- We believe that the directors argument is that capturing animals, specifically killer whales, and putting them in places like SeaWorld is not good for the animals or the people around them. We believe this because throughout the film there are clips of animals being injured or injuring others and there are many interviews that talk about the danger and problems with putting wild killer whales in captivity.
- For example, in captivity whales from all over the world of different nations are put together and this causes aggression between the whales. An extreme case that was shown in film was when Kandu was trying to assert her dominance and rammed into Corky which fractured Corky's jaw and punctured a major artery and caused her to bleed to death.
- An example of whales being harmful to humans in captivity was between Tamarie, a trainer and two whales, Orkid and Splash. Tamarie was sitting on the edge of the pool, petting the whales when they pulled her in and under water. Thanks to another trainer she was saved but she ended up with a compound fracture in her arm.
- A more extreme example is of Dawn Brancheau, an experienced trainer, who was pulled under water, mutilated and killed by Tilikum. The argument of this film is that putting killer whales, like Tilikum, in captivity, is dangerous for the whales and any humans around them and can result in injuries or even death.