Ace Ventura  When Nature Calls (1995)

Country of Origin: USA
Year of Production: 1995
Running Times: 90 mins
Length: 2593 metres
Format: Technicolor 35mm Panavision (anamorphic) Super 35
Ratio: 2.35:1
Sound: Dolby SDDS

CREW

PRODUCTION
Production Companies: Morgan Creek Productions/Warner Brothers
Production Executive: Jacobus Rose
Executive Producer: Gary Barber
Producer: James G. Robinson
Co-Producer/Unit Production Manager: Andrew G. La Marca
2nd Unit Production Manager: John M. Colwell
Canadian Unit Production Manager/Production Supervisor (South Carolina): Wendy Williams
Production Coordinators: Zoila Gómez, Jacqui Popelka, Mandy Spencer-Phillips, Jacek Tamourian
Assistant Production Coordinator: Todd M. Lachniet
Production Supervisor: Todd P. Smith

SCRIPT
Script: Steve Oedekerk

DIRECTION
Director: Steve Oedekerk
2nd Unit Directors: Peter Montgomery, Philip C. Pfeiffer, John E. Sullivan
Assistant Directors: Barry K. Thomas, Lisa J. Bloch, Eric Oliver

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Donald E. Thorin
2nd Unit Directors of Photography: Michael Bonvillian, Philip C. Pfeiffer
Camera Operator: George Kohut, Don Reddy
Wescam Operator: Steve Koster
1st Assistant VistaVision Camera: Evan A. Nesbitt
Camera Remote Operator: Adam Osten
Electricians: Harrison Palmer, Louis Petraglia
Set Lighting: Blake Hill
Video Assist Operator: Roger Basquette
Video Assist Operator (Canada): Rob Parisien

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Editor: Malcolm Campbell
1st Assistant Editor: James A. Brewer
Assistant Editors: Joseph M. Caracciolo, Jeff Etcher, Penny Lee Hallin, April Lawrence, Melissa Carter (uncredited)
Post Production Supervisor: Jody Levin
Editorial Production Assistant: Scott Wesley Ross

MUSIC
Music: Robert Folk
Songs: White Zombie (Blur the Technicolor); The Presidents of the United States of America (Boll Weevil); Blues Traveler (Secret Agent Man)
Orchestrator: Jon Kull, Peter Tomaschek
Music Supervisor: Mark Berger (uncredited)
Score Recordist: Thomas Vicari
Score Mixer: Dennis S. Sands
Music Editors: Jeff Carson, J.J. George

SOUND
Sound Recordist: Brion Pacassi
Sound Mixers: Stacy Brownrigg, David Husby
Boom Operator: David A. Smith
Re-Recording Mixers: Gregg Landaker, Steve Maslow, Kurt Kassulke
Assistant Sound Editor: Steve Ansell
Sound Effects Designer: Ken J. Johnson
Supervising Sound Effects Editor: Michael Hilkene
Co-Supervising Sound Effects Editor: C.T. Welsh
Sound Effects Editors: Odin Benitez, Bob Fitzgerald, Randall Guth, Todd Toon
Dialogue Editors: Gaston Biraben, Ed Callahan, John Kwiatkowski, Mark Rathaus
ADR Mixers: Charlene Richards, Greg Steele
ADR Editor: Greg Brown, Cliff Latimer
Foley Supervisor: John O. Wilde
Foley Artists: Jeffrey Wilhoit, Rich Green, James Moriana
Foley Mixer: Scott Weber
Foley Editors: Leslie Gavin, Leonard T. Geschke, Chuck Neely

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Make Up: Sheryl Leigh Ptak, Sharon Kalb
Key 2nd Unit Make Up/Assistant Make Up: Jay Cannistraci
Hair: Pauletta O. Lewis
Costume Designer: Elsa Zamparelli
Costume Supervisors: Tracey Boulton, Fred Lloyd
Costumer: Peggy Stamper

