If you were a kid in the early 2000s, the movie MVP 2: Most Vertical Primate might ring a bell. The film features a chimpanzee named Jack who, through a series of unlikely events, becomes a sponsored skateboarder. The movie showcased Jack carving bowls, dropping in on ramps, and even hitting a vert ramp. We were curious how a chimp became so adept at skateboarding, so we reached out to Dan “The Animal Man,” a trainer from the film’s animal training team, Going Ape. We spoke with Dan about his unique career path and the process of training animals for extreme films.
Dan’s path into animal training began on a farm and led him to an exotic animal college in Southern California. He initially wanted to be a veterinarian but realized that he wanted a career working directly with animals. He explained, “I didn’t want to be in an office or inside a building all the time surrounded by a bunch of sick-dying animals.”
Dan "The Animal Man" with a chimpanzee and alligator
When asked about any negative experiences, Dan emphasized that he keeps his circles small. He noted that the “Tiger King” type of people are rare, and he’s careful to avoid them due to the potential for harm to both animals and people. He brought up the tragic case of a woman in Connecticut who had her face ripped off by her pet chimp, saying, “Chimps are not pets. No chimp should ever be somebody’s pet. It’s not a pet animal. It is an animal that’s very dangerous and powerful.”
The Unique Challenge of Training Chimpanzees for Skateboarding
While people tend to anthropomorphize their pets, Dan stresses that animals think and act differently than humans. He pointed out that chimpanzees are often the go-to animal for movies and television because they’re very athletic and powerful. When asked if monkeys were easy to train, Dan clarified, “Well, I wouldn’t say easy. I would say that, anatomically, the chimp is the one animal that lends itself to be more anthropomorphized.”
For the movie MVP, six chimpanzees were trained, though Dan noted, they are apes not monkeys and would be offended to be called a monkey. The primary difference, he explained, is the lack of a tail and the fact that there are only four types of apes: gorillas, orangutans, chimpanzees, and gibbons.
A chimp in a cut-out Etnies shoe on a skateboard
Teaching Chimps to Skate: A Step-by-Step Process
According to Dan, the exciting aspect of training chimps to skateboard is that they enjoy it. “The cool thing about chimpanzees is that not only are they naturally the most competent athletes, but they really like the sport,” he stated. Chimps are powerful, love speed, and loud noises, which are all elements of skateboarding. The training process involved conveying the desired behaviors using a reinforcement method with favorite foods or snacks.
One key part of the training involved adapting the gear. Dan explained that they cut open Etnies shoes to create a sleeve that helped the chimpanzees stay on the board. He mentioned, “Using a cut shoe for the forward-facing foot on the skateboard was key because it allowed him to stay with the board and helped us convey that he needed to stay with the board. It made it more natural.” Chimps do not like to be fully restrained.
A scene from MVP showing a chimp skateboarding
Several companies sponsored the film, including Monké Skateboards and World Industries. Dan also worked with notable skateboarders like Bob Burnquist, Alex Chalmers, and Rob “Sluggo” Boyce, who he found to be cool and respectful of the chimps.
Training Facilities and Overcoming Challenges
The production company provided VIP access to an indoor skate park outside of Sacramento, where Dan and his team trained the chimps twice a day for several months. The training began with teaching the chimpanzees to stay on the board and move. The biggest challenge they faced was overcoming the chimpanzee’s natural tendency to put their knuckles down, as they do when they walk.
Chimp skateboarding in a bowl
They used a method called successive approximation to teach the chimps to do kick turns, starting with a very small ramp and gradually increasing the size. They also built a special drop-in ramp for training on pipes.
Dan emphasized that all the skateboarding moves seen in the movie are pieced together through careful editing. He explained, “All the skating that you see, that’s pieced together.” The chimps would not understand complicated maneuvers. He clarified that he could not tell a chimp to “go down and do a kickflip and a quadruple flippy dippy doo.” While the chimps could drop in and do a turn around, anything beyond that had to be achieved through cuts, paste, and editing. He explained that their brains are not wired for skateboarding. Even if given a new skateboard, they would likely destroy it rather than try to ride it.
A chimp skateboarding in an alley
Contrary to popular belief, the chimps never actually slammed or wiped out on the skateboards. Dan revealed that even scenes where a chimp was supposed to wipe out were carefully staged.
Understanding the Strength and Agility of Chimpanzees
According to Dan, chimpanzees are incredibly strong, with five to seven times the strength of a grown man, along with five to seven times the coordination, dexterity, and agility. He believes that their true agility might be closer to ten times that of a human.
When asked if he thought Planet of the Apes could ever happen, Dan laughed. He explained that while chimps are intelligent, they live in the moment and do not ponder the past or worry about the future. They use tools, but he emphasized that they are miles apart from humans and will not achieve the complex things that humans do, like reading a book.
Dan and chimps in a van
Building Trust with Apes
Dan stressed the importance of building a consistent relationship with apes to gain their trust. He believes that the animals he works with are well taken care of, dispelling the arguments of those who want to shut down zoos and animal training facilities. He stated that these animals are often better off than most people or animals in the wild. “The wild sucks,” he stated, “the wild is not an easy place to live.”
Conclusion
Dan “The Animal Man’s” work on MVP offers a fascinating glimpse into the world of animal training for film. Training chimps to skateboard is a complex task that requires patience, creativity, and a deep understanding of animal behavior. The process involves adapting equipment and training methods to harness the chimpanzees’ natural athleticism and affinity for the sport. While the chimps are impressive on screen, their abilities are the result of skillful training and editing, highlighting the hard work involved in bringing animal performances to the big screen.
