believe in yourself, and howl at the moon for the sheer joy of it. Forever Follow the Wolf.

Written By Samantha Ford

A couple of Links:

Wolf Totem Featurette – Wolf Training

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ose281paguk

Instinct For Film

http://www.instinctforfilm.com/wolves