" Never shape with minor or animals , " the notoriously grumpy W.C. Fields once aver . The makers of " Nim ’s Island " obviously ignored this advice in accommodate Wendy Orr ’s 2002 small fry ’s Word of God for the screen – the film revolves around a girl who know alone with her maritime life scientist father and several exotic pet on a tropic island in the middle of nowhere . Think " The Swiss Family Robinson " withInternetaccess.
Eleven - twelvemonth - quondam Abigail Breslin , anOscarnominee for " Little Miss Sunshine , " star as the resourceful and ego - reliant Nim , who ’s left ground in her island Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree house when dad Jack ( Gerard Butler , of " 300 " ) set up out in his gravy holder to gather specimens and does n’t take back . She achieve out viae - mailto her preferred adventure author , Alex Rover , unaware that she ’s corresponding not with the intrepid hero but his direful , agoraphobic creator , Alexandra Rover ( Jodie Foster ) , who has to muster the courage to leave herSan Franciscohouse so she can come to Nim ’s aid . In a dual role , Butler also plays the fancied Alex Rover , who serves as conscience , confessor and inspiration to Alexandra .
The trio of human headliner was n’t a job for married co - theater director Mark Levin and Jennifer Flackett , who write the screenplay with Joseph Kwong and producer Paula Mazur . While data processor graphics platform can and do produce moving picture animate being of all type these days , the sea lions , pelican , lizards and other fauna that populate " Nim ’s Island " are – with a fewanimatronicand CG exceptions – living , breathing fauna that came with their own issues , requirement and limitation .
study on to find out out how the directors and actors look at with the critter , the logistics of shoot on location in Australia , thestuntwork , and other aspects of bringing this activity - adventure tale to the big screenland .
Creature Feature
" Not all animals are created equal . If you have to play with animals , I ’d recommend working with ocean lions , which are endearing , trainable tool , " says co - film director Mark Levin . Spud and Friday , two ocean lions from Sea World Australia , shared the role of Selkie – and they arrived on set already capable tokiss , salute and hug .
But because the marine twosome had no former photographic film experience , they had to get used to thecameras , luminosity and crewmen – and get well-off with Abigail Breslin . Trainers Katie Brock , who ferment on " Babe : Pig in the City , " and John Medlin had Breslin pet them and flow them fish every Clarence Shepard Day Jr. before filming started . " She really direct them well . She really got very mired in the training , " says producer Paula Mazur .
Breslin , who has twodogs , two cats and a turtleneck and require to be a veterinary if the acting thing does n’t crop out , bond with the 400 - pound sea king of beasts . " They come in up to you and give you kisses , " she says .
The ocean lions " drove the schedule and the devising of the picture show in a very substantial way , " notes Levin . " They were not allowed to be anywhere but on the studio apartment lot . They were n’t allowed to go to the beach for veneration that they would break for exemption . " That necessitated ananimatronicstand - in for scenery on the beach . Using Friday as a example , animatronic supervisor John Cox sculpted a facsimile pass over in pelt and oil , for a wet look . He also created animatronic ocean turtleneck , taking research trips to Sea World to observe , measure and snap specimens .
Similar standstill - atomic number 49 were take for a scene in which Nim slingshots several lizards into the air , but thebearded dragonplaying her fellow , Fred , was material – in multiple . Five different reptiles play the part . " We rotated them , " says Levin . " They ’re kept in kind of an igloo ice bureau to last out cool , and as their body temperature heats up , then they get more ornery and become less fun to have around . The lounge lizard would always rest on Abby ’s articulatio humeri , but then when it warm up up , it would fawn up on top of her headway , and we always had to take it out and work in a cold lizard . "
Getting the lizards to " react " was an exercise in patience . " If you keep the camera on the lizard long enough and you put enough bugs in front of him , he ’s buy the farm to turn his headland , " explains Levin . Co - director Jennifer Flackett supplied sounds that give Fred a " voice . " But spend a penny him trip the light fantastic ? Forget it .
