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Directed by
Philippe Calderon (White Tuft, The Little Beaver)
Starring
André Dussolier (Bad Seeds, Roomates Wanted, Diplomacy, Beauty and the Beast, My Worst Nightmare, Micmacs, Tell No One, 36, A Very Long Engagement, Officer s Ward - Best Supporting Actor at the Cesar Awards 2002, Children of the Marshlands)
Production
F. Calderon, T. Commissionat and B. Tschieret - Les Films du RĂŞve
2007 / Original language: French / Color / 1.85 / Dolby SRD / available in hd
This animal fiction takes place in beautiful Quebec. A beaver family is peacefully working around their habitat, when suddenly drama strikes : the dam is destroyed. One of the young beavers is taken away by the strong flood. The adventures of the young beaver will take the viewer along Canadian splendid lanscapes and forests. Along his way, the beaver will encounter and discover the lives of many species (wolves, bears, otters, racoons, owls, etc.) Starring real animals and using new techniques to provide stunning and original images never-seen before, White Tuft, the little beaver” is a touching and suspenseful wildlife fiction that will captivate the entire family.
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THE LIFE OF A CANADIAN BEAVER
The beaver’s entire life of is centered around his pond, the home where he feels safe. Evolution has bestowed upon the beaver an anatomy that is closely linked to its environment: waterproof fur, hydro-dynamically shaped head and palmed hind paws that make the beaver an outstanding swimmer. Under water, his flat tail works as a rudder while above water, he uses it as an alarm tool to warn his companions of impending danger.
Beaver cubs are born in the springtime and remain in the hut with their parents for two years, while they learn all the techniques of lumberjacking, dam building and repair.
In the wild, a beaver’s lifespan seldom exceeds five years, but it can reach up to fifteen in captivity. The first cause of mortality being the beaver’s main predators: humans, otters and wolves. The second is an occupational hazard: fallen trees that have been felled by beavers.
To create his territory, the beaver builds a dam across the river. This dam is made of tree trunks that the beaver has cut down near their base, using his powerful front teeth. The beaver’s teeth have the distinctive feature of never ceasing to grow, making it imperative for him to constantly rub the top row against the bottom one, like all rodents. This is Nature’s way of always keeping his teeth sharp and efficient.
He can fell trees with trunks over three feet in diameter. Like a real little lumberjack, the beaver drags the logs over ground but is especially skilled at maneuvering them as they float on the surface of the water. He then chops off mid-sized branches to build his shelter, creating a concealed access beneath the water’s surface. This system protects the beavers from all his land predators, which is why he never wanders further than a hundred feet from the safety of his home. In winter, when the surface of the lake is frozen, the beavers only leave their dwelling to feed on leaves that have been stored beneath the surface of the water, sometimes in a stock hut, built for that purpose.
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SHOOTING IN THE HEART OF WILDERNESS: CANADA
Saguenay Fjord, a five hour drive North of Montreal.
It is in this transitional area, leading to the great wild woods, near Saint-Jean Lake, that the film crew began principal photography of “White Tuft, the Little Beaver” in early July of 2006. The location is in the center of Quebec, bordering the Canadian Great North.
The territory is so vast that its local nickname is “The Kingdom”. The river is wider than most, the lake as huge as a landlocked sea and the gorgeous fjord a wealth of stunning panoramas. Here begins a world of immense natural expanses, practically clear of human dwellings, the kingdom of maple, aspen and birch trees, traveled by caribou, wolves, bears and flown over by wild geese. Imposing landscapes of staggering beauty are the trademark of Saguenay Park, a protected area where nature has unleashed colossal powers, to create the fjord.
A NATURAL FEAT
One of the film’s great challenges was bringing together several species that are not accustomed to interacting: wolves, lynxes, bears, skunks, otters, raccoons, elks, owls, geese… Animals from different families had to be introduced and adapted to each other well in advance.
For instance, a female lynx and a cub had to live side by side for twelve weeks before they could be introduced to one another. Two adult wolves and three youngsters also had to familiarize themselves to each other for several weeks in order to appear as a united pack for the screen.
