Willie Nelson Among Artists Canceling Shows at Seaworld After Debut of Documentary ‘Blackfish’ [VIDEO]

A documentary about the dangers of keeping whales in captivity is causing big waves for Seaworld, including the cancellation of several musical performances. The film focuses on the captivity of the Orca named Tilikum who was responsible for the deaths of three people.

The film starts with the whale's capture in 1983 and follows the progress of captured whales. It demonstrates the harrassment they face from other whales in captivity and the small dark tanks they're originally kept in, which the filmmakers claim leads to their aggression. It alleges that it's the treatment of the animals that caused Tilikum to kill a trainer. Seaworld originally claimed that the Orca mistook the woman's ponytail for a toy or a fish and that's why he pulled her in to the tank.

'Blackfish,' directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite, debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in January of 2013 and it's been making waves for Seaworld ever since.Now, musical artists are starting to refuse to perform at the park, either because they were affected by the documentary or because they're afraid of the backlash if they agree to perform.

Yahoo! reports that Willie Nelson dropped out last week, although his staff cited a scheduling conflict. But he's joining the ranks of legendary rock group Heart and Barenaked Ladies in saying 'no' to the park's concert series. Heart and Barenaked Ladies band members have gone public with their displeasure about Seaworld following the documentary.

Check out the trailer for 'Blackfish.' Is it accurate? Or is it a fabrication and distortion of the facts in order to make money? It will be interesting to see. And it certainly looks intriguing!