" We ’d asked the trainer what tricks the ocean lions could so , and we wrote those things into the movie , like the dancing scene , " says Levin . " But getting the lizards to trip the light fantastic toe was something we did withcomputers . "
Interacting with the whiskery Dragon freaked Breslin out at first , she admits , " but then I got over it . " One of the dragon , Goblet , laid a dozen eggs while they were photograph . The first one hatched was named Nim – and the second , Abigail .
Computer Generation
For the role of Galileo , Sea World Australia supplied pelicans that could vanish on command . According to carbon monoxide gas - director Mark Levin , however , the birds were n’t so easy to operate with . His similitude , Jennifer Flackett , enunciate they posed a alone guard vexation : " They discover eyes to be very shiny and they care to snap at them . "
A scene demand Galileo to pick up and fly with a tool belt had to be reckoner - generated , as did the island’svolcano . Computers also came into play in severalgreen screensequences – the gang built a beach at the studio apartment , shot the ocean Leo the Lion against the sieve and later added him into the water shots at the beach .
" We wanted a very 1980s aesthetic , " Flackett tell . " How would you do it if you did n’t have any CG ? But when you have a scene of Jack leap off his boat in the eye of the sea and then cut to him underwater , which was shot in a tank , we were doing a lot of matching . "
The film also incorporates realrainforestscenes with those germinate on a soundstage , where production intriguer Barry Robison used bamboo and biodegradable plastics to reconstruct a " green " tree house with solar and twist powerfulness and a rainwater - catching roof . Mist was pumped into the environment to give the set a wet , lush looking at .
Starting in mid - July 2007 , the production spent four months on the Gold Coast of Queensland , Australia , which was chosen for its rain forest and beaches , the wild and unspoiled beauty of Hinchinbrook Island , and the accessibility of local work party and support base .
With the local help , the yield was able to obviate periodicjellyfishinvasions , but all the onward motion preparation in the reality could n’t vary the unexpectedly wet winter . " There had been a nine - year drought in that part of Australia , and we seemed to have cured it , " Levin says . " But you conform . If it starts to rain , you do the pelting scenes . "
Nim’s Island Stuntwomen
Jodie Foster had a double for a stunt in which she look - planted on some exercise equipment , but she did her other stunt herself . " [ It was ] a passably tame shoot , just freezing , " she says .
Breslin also had astunt doublefor most of a rock - climbing chronological sequence , but she did a lot of running , swimming and zip - lining on her own . She was fairly confident in the water before the shoot but admits that " once I got there I realize I was n’t that adept of a swimmer . " But that did n’t stop her from bravely filming an underwater ride on ocean lion Selkie , who wear camouflage handles for Breslin to hold onto .
The directors say that Breslin was the perfect choice for Nim . " There are n’t too many 11 - year - olds … who could carry a whole movie on their shoulders , " says Levin . " She has the natural endowment and experience to really be the sensation of a movie . "
Native Manhattanite Breslin " was a little afraid of heights , a footling frightened of stuff and nonsense when we start up rehearsals , " tell Flackett . " But by the end she had change . It really bring in her confidence up . "
Foster was drawn to the girl - power aspect of the pic and also wanted to make a flick her sons could see – her eldest , Charles , had interpret the book . After dark dramatic event like " The Brave One " and " Flightplan , " she relished the comedic modification of pace – for eld , she ’d been looking without success for a drollery . So when she scan the " Nim ’s Island " script , she began buttonhole and " banging down threshold . " atomic number 27 - directors Mark Levin and Jennifer Flackett championed her , but the initial distributor did not . " She had not done comedy in a long time so there was a reticence on the studio level , but we acknowledge she would be brilliant in it , " Levin says .
" I ’ll always be a spectacular worker , " Foster read . " I ’ll do comedies every once in awhile . But it has to touch me in a sure elbow room … [ my ] instinctive body fluid is sort of dry and nasty – and kind of R - rated . "
