Everyone Needs to See ‘Ferdinand,’ and That’s No Bull

The world is falling in love with a gentle, silly bull—and bullfights are falling out of favor.

Based on the classic children’s tale, Ferdinand tells the story of a happy, peace-loving bull who sniffs flowers and brakes for bunnies—and of his epic adventure to escape after he’s stolen from his family by men who want him to fight.

“Ferdinand is like a very big, very strong family pet,” says John Cena, the pro wrestler who voices the hero bull. “But the world sees Ferdinand as one thing, a fighter. I know exactly how Ferdinand feels. The movie sends a message that resonates very strongly with me. Don’t judge a bull by his cover.”

Twentieth Century Fox partnered with PETA’s friends at animal sanctuary The Gentle Barn to create this “film about misunderstood animals and their right to be free.” And in celebration, The Gentle Barn has named one of its rescued baby bulls Ferdinand.

It’s no wonder that Ferdinand wants nothing to do with the bullring. Every year, thousands just like him are repeatedly stabbed by picadors and banderilleros, before finally being killed by a matador. Many of those used in the Running of the Bulls are later killed in bullfights. These gory spectacles have been banned in several nations and more than 100 towns in Spain, and even former champion bullfighters are now speaking out against it.

Please, never patronize bullfights—and ask the travel companies that you use to stop offering them as excursions. You can also pick up PETA’s Ferdinand-inspired “Pick Flowers, Not Fights” shirt to remind everyone who sees it to “[b]e kind to all.”

After all, bulls are cruelty-free vegans, too.