Thanks To "Blackfish", SeaWorld San Diego Will Stop Their Orca Shows In 2016

Willy, freed. (Almost.)

SeaWorld in San Diego will bring to an end its orca shows by the end of 2016.

The move comes after years of diminished attendance and a drop in revenue, attributed to the devastating 2013 documentary Blackfish.

SeaWorld’ chief executive Joel Manby said it will replace the “Californian Shamu” show with “an all new orca experience focused on the natural environment [of the whales].”

“We are listening to our guests, evolving as a company, we are always changing,” he added.

However, the orca whale performances will continue at SeaWorld in San Antonio, Texas and Orlando, Florida.

The doco, from director Gabriela Cowperthwaite, outlined the cruelty of keeping orcas in captivity, as well as the human toll caused by the containment of killer whales. (Three people, including trainer Dawn Brancheau, have been killed by SeaWorld’s signature orca, Tilikum.)

In the years since the picture’s release, numerous musicians have canceled planned concerts at SeaWorld, including Barenaked Ladies, The Beach Boys and Pat Benatar.

Even films such as Paper Towns and Finding Dory reworked their scripts accordingly; the former excised the presence of SeaWorld entirely, despite it being depicted in the book, while the latter brought Cowperthwaite onboard to alter their planned depiction of a marine park.

Though it's disappointing SeaWorld won't extend their new Orca-friendly policy to all parks, this is certainly a step in the right direction.

It's also proof positive that movies can indeed make a difference. Let's hope the presumably now totally incendiary Finding Dory helps inspire outrage on an even wider scale than Blackfish miraculously managed.