Thanks to the new biopic, “Michael,” viewers are being reminded about all kinds of aspects of the late singer’s life. That includes the fact that he once had a pet chimpanzee named Bubbles.
If you’ve ever wondered what happened to Bubbles, you’ll be interested to find out that he’s still alive and thriving.
Bubbles Was Rescued from a Research Facility
“Michael Jackson’s love of animals takes center stage in the new biopic ‘Michael,'” according to Variety.
For those who haven’t seen the new film, Variety explains that “[f]eatured in the movie are several of Jackson’s pets that he owned when he still lived at his family estate in Encino, Calif., including a llama, giraffe and a python as well as the most famous of them all, his chimpanzee Bubbles.”
Variety also notes that the biopic “introduces Bubbles when he is first delivered to Michael (Jaafar Jackson) as his family looks on in horror. His mother, Katherine (Nia Long), questions her son’s choice, asking him if he realizes that chimpanzees are ‘wild animals’ that don’t belong in a house in the suburban San Fernando Valley.”
As for how Jackson first got the chimpanzee, the star “rescued Bubbles in the 1980s from a research facility in Texas. The King of Pop brought Bubbles on tour and the chimp was even his plus-one at his lawyer John Branca’s wedding.” That’s not to mention the fact that Jackson “and Bubbles sipped tea together while visiting government officials in Japan in 1987.”
While at Neverland Ranch, Bubbles “slept in a crib in Jackson’s bedroom,” per Variety. “When he became bigger and more aggressive, Bubbles was sent to an animal trainer for a couple of years. Now 43 years old, Bubbles has lived at the Center for Great Apes, a sanctuary in Wauchula, Fla., since 2005.”
Patti Ragan, the founding director of Great Apes, says Jackson was planning to visit Bubbles when the singer passed away in 2009. She also noted that the Jackson estate still pays for Bubbles’ care.
“He’s such a sweet, sweet guy,” Ragan told Variety. “People still picture him as cute little baby with a pink face that Michael carried around. But he’s [a] big boy now, about 170 pounds. He’s living with a group of five, and we’re introducing some youngsters into that group right now. Bubbles helped raise two babies when he came here.”
Those Behind the Film Discussed Using CGI Bubbles
When watching “Michael,” viewers may notice that the real Bubbles doesn’t appear, nor does an IRL lookalike. Variety mentions the fact that, “[i]nstead of using a real chimp, director Antoine Fuqua used CGI to portray Bubbles, as he also did with the llama, giraffe and python.”
“We have had continuing constructive dialogue with PETA about the portrayal of Bubbles the chimpanzee as a pet,” Lionsgate said in a statement given to Variety via PETA. “This portrayal is simply based on historical fact and is not intended to be an endorsement of keeping chimpanzees as pets.”
“So much more is known today about what chimpanzees and monkeys need to thrive, including freedom and the companionship of their peers, making film sets and human homes unacceptable for their well-being,” said Lauren Thomasson, PETA’s director of animals in film and television.
Thomasson added, “PETA praises Lionsgate’s decision not to use real animals and urges audiences to never buy primates from breeders or keep them as pets.”
