Certified Animal Action Overview

No Animals Were Harmed™ in the making of this film. Here’s how it was achieved! From fish in a boy’s bedroom to a rabbit in the dunes, every animal was carefully monitored to warrant their safety. The fish in the aquarium scenes lived temporarily at the location under expert care, with handlers maintaining clean water and proper temperature until it was safely returned to the store from which they came from. On the beach, a friendly dog had time to meet the actors and explore the setting before cameras rolled. Even the rabbit in the woods was gently guided with a soft collar and line, hopping naturally through a secured area before being carried back to safety.

Detailed Animal Action Report

In the several scenes that takes place in the son’s room and there’s an aquarium with a fish inside, the fish lived at this location for a few weeks with the handlers checking and changing the water prior to shooting the scenes. The fish expert also checked the water temperature regularly. After they finished filming these scenes, they returned the fish to the store where they came from.

In the scene where several actors walk on the beach and one of them walks a dog on a leash, prior to shooting the scene, the trainers brought the dog to the beach let him get acclimated with the actors. The beach was locked off from the public. Prior to shooting the scene, the trainer gave the actor the dog and leash. On action, the actors walked the dog, stopped on their mark and exchanged dialogue.

The dead fish in the water was created through CGI.

In the scene where the actors walk out of the woods, see a rabbit and shoot it with a crossbow (we never see the rabbit get shot with an arrow, it’s implied), prior to filming, the rabbit was fitted with a collar and line that was attached to a long reel. This was achieved in the back of the trainer’s van with the rabbit in her carrier. The rabbit was brought to location in carrier. The dunes area where the scene took place was fenced off with chicken wire to the ground, preventing the rabbit from escaping. The trainer then placed the rabbit on the grass then stepped away, keeping hold of the line connected to her collar. On action, the rabbit naturally hopped from point A to point B. After they called cut, the trainer placed the rabbit back in the carrier and took her back to the van.