James Cameron is under fire and being accused of "endorsing cruelty of marine parks" for holding a press conference for "Avatar" at a captive dolphin show in Japan.
The famed director hyped up his newest film, "Avatar: The Way of Water," by reportedly telling attendees, "Welcome to Pandora." Just then, dolphins entered the pool with two trainers, The Daily Mail said.
James, alongside others in the film, proceeded to take questions and speak about the film while more than six dolphins performed tricks at the Tokyo marine park.
Perhaps expecting a negative reaction from animal advocates, James joked, "I'm sure everybody asked the animals permission to be in the show."
He added: "I love these animals, I love their intelligence. I love their sociability, their ability to connect with us and to interact with us and learn from us."
Following the press conference-masquerading-as-a-dolphin-show, a spokesman for the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said, "James Cameron waited 13 years for the development of the right technology to bring the underwater world of Pandora to life. So why on Earth didn't he pause for just five minutes to consider whether he should have allowed himself to be seen as endorsing the cruelty of marine parks?"
The statement, given to Plant Based News, said, "Confining far-ranging dolphins to concrete tanks and using them as surfboards – riding on their faces in circus-style shows – is something the villains of Avatar would do. PETA urges him to reject such animal misery outright and encourages everyone to shun these cruel parks."
Twitter soon lit up with others critical of the decision to hold the press conference at a marine park.
"@JimCameron had a chance to be a voice for dolphins held in captivity and make a stand. Instead he chose to ignore them so he could sell his #Avatar movie," one person said.
Another added, "You should have never exploited captive dolphins in Avatar tour press! Disappointed in your decision, Never applaud any wild animal forced to perform for you!"
Ironically, James is a vegan of 10 years.