Vancouver Aquarium's giant Pacific octopus stars in new Netflix film
An octopus from the Vancouver Aquarium is getting a bit of the spotlight in a new Netflix film based on a popular novel.
When Shelby Van Pelt, the author of the bestselling novel Remarkably Bright Creatures, was growing up in Tacoma, Washington, she visited Vancouver on a school field trip.
“And this sounds insane to me now that they put us on a bus and, like, turned us loose in the city for a day. I don’t think that would happen now. This was the ’90s, so, you know,” she said.
Now, she’s back in Vancouver, this time for the release of the movie adaptation of Remarkably Bright Creatures, which was filmed in Deep Cove and the Vancouver Aquarium.
“I heard early-ish on that we’re probably gonna film in Vancouver. And I was like, ‘That’s awesome. That’s perfect.’ It’s really a very similar backdrop. It’s gonna capture the vibe of the Pacific Northwest so well,” Van Pelt said.
The film was released on May 8 on Netflix, starring not only Sally Field but Lewis Pullman, Alfred Molina, and Agnetha, the Giant Pacific octopus at the Vancouver Aquarium. Van Pelt assures people that if they loved the book, they are going to love the movie too.
It tells the story of Tova (Salley Field), a woman who lost her son decades prior and works as a janitor at an aquarium. There, she befriends Marcellus, an octopus (voiced by Alfred Molina). When Cameron (Lewis Pullman), a 30-something man whose mother recently died, comes to town in search of his long-lost father, the three form an unlikely bond, as Marcellus helps the humans come to terms with their grief.
While Marcellus is voiced by Alfred Molina, the film crew shot footage of Agnetha in her tank at the aquarium to help bring the character to life.
“Obviously, a lot of the Marcellus footage that you see in the film is [CGI], but they really modelled that [CGI] after the actual footage of Agnetha. And so when you watch the film, what you’re seeing is both alongside each other, real footage and digital footage. And they did such a phenomenal job with it that even I cannot tell the difference,” said Van Pelt.
The film takes place in a small, cute, Pacific Northwest town that Van Pelt created, called Sowell Bay. For the movie, Deep Cove was the backdrop.
“It’s incredible to me that Deep Cove exists, because it’s so similar to how I pictured this fictional town when I was writing it,” said Van Pelt. “The physical layout of it, where you have this cute, little, sweet downtown with little shops and things. It’s not a fancy place, you know, it’s just very cute.”
“You have the waterfront, you’ve got the kayak shops … you have this beautiful pier going into the gorgeous bay that was so pivotal in the film. That is where Tova goes to reflect on the tragedies of her life.”
They shot the movie in late March and early April last year, which was when Van Pelt had her first opportunity to visit Deep Cove.
“I’m so glad I got to experience this place,” she said. “Just getting to see the area, it is so, so beautiful up here.”