Certified Animal Action Overview

No Animals Were Harmed™ carefully monitored every moment of animal action in this film, with certified professionals on set to ensure each scene was safe, calm and humane. From horses, camels and donkeys to dogs, ducks, a pig and a sea lion, animals were guided by experienced handlers, given time to acclimate, and encouraged to perform simple, natural behaviors. Streets were closed, surfaces padded and environments checked and rechecked so animals could move comfortably. When scenes called for danger or complex action, filmmakers used CGI, camera tricks or lifelike animal puppets so real animals were never put at risk. The result is movie magic created with patience, planning and respect for the animals, whose well-being came first from the first rehearsal to the final cut.

Detailed Animal Action Report

In the scene where the actor walks down a busy street, eating a hotdog, and walks past a horse drawn wagon, prior to shooting production placed rubber mats over slippery areas on the street so the horse wouldn’t slip. Production also arranged for the police working on set to close open roads. The wranglers walked horse to set and hitched him to carriage. On action the horse stood still as the wrangler sat in driver’s seat of carriage holding the reins. The horse was given food and water between takes.

In the scene where we see the actor in Cairo posing for a picture with a few people and a camel and donkey standing behind them, the scene was actually filmed at a beach in New York. The post-production team added a pyramid in the background through VFX to make it look like Cairo. Prior to filming the scene, wranglers brought camels and donkeys to their marks from their holding areas. The handlers were dressed in costumes to handle their animals on camera. On action, the actor stood with other actors in costume holding the animals by their leads.

In the scene where we see a sea lion playing ping pong with lead actor in an arena, the ping pong ball was created through CGI. The seal lion was never hit a ping pong ball. Prior to shooting, our CASR and wranglers inspected the ping pong table for stability and sturdiness before the animal interacted with the table. Fencing was placed between the main floor and the stands so the background actors could not interact with the sea lion. The sea lion also had access to a pool inside its transportation trailer with clean water. Prior to filming the scene, wranglers set up a private area for sea lion while remaining close to a water source. Before they moved the sea lion from its trailer to the set, production made sure the floor was clean and clear of debris or safety hazards. There was an easy entrance and exit to and from set for sea lion. There was also plenty of space for sea lion to move through garage doorway.  Once the pathway was clear, the wranglers guided the sea lion to the set using a bucket of fish to entice him to his mark on the basketball court. Once they were at their mark, the wrangler cued the sea lion for a series of simple behaviors, rewarding him with fish after he accomplished each one. The wrangler cued him to place his front flippers on ping pong table and cued him to lift flipper as if he were hitting ping pong ball. The sea lion executed behaviors with ease. Between takes the sea lion rested in his holding pen where wranglers frequently sprayed water into the area. After filming these movements, they guided the sea lion back to his trailer. The actor and the sea lion were never filmed together, they made it look as if they were in the same arena in post-production.

In the scene where the actor runs from the police and scurries into a pet store where we see varied animals in cages and a woman standing at the counter holding a rabbit and the clerk holding an armadillo, prior to filming the wranglers checked all the cages. Then they carefully inserted animals in their respective cages after transporting them in carriers from a holding area. Tanks for the fish were set up by wranglers and checked prior to fish being added to the tanks. Wranglers also prepped actors on the proper handling of rabbits and armadillo. On action, the actor runs into the store and exchanges dialogue with the other actors while animals exhibit natural behaviors in the background. After filming the scene, wranglers took the rabbit and the armadillo from actors and placed them in their carriers.

In the scene where the actors talk to clerk in hotel lobby and a man enters with a dog on a leash with the dog tracking in dog poop on his paws, the “fake poop” make-up was safe to apply to the dog’s paws and non-toxic. Prior to filming, the handlers introduced the dog to the actor who would be handling the dog in the scene. The handlers went over proper handling techniques with the actor. On action, the actor walked the dog into the lobby and exchanged dialogue with the actors before walking into the fake elevator.

In the scene where the actor is in his bathtub when the bathtub falls through the floor and lands on the bathtub below, trapping the man’s dog who’s barking with the bathtub on top of him, wranglers determined a safe height for the actor’s bathtub to be positioned above dog’s bathtub to give the dog enough space to be able to safely climb in and out of the bathtub. A fake puppet dog was used for the majority of this scene. When production brought the real dog to the set, the bathtub that fell through the ceiling was rigged to hang above the bathtub over the dog, remaining stationary the entire time. The hanging tub couldn’t move because it was bolted in place. Prior to shooting the scene, wranglers placed the dog inside the bathtub. Once inside the tub, the wrangler stood off-camera and cued the dog to bark. On action, the dog sat in the bathtub looking at the wrangler and barked. After they called cut, the dog was removed from the bathtub with a leash and dried off by his wrangler.

