A remake of the 1943 film and the television series of the 1950s, the "Flicka" story is based on a book by Mary O'Hara. The original film starred a young Roddy McDowall as a boy who can't seem to do anything quite right, so his father gives him a colt that he is expected to raise in order to learn accountability.
For the 21st century version, the story will be updated so that the primary lead is a girl named Katie. Alison Lohman stars in this key role as a teenager who harbors dreams of running her family ranch. However, her father (Tim McGraw) is hoping that her older brother will be the one to take things over. When Katie finds a wild horse, she claims it as her own, naming the filly Flicka and showing her determination to prove that she has the capabilities of handling big responsibility.
There is cause for concern in the film's production. During filming, two horses have so far been injured and subsequently required euthanasia. The first occurred when a horse sustained a compound fracture in its hind legs, and the second took place when a rodeo horse tripped and fell. In the aftermath of these tragic events, PETA has requested that the American Humane Association give the film a rating of Monitored Unacceptable. Such a rating would mean that the disclaimer at the end of the movie - where you usually see that no animals were harmed during filming - would instead say that production included "an at-risk segment unauthorized by American Humane, resulting in injury or death of an animal." Fox 2000 responded by noting that AHA officials were on hand during filming, and that PETA is exacerbating the terrible circumstances.
Either way, these events bear watching as the release date of the film approaches. (Kim Hollis/BOP)
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