There’s definitely an element of truth to saying modern society tends to get offended a lot more easily than previous generations did, but that doesn’t mean every film or television project that bears even the slightest potential to create controversy risks the wrath of the cancel culture crowd, although Idris Elba doesn’t seem to think so.
We’re not even talking about one of the actor’s gritty crime thrillers or hard-hitting action flicks, either, but an R-rated animated feature. Strays has been a long time coming, having recently seen its release date pushed back to August 23, but the day is edging closer when audiences will get to see if the star-studded romp lives up to its billing as a headline-grabber.
The story finds Will Ferrell’s terrier abandoned by his animal-hating drug addict of an owner, leading him to team up with fellow canines voiced by Jamie Foxx, Isla Fisher, and Randall Park. Elba also plays a part in director Josh Greenbaum’s latest, and he claimed to The Hollywood Reporter that things get so spicy there’s a genuine risk of cancellation on the ensemble’s part.
“It was very, what can I say, freeing. But it’s definitely not PC. Properly. We might all get canceled. But it was a lot of fun to make, and I hope people love it because it’s my sense of humor. “
The last R-rated animation to deal in the same sort of humor was Sausage Party, and that didn’t leave anyone clutching their pearls despite climaxing with a full-blown orgy between various perishables. Then again, Elba is more than likely to know something we don’t, so maybe Strays will end up leaving jaws on the floor for all the wrong reasons.