Morphing Around

    Here's an interview with Michael Hackenberger, the animal trainer for the show.
 
 

Great Tame

Animal trainer Michael Hackenberger is also directer of the Bowmanville Zoo near Toronto, which has provided animals for the TV show Goosebumps, the movie Billy Madison, and now Animorphs. He didn't bite when we asked him these questions.

NICKELODEON MAGAZINE: What was the first animal you trained?
MICHAEL HECKENBERGER:When I was around seven, I had a little white rat named Picadilly. I trained her to open drawers and sit in a small chair.

Which Animorphs animal has the most acting experience?
Bongo, the lion, has been in more than twelve feature films, including George of the Jungle.

How do you protect the actors?
If there's any possibility of danger, I stand in for the actor. I doubled for Brooke Shields once by wearing a wig. You couldn't tell it was me, because the director made sure the shots were quick.

Do you have any pets?
I have a young serval, which is an African wildcat about the size of a golden Lab. But I wouldn't recommend them to most people as pets. I'm in a unique situation.

What animal would you like to morph into?
An elephant, because that is my favorite creature. I'd really like to know how an elephant feels. Want to see what the original article looked like??? Click here :-)

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