Anti-Circus Documentary Acquired by Netflix

Netflix has announced its acquisition of the worldwide rights to documentary Tyke Elephant Outlaw, a film that profiles a circus elephant named Tyke that escaped captivity in Honolulu, HI in 1994 and killed her trainer. The plot is eerily similar to 2013 award-winning CNN documentary Blackfish that told the tale of Tilikum, a whale held captive at SeaWorld who also killed her trainer. Blackfish has been cited as the driving force behind SeaWorld’s sinking attendance, plummeting profits, negative public opinion, and recently, its decision to end orca shows at its San Diego location. Tyke Elephant Outlaw debuted at the Honolulu International Film Festival last week and is already stirring change in Hawaii, which is working with The Humane Society of the United States toward imposing a ban on wild animals being used for entertainment in circuses, carnivals, and state fairs. Netflix will begin streaming the movie in the US in December.