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects: Alterian Studios; Rhythm and Hues
Special Effects Supervisor: Carolyn Soper
Special Effects Coordinators: Mike Vézina, Chad Merriam
Special Effects: Olivier Sarda
Special Effects Sculptor: Darcy M. Jones
Special Effects Shop Supervisor: Nick Lawron
Special Effects Artist: Margaret J. Ridge
Special Effects Assistants: Lyn Caudle, Bob Trevino
Prosthetic Animals: Animal Makers
Animatronics Supervisor: Vincent Mebla
Special Effecst Animatronics: Terry Sonderhoff
Animatronic Gorilla Supervisor: Tony Gardner
Puppeteers: Jim Beinke, Jim Bouldon, Brian Dewe, Terry Sandin, Chet Zar
Mechanic: Terry Sandin
Effects Rigger: Joel Whist

VISUAL EFFECTS
Digital Effects Supervisor: Wally Schaab
Visual Effects Supervisors: Tom Leeser, Peter Montgomery
Visual Effects Coordinator: April Lawrence
Visual Effects Production Supervisor: Lydia Bottegoni
Visual Effects Editors: April Lawrence, Bill Brier
Effects Compositor: Cynthia Hyland
Animator: Brian Dowrick
CG Supervisor: Jerome Solomon
Digital Imaging Supervisor: Greg Hanigan
Digital Painter and Supervisor: Colin Campbell
Digital Artist: John McGee
Digital Compositor: Winston Quitasol
Scanning Operator: Julius Yang
Technical Director: Jay Redd

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Designer: Stephen J. Lineweaver
Art Director: Christopher Nowak
Set Designers: Jef B. Adams Jr, Andrew Menzies
Set Decorator: Derek R. Hill
Assistant Property Masters: Robert Janecka, William D. McLane
Propmaker Foreman: Peter Damien
Lead Scenic Artist: Alan S. Reynolds
Scenic Artist: Krista Ernst
Charge Scenic Artist: John Balling
Head Sculptor: Sal D'Aquila
2nd Unit Greens Man: David Phillip

OTHER CREW
Script Supervisors: Helen Caldwell, Ilene Pickus
1st Assistant Accountant: Maureen 'Mo' Crutchfield
Production Assistants: Andrew L. Lanier (uncredited), Michael Wardlow (uncredited)
Set Production Assistants: Parker Meyer, Jeff Wickline
Production Consultants: Daren Dochterman, John C. Johnson, David J. Negron Jr
Driver: Christopher Kuder
Animal Coordinator: Cathy Morrison-Partridge

LOCATIONS
Locations: 777 Ranch, Hondo, Texas, USA; Botany Bay Plantation, South Carolina, USA; British Columbia, Canada; Camp Waldemar, Texas, USA; Cherokee Plantation, South Carolina, USA; Hondo, Texas, USA; Panorama Resort, British Columbia, Canada; San Antonio, Texas, USA; South Carolina, USA; Texas, USA
Location Managers: John B. Griffin Jr, Robin Mounsey
Location Scout Leighton Chapman (uncredited)

STUNTS
Stunt Coordinators: Rick Barker, J.J. Makaro

CASTING
Casting: Ferne Cassel
Extras Casting: Tina Kerr

CAST

Following the death of an innocent raccoon in a mountaineering accident, a heartbroken Ace Ventura retreats to a Tibetan monastery. But he's soon whisked off to Africa by Fulton Greenwood, a representative of the British ambassador to troubled land of Nibia. Ambassador Cadley is concerned that the two local tribes, the Washati and the Washuto are prepared to go to war over the loss of a legendary giant white bat that both tribes consider sacred and it's up to Ace to find the creature and return it to its rightful lair.

Though it has its moments (Ace's reaction to a pompous woman wearing a fox stole around her shoulders is priceless) this is hardly Carrey at his best. His signature bizarre facial expressions and exaggerated body movements had, by this stage in his still relatively young movie career, become intensely irritating, so much so that Carrey himself would next choose to go a radically different route in the valiant but not altogether successful The Cable Guy (1996). When Nature Calls lacks the wit and satire of Carrey's best work, relying instead on a series of mostly unfunny and rather childish non sequitors and toilet humour gags. Carrey is called upon to shoulder an awful lot of the work here, improvising furiously to overcome the feeble script that allows him plenty of space to indulge his talents without ever feeding him enough raw material to work with.

