美国国家公共电台 NPR It's A Bird! It's A Plane! It's ... A Dog Dangling From A Helicopter?!（在线收听）

AILSA CHANG, HOST:

All right. The IMAX film we're going to talk about next opens with a panorama of a snowy mountain range in British Columbia. Emerging over the icy peaks is a dog, dangling like a stuntman from a helicopter in a red harness and ski goggles - or doggles (ph), I guess.

(SOUNDBITE OF DOG BARKING)

CHANG: His name is Henry. Henry's a border collie, and his mission is to save people trapped under avalanches. He's just one of several real-life action stars in the new movie "Superpower Dogs," directed by Daniel Ferguson.

DANIEL FERGUSON: You know, when those goggles were put on, I just said, this could not get any better because, you know, part of the conceit here is that these dogs are the real-life superheroes. This is the Captain America of dogs.

CHANG: You know, there are so many movies about dogs and how amazing and dutiful and intuitive they are. What did you want to do with this movie that feels a little different?

FERGUSON: No, that's the key. Initially, when my producer Dominic came to me and he said, I want to do this IMAX movie about dogs, I was sort of skeptical. You know, dogs are ubiquitous. I mean, they're just all over. And he said, let me prove it to you. And we went to the Search Dog Foundation out in California. And we went to Italy to work with the Italian coast guard. And by the end of that trip, I said, this is the real deal. I mean, these dogs have powers we can just dream of. And it was a hook, actually, to take this and give it the IMAX treatment.

And the most fun for me was actually translating their olfactory world into our visual one. So you know, every minute of our lives, Ailsa, we're shedding millions of scent molecules. And, you know, if we could see what dogs could smell, how cool could that be? So we got to do that in a way that's visceral and immersive. So to me, that's what makes it really cinematic, along with all the stunt work and, you know, the boats and the helicopters and the cranes...

CHANG: Yes. Yes.

FERGUSON: ...And the sort of epic nature of this.

CHANG: OK, well, let's meet some of the other action-hero dogs. There's Halo...

(SOUNDBITE OF DOG BARKING)

CHANG: ...Who's training to find people trapped in rubble. There's Reef...

(SOUNDBITE OF DOG WHIMPERING)

CHANG: ...This huge, fluffy black Newfoundland who saves people from drowning. She could tow up to 40 times her weight. Did I get that right?

FERGUSON: Yeah, you did. I know. It's amazing.

CHANG: I have to say my favorite, though, were Tipper and Tony. These are twin bloodhound brothers who track down poachers in Kenya. We first see Tipper, I believe it was, with his head out of the window of this single-engine plane.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

CHANG: His long ears are just flapping in the breeze. And they find what looks to be a boot print at a campsite of a potential poacher.

FERGUSON: Well, this is a re-creation of an actual bust that took place. And when we went out one morning to track them, there was actually a murder in the village. And the dogs were brought in, and they tracked for miles. And they went right to the apartment building, up to the seventh floor and found the suspect. It was unbelievable. You know, they can bottle a person's scent for up to two years. And these dogs can pick you out of a scent lineup with 98 percent accuracy.

And so Tipper and Tony - they're not only adorable. But, you know, I had kids come up to me and say, when I grow up, I want to be a dog handler like the Lewa Conservancy rangers. That's real heroism right there.

CHANG: These dogs, though - you know, they're not trained Hollywood dogs, of course. What was it like shooting this film when they're just trying to do their jobs and you're kind of in their way?

FERGUSON: That's true. I mean, Ailsa, you have to picture it. These are cameras that are, like, the size of a washing machine. And so we have to be malleable. We have to adapt ourselves to the dogs because they're not hitting a mark.

You know, they're not movie dogs, as you say. And when you say, search, that is for real. That dog is saving that person, whether it's a mock victim or not. You know, so, yes, it's not a deployment film, but for the dogs, it's the real deal.

CHANG: Was there a moment where you accidentally messed up a dog trying to do his job, but your camera crew or your equipment just got in his way?

FERGUSON: I hope not. If so, I apologize. I really do. There are all kinds of things where, yes, we had puppies colliding with cameras and slobbering the cameras, but we just kind of went with it.

CHANG: Yeah.

FERGUSON: At the beginning, we have a puppy run right into the camera, and it's kind of a signal to the audience that we're going to have fun with this movie.

CHANG: You know, as you watch these incredible dogs working with their handlers, what do you think people who are dog owners who don't own superhero dogs can learn from that master-dog interaction that was evident throughout this movie?

FERGUSON: Oh, gosh. I think that part of the message at the end is really that, you know, not every dog is going to - some dogs - they'll run and get a tennis ball. They might not run to find a human life. But every dog has superpowers. And I think if you ask any pet owner, they will tell you the way their dog makes them feel valorized and just the way dogs lift our spirits and make us feel less lonely...

CHANG: Yeah.

FERGUSON: ...You know, let alone things like medical detection and, you know, dogs who work with people who have juvenile diabetes or epilepsy, all kinds of things that dogs do on a daily basis. They truly are heroes, and they're great teachers as well.

CHANG: Daniel Ferguson is the director of the new movie "Superpower Dogs." Thank you so much for joining us.

FERGUSON: Thank you, Ailsa.

(SOUNDBITE OF STELLA DONNELLY SONG, "TRICKS")