Cobby: The Other Side of Cute

Synopsis

This documentary explores Cobby's Hobbies, a 1960's childrens TV program featuring Cobby, a chimpanzee which becomes the catalyst for the film. We meet people that made the show, zoo friends, zoo keepers and animal rights activists that piece together a story of an animal that was stolen from his natural habitat to work on TV before being retired into the San Francisco zoo at age 7. Cobby had it lucky - most chimps in entertainment suffered horrifically, becoming research animals or caged in roadside zoos. This documentary examines how we perceive animals in entertainment and how we address their plight now.