Off-screen trainers cued walking with guards, barking and digging using verbal commands. The Dobermans keeping watch outside the wealthy man’s home were well-trained dogs accustomed to the action. Trainers placed the dogs in sitting positions and cued them to stay while a tire was rolled into the camera frame. Several dogs stand in a front yard while a tire rolls down the sidewalk. Snakes, lizards and frogs seen in cages were rubber props. Several off-camera trainers stood nearby. All temporary housing was inspected, secured and made comfortable before filming began. They were separated according to species. The rest of the scene, including the pig launching into the air, involved a computer-generated guinea pig, snake and spider.Ī chameleon, rats, birds, puppies, dogs, cats and rabbits were placed in their respective cages, perches or aquariums and allowed to do whatever came naturally. There were padded mats below in case the guinea pig fell, which it did not. When Connor places the guinea pig into a net and catapults it into the snake and spider cage, trainers instructed the well-rehearsed actor on how to carefully place the guinea pig into the net. For the scene in which Connor (Tyler Patrick Jones) picks up a guinea pig and holds it upside down, the actor was instructed on how to gently hold the guinea pig for a brief moment. The material seen at the bottom of the cages was their natural bedding. The actors were extremely well-rehearsed and instructed on the guinea pigs’ proper handling. Whenever real guinea pigs were filmed, trainers placed them on their marks and either cued the action or allowed them to do whatever came naturally. In a couple of scenes, real guinea pigs were filmed (such as at the pet store), and used for “establishing” shots before showing the computer-generated versions. Mooch the fly, Speckles the mole, the snake attacking the glass, the tarantula, the hamster, the worm fed to Speckles, the cockroaches and the guinea pigs were all computer-generated, except for the few guinea pig scenes described below. The set was only open to limited cast and crew members, and they were introduced to the animals and instructed on their proper handling before filming began.
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