Argentina
Theatrical Distributor: Warner Bros.
Video Distributor: Argentina Video Home

Germany
Theatrical Distributor: Warner Bros. GmbH
DVD Distributor: Warner Home Video (23500)

Portugal
Theatrical Distributor: Lusomundo

Spain
Theatrical Distributor: Líder Films S.A.

USA
Theatrical Distributor: Warner Bros.
Video Distributor: Warner Bros. Home Video
Laserdisc Distributor: Warner Home Video (23500)
DVD Distributor: Warner Home Video (23500)

Argentina
Rating: 13

Australia
Rating: PG

Chile
Rating: 14

Denmark
Rating: 12

Finland
Rating: K-12

Germany
Rating: 12

Netherlands
Rating: AL

Norway
Rating: 11

Portugal
Rating: M/6

Singapore
Rating: PG

Spain
Rating: 13

Sweden
Rating: 11

UK
Rating: PG
The theatrical version was cut by 1 min 35 sec in order to secure a PG certificate. Three more seconds were trimmed for the video release but all cuts were waived by the BBFC in September 2000.

USA
Rating: PG-13 (for crude humor)

1996
ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards, USA
Top Box Office Films (Robert Folk) - winner

MTV Movie Awards, USA
Best Comedic Performance (Jim Carrey) - winner
Best Male Performance (Jim Carrey) - winner
Best Kiss (Jim Carrey, Sophie Okonedo) - nominated

Razzie Awards, USA
Worst Remake or Sequel (James G. Robinson) - nominated

1995
November
10: USA - theatrical release
16: Argentina - theatrical release

December
14: Germany - theatrical release
25: Denmark - theatrical release
26: UK - theatrical release
30: Iceland - theatrical release

1996
January
26: Poland - theatrical release

February
8: Hong Kong, Hungary - theatrical release
9: Sweden - theatrical release

March
12: USA - laserdisc release (Warner Home Video (23500))
20: Belgium - theatrical release
28: Spain - theatrical release
29: Portugal - theatrical release

May
10: Finland - theatrical release

July
10: France - theatrical release

1997
July
10: UK - television broadcast (on Sky Movies)

October
30: USA - DVD release (Warner Home Video (23500))

1999
March
6: UK - television broadcast (on ITV)

2000
December
10: Germany - DVD release (Warner Home Video (23500))

New Animals. New Adventures. Same Hair

The great plains of Africa, the cradle of civilization. A place where there exists a balance between nature and man. So ancient, so sacred, no man would dare to disturb it. No man but Ace Ventura.

Ace Ventura Goes to Africa - working title
Ace Ventura - Når naturen kalder - Danish title
Ace Ventura - Jetzt wird's wild - German title
Ace Ventura, operación África - Spanish title
Ace Ventura - luonto kutsuu - Finnish title
Ace Ventura en Afrique - French title
Ace Ventura 2 - Hív a természet - Hungarian title
Ace Ventura: missione Africa - Italian title
Ace Venture - Naturen kaller - Norwegian title
Ace Ventura: Zew natury - Polish title
Ace Ventura em África - Portugese title
Den galopperande detektiven rider igen - Swedish title

SEQUEL TO
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)

PERIODICALS

Cinema 23 November 1995 (Germany)
review (by Carolin Streck)

Empire January 1996 p.33 (UK)
review (by Caroline Westbrook)

Film Review January 1996 p.19 (UK)
review (by Roald Rynning)

Première August 1996 p.28 (France)
review (by Jacques-André Bondy)

animals, bats, cats, chimpanzees, detectives, gorillas, helicopters, monkeys, raccoons, sequels

Last Updated: 15 October, 2009