In the scene where the actor jumps down on trash covers and we see ducks in wooden crates in an alley behind an Asian restaurant, prior to filming the props department brought multiple crates to the duck wrangler and placed the ducks inside of them. Once they were placed on the set, they filmed the scene with the actor dropping on the trash cans and running off.

In the scene where the actors drive down the street with the dog in the backseat, they filmed this scene on stage. In the subsequent scene where the car is parked and the actor gives dog ice cream with bourbon on it, they didn’t feed the dog actual ice cream with liquor. They fed him goat yogurt with caramel on it.

In the scene where the actors pull into a gas station, a truck full of men pull up next to them, and they begin to terrorize the other actors, dog barks in backseat, as one of the men breaks the window, grabs money in the car and the dog bites his hand, production used a puppet dog in tight shot of dog biting man’s hand. Prior to filming the scene, wranglers placed dog in backseat of car. The dog worked with the same actors in the same car the day before so he was already acclimated to his surroundings. On action, they got shots of dog barking. Wranglers stood off-camera and cued dog to bark at the camera. Then they used the puppet for the moment when they break the window and the biting of the hand.

In the subsequent moment when the actors get in the car, pull out of the gas station in a hurry, and the dog falls out of the car before getting up and running into the field next to the road, prior to filming, they rehearsed the action with a puppet dog several times. The police cut off traffic on the main road. When they were ready to film, the wrangler placed the dog in the back seat of the car. On action, the trainer cued the dog to bark and used a bite pillow to get the dog to look at specific eyelines. Before the stunt action, the car’s hind wheels were secured on platforms, and the front wheels were blocked off.

For the stunt, crew members pushed the rear end of the car that was on casters approximately four feet into a prop lamppost. Once the car made contact with the post, the right passenger door was opened by a hydraulic system. Safety stunt mats had been placed at the car’s end mark, both under and in front of the passenger door. These mats provided a cushioned surface for when the real dog would exit the car. On action, the trainer cued the dog to jump from the seat onto stunt mats on the ground. After the dog jumped on the mats on the ground, his trainer immediately collected him. When we see the dog run through the field, they filmed this scene using a car with a camera on the back. On action, the trainer placed the dog on his mark, then the stunt driver started driving the camera car away from the dog. Once it was at a safe distance, the trainer cued the dog to chase the car. They filmed the dog running after the car.

In the scene where the actor sneaks up to house, sees dog in the window, and the dog jumps up and barks at him, one trainer was inside the house with the dog, while the other was outside the window, causing the dog to bark. On action, the actor performed his actions, looking in the window. Once he got there, the trainer cued the dog inside the house to bark at the actor.

When the actor walks into the house and the dog runs off and the actor runs after him, prior to filming the trainer walked the dog to set. On action, the actor entered the house, and the trainer cued the dog to run into that room and the dog stopped in front of the actor. The actor cued the dog to bark and then gave him a reward. Then the other trainer, who was in a different room, called the dog and the dog ran into the other room.

In the scene where the actor approaches a man with a dog on a leash and stabs him and the dog runs away, production closed off traffic to the public. On action, after the actors pantomimed a stabbing, the dog’s trainer called to him from off-camera and the dog ran to her.

In the scene where the actor knocks on door of house at night and sees a dog barking over a dead body, prior to filming the trainer introduced the dog to the actor. The actor laid on the ground in the house and the trainer placed an article with a scene under his body. On action, the actor who was playing as if he’d been shot, laid on the ground and the dog sniffed at the article under him. After the dog sniffed him for a few beats, the trainer cued the dog to bark.

In the scene where they bring a large pig onto a stage in Japan, prior to filming, the trainers were dressed in costume so that they could remain with the pig at all time. They rolled the pig out on a wagon to the platform without any issues. Before the scene the actor pet the pig to acclimate himself with the animal and the upcoming action. On action, the pig’s trainers pushed him out on the platform where the actor approached him and pet him on the head.