In recent years, Hollywood productions have come up with interesting ways of getting around the difficulties of having to work with baby actors on their projects. There's the infamous Chuckesme animatronic doll from the last installment of the Twilight series, a Chucky-like creation that was deemed too creepy to use so they opted for a slightly less creepy CG baby instead. On the other extreme is the 2014 Oscar-winning biopic American Sniper, in which Bradley Cooper had to self-animate a plastic baby doll as a stand-in for the real thing, only to find that it made the final cut. But now, there's a new contender in this not-so-prestigious category.
In Eli Roth's latest feature, The House with a Clock in Its Walls, there's a scene that requires star Jack Black's character Jonathan Barnavelt to be turned into a baby. Except, because it's a Roth flick and that wasn't creepy enough, the incredibly creative and talented crew created an animatronic baby with the body of an infant and the head of a full-grown Jack Black. It's a nightmare, but in this case, it's actually supposed to be.
Watch the bonkers behind-the-scenes featurette showing off the nightmarish creation that is the animatronic Jack Black baby. (Hat tip to /Film for finding this monstrosity.):
Now on Digital and Blu-ray, the film's Bonus Features Include:
- Alternate Opening and Ending
- Deleted Scenes
- Gag Reel
- Warlocks and Witches
- Movie Magic
- Do You Know Jack Black?
- Jack Black's Greatest Fear
- Feature Commentary with Director Eli Roth and Actor Jack Black
Here's the official synopsis for The House with the Clock in Its Walls:
In the tradition of Amblin classics where fantastical events occur in the most unexpected places, Jack Black and two-time Academy Award® winner Cate Blanchett star in The House with a Clock in Its Walls. The magical adventure tells the spine-tingling tale of 10-year-old Lewis (Owen Vaccaro), who goes to live with his uncle in a creaky old house with a mysterious tick-tocking heart. But his new town's sleepy façade jolts to life with a secret world of warlocks and witches. Based on the beloved children's classic book. About: The Universal Pictures Home Entertainment channel features trailers, film clips and Blu-ray/DVD bonus feature clips from all your favorite movies and TV shows. Subscribe to our channel to keep up on all the latest releases.