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Cobby: The Other Side of Cute

Cobby: The Other Side of Cute

★ 8.22018Movie1 h 25 mAustralia

Documentary

This documentary explores Cobby's Hobbies, a 1960's childrens TV program featuring Cobby, a chimpanzee which becomes the catalyst for the film. We meet people that made the show, zoo friends, zoo keepers and animal rights activists that piece together a story of an animal that was stolen from his natural habitat to work on TV before being retired into the San Francisco zoo at age 7. Cobby had it lucky - most chimps in entertainment suffered horrifically, becoming research animals or caged in roadside zoos. This documentary examines how we perceive animals in entertainment and how we address their plight now.

33 people rated

🔇

Cobby: The Other Side of Cute

2018

R

1 h 25 m

Australia

Documentary

This documentary explores Cobby's Hobbies, a 1960's childrens TV program featuring Cobby, a chimpanzee which becomes the catalyst for the film. We meet people that made the show, zoo friends, zoo keepers and animal rights activists that piece together a story of an animal that was stolen from his natural habitat to work on TV before being retired into the San Francisco zoo at age 7. Cobby had it lucky - most chimps in entertainment suffered horrifically, becoming research animals or caged in roadside zoos. This documentary examines how we perceive animals in entertainment and how we address their plight now.

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8.2 /10

33 people rated

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Top Cast(5)

Michael Vale

Director

Donna McRae

Director

Michael Vale

Writer

Donna McRae

Writer

Uri Mizrahi

Writer

User Review

franchou

24/11/2025 22:39

Cobby: The Other Side of Cute

😎Omar💲Elhmali😎

24/11/2025 22:39

Cobby: The Other Side of Cute

Alishaa

28/04/2023 04:33

Fantastic documentary which shows the reality behind the use of animals in TV shows etc. It has a warm heart and has been brought to us by people who care. Fantastic viewing and it packs an emotional wallop. Highly recommended to animal lovers or people who enjoy a fascinating documentary. Cobby's story - and that of other beautiful creatures like him who've been ill treated by humans deserves to be known far and wide. A gem of a show.

glow princess

28/04/2023 04:33

Colby: The other side of cute, is thought provoking, entertaining, yet confronting, drawing both emotions of happiness and sadness. It displays an impressive depth of research portraying the fascinating lives of those connected s 1960's program.

.

28/04/2023 04:33

Wishing to find her childhood TV "friend", filmmaker Donna McRae travels to the other side of the world. She not only finds him, but also learns the truths of animal entertainment in Hollywood and the accompanying uses scientists make of them in universities and at NASA, along the way. It is a joyful documentary in honouring Cobby, but the dark underbelly of such cuteness exposes another side of what has been presented to children as entertainment. This documentary was mostly made with public funding, on a shoestring budget, but the love and honesty within the documentary is priceless.

cute sid 143

28/04/2023 04:33

It shows how intuitive, perceptive and sensitive animals are and the evil things we do to them....knowing their suffering. It's also morons like the reviewer mattenhof with their infantile logic that the planet can do without. Humans, at one point, simply killed each other and took their stuff bc they wanted it. So by your justification, I can do the same to you and not have any of these "narrow" thoughts huh?

Anita Gordon

28/04/2023 04:33

The filmmakers' attempt to rekindle nostalgic memories quickly become something deeper and darker. A touching and important doco.

melinachettri❣

28/04/2023 04:33

A very well documented story of the life of Cobby, the fun, the family, the hardship, the trauma, and finally his peace..

Anjali Adhikari

28/04/2023 04:33

We all have childhood memories. This is a beautifully constructed film on what lies behind one particular memory. The insights reveal shared memories and lessons on how humankind impact the lives of animals. Recommended for all that care to see.

— No more content —

User Review

franchou

24/11/2025 22:39

Cobby: The Other Side of Cute

😎Omar💲Elhmali😎

24/11/2025 22:39

Cobby: The Other Side of Cute

Alishaa

28/04/2023 04:33

Fantastic documentary which shows the reality behind the use of animals in TV shows etc. It has a warm heart and has been brought to us by people who care. Fantastic viewing and it packs an emotional wallop. Highly recommended to animal lovers or people who enjoy a fascinating documentary. Cobby's story - and that of other beautiful creatures like him who've been ill treated by humans deserves to be known far and wide. A gem of a show.

glow princess

28/04/2023 04:33

Colby: The other side of cute, is thought provoking, entertaining, yet confronting, drawing both emotions of happiness and sadness. It displays an impressive depth of research portraying the fascinating lives of those connected s 1960's program.

.

28/04/2023 04:33

Wishing to find her childhood TV "friend", filmmaker Donna McRae travels to the other side of the world. She not only finds him, but also learns the truths of animal entertainment in Hollywood and the accompanying uses scientists make of them in universities and at NASA, along the way. It is a joyful documentary in honouring Cobby, but the dark underbelly of such cuteness exposes another side of what has been presented to children as entertainment. This documentary was mostly made with public funding, on a shoestring budget, but the love and honesty within the documentary is priceless.

cute sid 143

28/04/2023 04:33

It shows how intuitive, perceptive and sensitive animals are and the evil things we do to them....knowing their suffering. It's also morons like the reviewer mattenhof with their infantile logic that the planet can do without. Humans, at one point, simply killed each other and took their stuff bc they wanted it. So by your justification, I can do the same to you and not have any of these "narrow" thoughts huh?

Anita Gordon

28/04/2023 04:33

The filmmakers' attempt to rekindle nostalgic memories quickly become something deeper and darker. A touching and important doco.

melinachettri❣

28/04/2023 04:33

A very well documented story of the life of Cobby, the fun, the family, the hardship, the trauma, and finally his peace..

Anjali Adhikari

28/04/2023 04:33

We all have childhood memories. This is a beautifully constructed film on what lies behind one particular memory. The insights reveal shared memories and lessons on how humankind impact the lives of animals. Recommended for all that care to see.

— No more content —