Movie Review: Journey 2: The Mysterious Island
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Journey 2: The Mysterious Island Monitored: Outstanding “No Animals Were Harmed”®
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When a teenager learns that his adventurous grandfather is sending him secret messages from a mysterious island, he and his step-father attempt to find the hidden island.
Featured Animal Action:
All grounds were inspected for hazards and sets were closed off and secured. Cast and crew members were introduced to the animals and instructed on their proper handling.
Dog, Lizard, and Chicken Action:
In one scene, a dog barks at the end of its chain-leash in the backyard as a motorcyclist bursts through the fence and drives right by the dog. This well-rehearsed scene involved a well-trained dog on a prop chain, which was secured to the ground a few feet away. The dog’s trainer stood in the dog’s eye-line on the other side of the yard, and the stunt rider then drove the motorcycle between the dog and the trainer, all while the trainer cued to dog to bark and get excited.
When a man walks by Hank (Dwayne Johnson) with a lizard on his shoulder, causing Hank to overreact, this was simply a well-instructed cast member who walked by the lead actors as the trained lizard happily hung out on his shoulder. The giant lizard and baby lizard seen on the mysterious island were CGI.
When Gabato opens the helicopter door and chickens fly out, well-rehearsed trainers gently tossed the chickens — whose legs were tethered to monofilament lines to prevent them from flying away — out of the helicopter (which was not moving), and awaiting trainers then retrieved the chickens and rested them between takes.
Elephant, Insect, and Fish Action:
The following animals were CGI: millipedes, elephant, bees, birds, spiders, fireflies, butterflies, and all marine life seen under water (fish, sharks, eels). The cockroaches seen in the cave were real — this scene was filmed on an indoor stage, and the roaches were placed on the ground moments before filming and allowed to crawl around at liberty while the actress kept a safe distance. They were all retrieved after filming.
Production provided documentation for the dead fish seen at the outdoor market in Palau.
American Humane Association’s On-Set Oversight
