‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ urges us to defend real animals

As Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 lights up the box office, its glow is reaching animals who are rarely seen: those in laboratories. Through the powerful stories of the central character Rocket Raccoon, alongside Floor the rabbit, Teefs the walrus and Lylla the otter, we are urged to empathize with real animals.

The animal characters are, of course, digital fictional creations — no real animals were harmed. Yet, understandably, many viewers are having intense emotional responses to seeing the animals be held in cages and mechanized contraptions where they are subjected to bodily mutilation and psychological terror.

Major animal advocates are heralding the film as revolutionary. In PETA’s view, the film’s truth bombs give “a name, and a personality [to] the millions of vulnerable animals being cycled through laboratories” everyday.