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| American
Paint Horses earn starring roles in Walt Disney
Pictures' "Hidalgo"
Epic action-adventure shooting
on location in Morocco, California, Montana,
South Dakota and Texas
"Hidalgo," an epic action-adventure
from Walt Disney Pictures, based on the true
story of the greatest long-distance horse race
in history, started production recently and
will feature a registered American Paint
Horse in the starring role. In all,
five American Paint Horses
are being used at various times to play the
role of Hidalgo, the colorful equine star of
the film.
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Pony Express rider Frank T. Hopkins
(Viggo Mortensen), center, becomes the first
American ever to enter the Ocean of Fire—the
greatest endurance horse race ever run—in
Walt Disney Pictures' epic adventure, "Hidalgo."
A total of five registered American Paint
Horses are being used in the film to play
the role of the legendary horse, Hidalgo.
(Photo by Richard Cartwright. © Disney
Enterprises, Inc.)
Hirez JPEG (1.88 mb)
Hirez TIFF (8.89 mb) |
Directed by Joe Johnston and produced by Casey
Silver, the film stars Viggo Mortensen, Zuleikha
Robinson, and Omar Sharif. John Fusco, whose
screenwriting credits include "Thunderheart,"
"Young Guns," and the animated feature,
"Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron,"
wrote the original screenplay. Don Zepfel is
the film's executive producer. The film will
be distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
and will be released Oct. 3, 2003.
Based on the true story of the greatest long-distance
horse race ever run, Hidalgo is one man's journey
of personal redemption. Held yearly for centuries,
the Ocean of Fire—a 3,000 mile
survival race across the Arabian Desert—was
a challenge restricted to the finest Arabian
horses ever bred, the purest and noblest lines,
owned by the greatest royal families.
In 1890, a wealthy sheik invited an American
and his horse to enter the race for the first
time. Frank T. Hopkins (Viggo Mortensen) was
a cowboy and dispatch rider for the U.S. Cavalry
who had once been billed as the greatest endurance
rider the West had ever known. The Sheikh (Omar
Sharif) would put this claim to the test, pitting
the American cowboy and his mustang, Hidalgo,
against the world's greatest Arabian horses
and Bedouin riders - some of whom were determined
to prevent the foreigner from finishing the
race. For Frank, the Ocean of Fire becomes not
only a matter of pride and honor, but also a
race for his very survival as he and his horse,
Hidalgo, attempt the impossible.
Locations for the motion picture include California,
Montana, South Dakota, Texas and extended shooting
in Morocco.
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The American Paint Horse stars of the show
The American Paint Horse stars include the following APHA
registered horses: Ima Stage Mount Two, Honky
Tonkin Tuff, Impressivelybetter,
RH Tecontender and RJ Masterbug.
According to Walt Disney officials, the horses were selected
based on the similar coat patterns they share with the true-life
horse, Hidalgo, as well as their athletic abilities and trainability.
World-renowned horse trainer Rex Peterson was instrumental
in selecting the horses. Peterson, who serves as horse trainer
in the film, has many Hollywood movies to his credit, including
"Black Beauty" and "The Horse Whisperer."
Distinguished actors
Viggo Mortensen (Frank T. Hopkins) was most
recently seen as Strider in the first installment of the Lord
of the Rings trilogy. He also starred in the second film,
"The Two Towers," which was released at the end
of 2002, and the third, "Return of the King," in
2003. Mortensen made his screen debut in Peter Weir's "Witness."
Some of his other film credits include "Indian Runner,"
"Carlito's Way," "A Perfect Murder," "Crimson
Tide," and "A Walk on the Moon."
London-born Zuleikha Robinson (Jazira) has
credits in film, television and stage in her young career.
She was recently seen in Mike Figgis' "Timecode"
as well as in "X-Files" creator Chris Carter's drama
series, "The Lone Gunmen."
Omar Sharif (Sheikh Riyadh) has amassed
an illustrious film career including an Academy Award®
nomination for his role of Ali Ibn Kharish in David Lean's
"Lawrence of Arabia." He won a second Golden Globe
Award for Best Actor in Lean's "Doctor Zhivago."
He has starred in over 60 motion pictures, including "Funny
Girl" and "Funny Lady," both with Barbra Streisand.
Exhibiting an eclectic range of film credits, director Joe
Johnston previously directed "Honey, I Shrunk
the Kids," "The Rocketeer," "Jumanji,"
"October Sky," and "Jurassic Park III."
Prior to directing, Johnston was an Academy Award®-winning
visual effects designer for both George Lucas and Steven Spielberg,
working on "Star Wars," "The Empire Strikes
Back," and "Return of the Jedi" as well as
"Raiders of the Lost Ark" and its sequel, "Indiana
Jones and the Temple of Doom."
Producer Casey Silver began Casey Silver
Productions in October 1999 after serving as chairman and
chief executive officer of Universal Pictures. He recently
finished production on "Gigli," his first feature
film as an independent producer. The film stars Ben Affleck
and Jennifer Lopez and is due for release next spring. He
currently has some 30 properties in development.
Behind-the-camera personnel on Hidalgo include Shelly Johnson,
director of photography; Barry Robison, production designer;
Jeffrey Kurland, costume designer and Robert Dalva, editor.
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