Certified Animal Action Overview

No Animals Were Harmed™ proudly oversaw the animal action in this film, making sure every moment was guided by care, calm and respect. A monkey seen outside the van was brought to life entirely through CGI/VFX, so no live animal was involved in that scene. For the lively marketplace set pieces, chickens were transported, kept comfortable in shaded, air-conditioned holding areas and placed in simple pens where actors passed by at a safe distance. A background dog was handled by a professional trainer, rewarded for calm behavior, protected from the sun between takes and never put under stress. Even the quiet boat scene with a perched bird was carefully prepared, with the bird acclimated to the setting, calmly guided into position and positively reinforced.

Detailed Animal Action Report

In the scene where two actors hide in the back of the van and a girl opens curtains to reveal a monkey outside the monkey was created through CGI/VFX.

In the scene where a girl on a motorbike arrives at a village and walks through the marketplace and she walks past chickens in a wire enclosure to the side of the path through the markets, prior to shooting the chickens were brought to the set in travel crates in the handler’s vehicle. After the wranglers arrived, the chickens were transported in crates to large an air-conditioned shed alongside the set. The props department built a makeshift pen for the chickens near the marketplace. On action, the actress rode the motorbike into the market and came to a stop and turned it off. The bike was only fifteen meters from the chickens. She walked past them naturally.

In the scene where the van pulls up to the marketplace and the actors get out and walk through the area and we see chickens and a dog tied to a pole in the background, wranglers brought the chickens in carriers to the set and placed them in makeshift pen (like above). The dog’s wrangler brought him to set and positioned him in the middle of the market where he’ll be featured in the background. The dog was given treats and cued by trainer to stay calm. Between takes they held an umbrella over dog.

In the scene where the actors sit at a table on boat with a bird on perch in background, the bird was acclimated to surroundings prior to filming in crate. Prior to filming the scene the bird was placed on the back of chair and given a reward by wrangler and told to stay in position.