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The following is my original, unedited article written in May, 2017.
Plus some pictures for added pizzazz.
The final, finished & edited version can be found in the Moviejawn zine
(Vol. 3, #6) which may be available in the Moviejawn shop.
(Vol. 3, #6) which may be available in the Moviejawn shop.
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Moviejawn: Animal Actors
by Hunter Bush
May 2017
I’ve always enjoyed animal actors, starting when I was a kid watching LASSIE films, sitting too close to the TV on my Grandmother’s rug. Today I still enjoy, take note of, and mention any impressive animal acting I see in a film. Truly good animal acting is as rare as truly good human acting, just the requirements are a bit different.
Animal actors learn their craft much like human actors do, only they learn to perform actions rather than manifest emotions. While acting coaches might have a number of tricks to learning their technique, animal trainers essentially use the techniques you would if you were teaching your dog to sit, stay or roll over: vocal commands, hand signals, maybe a clicker.
A lot of animal actors are like a lot of human ones: they're just okay and bad acting is always easy to spot, regardless of species. When I see a cat looking just to the side of the camera and twitching their head, I feel the same as when I watch glassy-eyed child actors recite dialogue from memory without a shred of believable emotion. When I watch a dog walk completely unnaturally from Point A to B to C, I feel the same as when I watch January Jones or Vince Vaughn sleepwalk through a performance. If that feels like an unfair comparison, that's because it is. It's apples and oranges; physical actions vs emotional credibility and you can't teach animals to emote (not really; you can get some flattened ears, maybe a scowl here and there...).
And therein lies one of the reasons my heart goes out to animal actors: if you see one in a scenario where they seem afraid or panicked, they usually are. Stunt work has been a part of cinema from pretty much the get go (everything from slapstick fisticuffs to building demolishing explosions, et al.) and over the years, safety standards have increased to the point that (some guerrilla / low budget / indie films aside) supervisors or stunt coordinators are on-set anytime a performer is in any amount of physical danger, but while your average human actor may be aware of the precautions in place, an animal actor may only see the dangers.
Since 1940, the American Humane Association has monitored animal activity on film sets, prompted by an incident during the filming of JESSE JAMES (1939) wherein a horse was forced to perform a dangerous stunt, broke its back and had to be euthanized. This is the organization responsible for the "No Animals Were Harmed" certification at the end of a film. They currently have a 132 page Guideline for the Safe Use of Animals in Filmed Media (available online) that explains the kinds of care and treatment necessary for animal actors through the various stages of making a film or TV show. It’s comprehensive to say the least. They even have a chapter dedicated to "Species-Specific Guidelines" subdivided into eleven parts.
In 1978 and again in 2004, the AHA has attempted to update its ratings system with currently six possible ratings from "Outstanding" to "Unacceptable" for productions they've monitored. Unmonitored films are simply rated "Not Monitored" and there is a special stipulation for productions that upheld the AHA Guidelines despite lack of monitoring, "Production Compliant". However, an organization with less than 200 employees can't be expected to monitor every use of animals on every set.
In 2010, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals lead an investigation into the filming of HBO's horse racing-centered drama LUCK, having been brought to set by "an anonymous whistleblower" (which is an incredibly fun phrase to type) reporting mistreatment of the horses used. Despite there being AHA representation present, the alleged mistreatment included malnourishment and drugging of the animals and generally using racehorses physically unfit to perform the required actions. Two horses, Outlaw Yodeler and Marc's Shadow, had suffered leg injuries during the production and a third, Real Awesome Jet, received a head injury. All three were euthanized. Claims were made that the AHA monitors on set had been pressured into allowing filming to continue despite not meeting the Association's guidelines and HBO eventually cancelled production on a second season.
We're moving into an era where the availability of special effects will hopefully greatly decrease the need to endanger animal actors to produce our entertainment, but we're not there yet. Allegations of mistreatment and/or animal endangerment were raised against the productions of LIFE OF PI (2012), which I mention here in the context of it being a CGI-heavy film, and more recently and publicly A DOG'S PURPOSE (2017). I will say that the allegations in both instances were stated to be "misreported" but I will also say that I am a suspicious person by nature so I am taking this with a grain of salt. There's also the issue of international productions as the AHA's reach is hindered by various manpower and financial constraints which can lead to situations like with the Japanese production KONEKO MONOGATARI (A Kitten’s Story) which was edited, dubbed and released in the U.S. as 1986's THE ADVENTURES OF MILO AND OTIS. I loved this film as a kid, but there are numerous and horrible allegations of animal cruelty that can't be disproven and make the film impossible for me to ever watch again.
Recently however I did rewatch 1993's HOMEWARD BOUND: THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY. In the movie Shadow, Chance and Sassy (two dogs and a cat) traverse the Sierra Nevada mountains to reunite with their human family. You may remember this as starring Don Ameche, Michael J. Fox and Sally Field, which is true but you may be overlooking that is also stars Ben the Golden Retriever, Rattler the American Pit Bull and Tiki the Himalayan cat. And you know what? ALL their performances were great, but Don, Michael J and Sally got to do theirs from the comfort of a recording booth. I mean no disrespect with that, voice actor is on my list of 'dream jobs'; I'm only trying to point out an imbalance.
How many animal actors can you name? If you said Mr. Ed, Buck from MARRIED WITH CHILDREN or Happy from 7TH HEAVEN, you got lucky as those all happen to be the animal actors' real names. If you said Air Bud you can have half a point since the Golden Retriever playing him was actually named Buddy (if you knew he was the same animal actor to play Comet on FULL HOUSE you can have the other half point). If you said Lassie or Benji though, sorry. Those are both stage names. Starting in 1943, Lassie was played by a Rough Collie named Pal (and thereafter played exclusively by her descendants, making Lassie a dynasty) and Benji was a mixed-breed shelter dog named Higgins.
Did you know Flipper was played by five different dolphins on the show FLIPPER? Their names were Susie, Patty, Squirt, Scottie and Kathy.
Did you know Eddie from FRASIER was played by a Parson Russel Terrier named Moose and that his son Enzo acted as his stand-in on the set? They also both played the part of Skip in MY DOG SKIP (2000).
I'm not saying that every animal actor deserves their own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; though Bugs Bunny has one and he's not even a real bunny but I digress. Just consider adding a few animal films to your movie night rotation. You can't go wrong with BEETHOVEN (1996), BABE (1995) or FREE WILLY (1993); or maybe WILLARD (1971/2003), CUJO (1983) or THE BIRDS (1963) if you're in the mood for fright flicks. You'll most likely want to stay away from tear-jerkers like OLD YELLER (1957) or PROJECT X (1987).
But if you're planning on showing MILO AND OTIS, don't invite me.
