17 Eye-Opening Films And Documentaries That Made People Cut Out Meat

The scenes that changed everything.

We recently asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us what films kickstarted them on their vegetarian journies. Here's what they said.

1. Cowspiracy

Netflix

"I had wanted to go veggie for years and after an illness made me unable to try, I started university and three of my flatmates happened to be meat-free, and their eating habits didn't seem so bad. After that, watching the graphic scenes in Cowspiricy on Netflix really helped the decision!"

—hollyk43b42306e

"Cowspiracy helped me start, then I just continued my own research!"

—gabbe1403

2. Earthlings

Nation Earth

"I always loved the taste of meat – I even said about myself 'I would never be able to go veggie'. But the day that watched this movie, everything changed. I was so disgusted by everything I saw, I decided to become a vegetarian immediately. At first, I resisted eating meat simply due to the cruelty that animals have to face, but I found so many more reasons as I started to do some research online – the impact of the meat industry on our environment was another important issue for me."

—monap45e78a4c2

3. Dark Tourist

Netflix

"I switched fairly recently – while watching the Netflix show they showed pigs and cows being sacrificed. When the host objected, the locals made the point that this is what happens to animals everywhere and we don't object because we don't see it. I haven't eaten meat since."

—meganp400ce1037

4. What the Health

A.U.M. Films & Media

"My husband walked in on me crying about how we're ruining the planet, torturing animals, and hurting our own health. He asked me to restart the movie so he could watch it with me and we made the switch that day."

—kakowale

5. Legally Blonde 2

MGM Distribution Co.

"Watching them focus on animal rights was too overwhelming for me to keep eating meat."

—connorr48667c4a3

6. Before the Flood

National Geographic Documentary Films

"After watching it my point of view completely changed! The meat industry is so bad for the environment and contributing to an industry like that just felt bad."

—agnesl4077c33f6

7. Okja

Netflix

"The film has this one scene where they factory farm the animals, and another scene where they do experiments on them. Even though it’s fake it was enough to put me off eating meat!"

—jameshughes292004

"That film created some changes in the way that I perceived my food along with the cattle and pork industry."

—gina1912

8. David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet

Netflix

"Seeing how much of the world has been destroyed at the hands of the meat industry, despite the fact that there are sustainable food sources available, had a big impact on me. I barely ate meat before, but this solidified it."

–its_hanifahh

9. Vegucated

GetVegucated

"I watched it with my boyfriend and literally 10 minutes in I said, 'I'm going to be a vegetarian.' It was that instant. I've always loved animals, but I also lived with the naive guise that what I did didn't really matter. But I felt like a total hypocrite saying I loved animals and then literally eating them. My boyfriend also went veggie, and we've been recently transitioned toward veganism (it's a slippery slope once you do your research)."

—alexisr4e2f2b255

10. Planet Earth 2

BBC

"I had such empathy and compassion for the animals that I couldn't eat them anymore. Now it's been a year and a half with no cheating and I honestly feel great."

—sabrinar4c9f1db7a

11. Chicken Run

Pathé Distribution / DreamWorks Pictures

"I was 11 and I watched the movie so many times that I stopped eating meat because of the cartoon chickens. I’m almost 26 now and am still a vegetarian. The older I got the more I learned about factory farming and the benefits of a plant-based diet, and I never had the desire to eat meat again. Thanks Chicken Run!"

—emcg92

"'But I don’t want to be a pie!' 😭"

—louloumichelle

12. Forks over Knives

Virgil Films and Entertainment

"It's definitely an eye-opening experience. I have since gone back to meat but in limited quantities, and I will strongly consider going back at some point."

—skorpiodre

13. The Cove

Warning This image is graphic Tap to reveal Click to reveal

Lionsgate / Roadside Attractions

"The fact that they eat dolphin (which contain high levels of mercury), and then sell it to everyone else labeled as something else made me sick."

—kristinf41d2f3027

14. Charlotte's Web

Paramount Pictures

"I watched it last year for the first time in years and I actually cried. Because you could see it from the perspective of the animals, it was just the last thing that pushed me to cut out meat."

—swanqueen61

15. Land of Hope and Glory

Land of Hope and Glory

"I was already veggie, but when I watched this, it was solidified for me and I went full vegan. It’s so insightful into the UK meat industry and how so much of it is propaganda. So many people think veggies and vegans are preachy and angry but this isn’t true most of the time – this film shows the honest truth without any preaching or making meat-eaters feel bad."

—claudiag41f20c7cf

16. Babe

Universal Pictures

"James Cromwell, who played Arthur Hoggett movies, said during the filming of the first film, he realised animals had souls and were devoted to each other. He completely gave up meat and all animal materials used in clothing. He became a huge animal rights advocate. I love animals so much!"

—audreys4a6196a57

17. Food Inc

Magnolia Pictures

"I watched it in my seventh-grade science class and it disgusted me so badly that I still don't eat meat till this day... I'm 22 now."

—gabik45d06dc4f

Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.

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