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Pandering to every whim - a real panda movie!

By Liu Wei (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-05-05 10:22

"Pandas are national treasures. You cannot shout at them or beat them," says director Yu Zhong. "The only thing we could do was wait for these superstars to be in the mood. It happened all the time - the cameras and lights were all set but then it was time for the pandas to eat, rest or take a shower."

"They love as much to play as to sleep, so we had to follow their schedule all the time," Liu adds.

Daichi Harashima, who stars an orphan named Lu in the movie, plays with his beloved panda in the movie. [China Daily]

One of the most troublesome scenes was when the panda, named Pang Pang in the film, was required to sleep in the sunshine.

Just when the weather was ideal, the crew was told its star was in the mood for playing around. Then, when it went to sleep and was carefully moved to the set, it woke up and started playing again. Other times, the crew celebrated when the panda fell asleep on the set, only for the weather to go cloudy or rainy.

The seemingly simple scene took a staggering 10 days to complete.

In another scene, Pang Pang was supposed to kiss Lu, played by Chinese-Japanese child actor Daichi Harashima, but simply would not oblige. The crew turned to professional animal trainers from Jacana Wildlife Studios, which was involved in the popular 1988 documentary The Bear. They wiped some honey on Harashima's cheek and hey presto, the kiss was sealed.

Harashima, like most children his age, was a panda fan beforehand. He thinks the movie was the easiest and funniest of his three to date.

"I like pandas a lot because they just look very cute," he says. "At first I was a bit scared of its sharp teeth and claws, but actually they are friendly animals. The first time I held a panda cub in my arms I found its hair was soft, not as hard as I was told. The filming was easier than my others, because I had few lines to recite. Most of the time I just played happily with the panda."

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