Four-legged, tailed, waterfowl, striped, and carnivorous animals, acting in films, delight viewers no less than movie stars. We decided to recall the acting work of animals in the most popular films of recent years.
Jack Russell Terrier Uggs, the film “The Artist”
The dog with the “shoe” nickname Uggs became a world celebrity after filming the Oscar-winning film “The Artist”. But the path to world fame was not easy! As a child, Uggie was sneaky and noisy. Desperate to raise a puppy, the first owners were going to take the Uggs to the shelter. But the little one was lucky. Uggs caught the eye of a professional dog breeder, who made a star out of a dog. The role in “The Artist” is far from his first film work. In addition, the dog, as part of a famous dog troupe, has traveled all over America with his signature number – exercise on a skateboard. Now the hard life of a touring artist in the past, Uggs is a popular socialite attending movie premieres and parties. But no less glory, the four-legged star loves jewelry. His home collection already has a couple of collars from the Chopard Jewelry House. Here is such a four-legged Cinderella.
13 Horses as Joey in War Horse
Steven Spielberg’s film, based on the English play War Horse, is told by Joey the peasant horse, who talks about his relationship with the country boy Albert. A young man goes to the front for his horse during the First World War. 13 horses of the same breed were cast for the main role at once. And to make them look the same in the frame, special overlays and makeup were used. Working with the leading actor was not easy for the renowned director. And it’s not that the horses were capricious. In his youth, on the set of the film, Steven Spielberg fell from his horse and severely injured his back, the injury is still making itself felt. Therefore, the director’s attitude to noble animals is very ambiguous. Spielberg admits that he is more sympathetic to the rats, which starred in “War Horse” in huge numbers. “People shouldn’t be afraid of rats. They just bite and spread diseases, ”the director reassured the film crew.
Pebles the Cat as Mrs. Norris, Harry Potter Film Series
In the film story about the wizard Harry Potter, there were a lot of animals – this was the owl Buckle, and the Crookshanks – Hermione’s pet, the Scabbard rat, under the guise of which the animagus wizard Peter Pettigrew was hiding for 12 years, and Hagrid’s dog Fang, the size of his master. The filmmakers did not use computer technology and invited professional animal actors for these roles. The longest contract was signed with the cat Pebles, who played the role of Mrs. Norris – the cat of the caretaker of the Hogwarts school, Mr. Filch. Emphasizing the magical connection between Filch and his spy cat, the make-up artists glued fluff to the Pebles every shooting day, used a hair styling gel – they created the same dirty, wet and terrifying look as the owner. And the red eyes, which so frightened Harry and his friends, were painted on the cat by the animators.
Keiko the killer whale in the Free Willy trilogy
The film about how a twelve-year-old boy Jesse rescues Willy the killer whale from the captivity of the aquarium has truly become a cult classic. The picture was immediately dismantled for movie quotes, and the kiss of an animal and a boy received the main MTV award. The main role in the picture was played by the male killer whale Keiko, his understudy was only a mechanical model of a whale, made so skillfully that Keiko himself even tried to communicate with her. After the screening of the Willie trilogy in the United States, the Free Willie Keiko charity foundation was created, whose members demanded that the animal be released. But Keiko’s release turned into a tragedy – literally a year later he fell ill with pneumonia and died off the coast of Norway. In the city of Halas, on the bank of the fjord, at the grave of Keiko, fans of the film erected a monument to the legendary killer whale actor.
Bengal Tiger King, Life of Pi
It’s no secret that in Ang Lee’s Oscar-winning film, the tiger is almost always digital. Moreover, the leading actor Suraj Sharma has never worked with wild animals on the set. Tiger King, who became the prototype of the on-screen beast, was filmed separately from the rest of the artists. The special effects team has studied the plasticity, facial expressions, and habits of the noble animal in such detail that only King’s trainer can distinguish where his ward is on the screen, and where the digital double is. But despite the increased security measures, there were some incidents during the filming of the film. And it was King who suffered! A Bengal tiger nearly drowned while filming on the high seas. The miraculously escaped animal was sent to recuperate in the clinic. The work was completed by specialists in digital graphics.
22 dogs as prankster Marley in Marley and Me
22 Labradors took part in the filming of a comedy melodrama about a young family and their naughty dog. The plot of the film covers 10 years of difficult relationship between the heroes Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson with their prankster Labrador Marley. That is why the director needed both small puppies and adult dogs for the filming. The audience loved the film history of the “discounted” dog so much that the picture entered the top films at the box office in 2008.
Samantha’s Yorkshire Terrier in Sex and the City
The four-legged star of the first full-length film “Sex and the City” was the dog Gidget. As planned by the scriptwriter Michael Patrick King, Samantha was supposed to appear in the film as a mongrel with irrepressible sexual energy. And that would become a kind of metaphor for Samantha’s life. But it turned out that finding a dog that can do “it” on camera is not so easy. After a long search, we chose the trimmed Yorkshire Terrier Gidget. The dog behaved like a real diva. Due to her stellar whims, it was even necessary to change the filming schedule of her partner, Kim Cattrall. Gidget could only act in intimate scenes in the morning. Kim was sympathetic to the dog’s whims.
Monkey Crystal is the star of the movie “Bachelor Party: From Vegas to Bangkok”
Crystal is the highest paid and famous monkey in the world cinema. Success came to her after participating in the second part of “The Bachelor Party”. Crystal did the part so well that her character was even featured on the official poster. At the premiere of the film in Bangkok, the tailed actress appeared in a dress with a deep neckline and a pearl necklace. With her grimaces and leaps, Crystal eclipsed all the stars on the red carpet. And the career of a Capuchin actor began with participation in the film “George of the Jungle”. The monkey made a great showing, and job offers went one after another: “Night at the Museum”, “My Boyfriend from the Zoo”, “American Pie”, “Doctor Dolittle”, “We Bought a Zoo.” You can also see the monkey in one of the episodes of the popular TV series “House”, where Crystal sits on Hugh Laurie’s shoulder.
