Enviro-doc Earthlings gets special edition DVD

Joaquin Phoenix narrated 2005 film on animal-using companies

By Danny King -- Video Business, 10/13/2008

OCT. 13 | A 2005 film that profiles companies that are completely dependent on animals was released as a special edition DVD today.

Earthlings, narrated by actor Joaquin Phoenix, exposes companies in the clothing, food, entertainment and other industries that use animals in some way for their products.

The DVD of the film, which was originally 95 minutes, includes 25 extra minutes of deleted footage as well as subtitles in 10 languages, according to producer Nation Earth.

Earthlings, which includes music from Moby, has been one of the 50 most downloaded films on Google Video for more than a year, according to Nation Earth. In addition to pet stores and puppy mills, the movie focuses on industries such as the fur trade as well as scientific practices.

Originally distributed on DVD in November 2005, the film was an outgrowth of the work of writer/director Shaun Monson on public-service announcements about spaying and neutering pets.