As of: April 1, 2024, 8:00 a.m
By: Armin Forster
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Listen to their command: In the “Film Animal Ranch” near Wang, owner Renate Hiltl (r.) and animal trainer Leonie Hillingshäuser practice with Lassie actor Bandit and his designated successor, five-month-old Baldur Knopf. © Forster
They can be seen in the cinema, in TV series or in advertising: the dogs, cats and co. from “Renate’s Film Animal Ranch” in Wang. We visited her.
Wang
– Renate Hiltl could save herself having to ring the bell on her property: a whole bunch of barking dogs announce that visitors are standing in front of the garden gate. What's even more astonishing is how suddenly the attentive guards fall silent again as soon as you are led onto the premises by the landlady. Now only an occasional woof can be heard across the 6,000 square meter property near Wang. You can also hear occasional mowing, cackling and meowing.
Out here in the idyll, surrounded by meadows and water canals, is the place where several film and TV stars live. After buying it 23 years ago, Hiltl transformed the property into “Renate’s film animal ranch”. 45 animals currently live there with her: dogs, cats, chickens, goats, sheep and pigs. Most of them have already been in the spotlight for well-known productions. Hiltl, whose parents already had a film animal school in Gröbenried near Dachau, has fulfilled her dream by becoming self-employed. With over 30 years of experience, she is now one of the most renowned professionals in this business.
Enjoying being the center of attention is one of the key traits of animals that are suitable for film sets. © Vincent C. Zettl/private
House spiders for “Pumuckl”
“No matter what breed or animal you need for your production, please contact us,” it says on their homepage. Because Hiltl and her team, which consists of two permanent trainers and other animal care staff, have numerous other creatures in their file that do not live on the ranch. Dogs and cats are of course the classics, but only recently did the producers of the new Pumuckl episodes need a house spider for a shoot. “Of course you can’t train them,” explains Renate Hiltl. “We therefore had seven different spiders, all of which have a different character.” Depending on whether a jumping, running around or calmly sitting spider was needed, the appropriate eight-legged creature could be staged.
On her farm near Wang, Renate Hiltl leads past the pretty house and a large paddock over to the outdoor enclosures, which still have heated annexes. Then the boss meets the 25-year-old animal trainer Leonie Hillingshäuser with the long-haired collie Bandit. An audience of millions has known him since his leading role in the Lassie remakes, which were released in cinemas in 2020 and 2023. “Many children are a big fan of this dog,” says Hiltl, stroking its lush neck. "Next year we'll be shooting Lassie Parts 3 and 4 with him. The film has been sold in over 140 countries, that makes us proud - and it's nice when you can bring joy to so many people." For her, that doesn't just mean a great entrepreneurial success, it also closes a personal circle: “I grew up with the Lassie films, of course,” she says. Even as a child, it was her dream to be able to train such a dog.
The Eberhofer crime novels are supplied with dogs
That's what Hiltl and Hillingshäuser do with Bandit: At the command of the two women, he sits on a wooden marker on the ground, gives a paw and turns in a circle. Then he creeps backwards, lies motionless on the ground and barks on command. “Great!” praises Leonie Hillingshäuser and gives the panting male dog a treat. “Speaking is an exercise,” she explains, “that you probably wouldn’t practice in private. But it's very important in film, the dogs are supposed to 'speak.'” For Hillingshäuser, too, her job is “definitely a dream job,” as she reveals. “You experience and see a lot, it’s very varied.”
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Through training in Wang, Bandit was able to jump over a ravine in the Lassie films, for example, pull actors' shirts or throw things out of a moving car, which then, in the style of the breadcrumbs in Hansel and Gretel, provided a trail for tracking the car. Renate Hiltl is convinced that her animals really enjoy the training and the filming days. “As a viewer, you would know if the dog wasn’t having fun. You would immediately see that in the body language.”
When her animals are in front of the camera - like Bandit here during the filming of Lassie - Renate Hiltl is not far away. © private
Bandit's peers also have plenty of film experience: the dogs Ludwig and Xaverl from the Eberhofer crime novels were prepared for their roles in Wang, as was a dachshund from the Munich crime scenes.
What a successful film animal should have
But how do you actually know whether a dog is suitable for filming? “First of all, he has to be healthy,” says Hiltl. “Then it should be easily motivated by games and treats and be socially and environmentally friendly.” It is also important that the animal enjoys interacting with strangers. “And that it likes to be the center of attention: on a set like this there are between 30 and 70 people who stand around quietly and all just look at the animal.” It’s the same with their cats. “When they've been on a film set, they're drawn back there because they enjoyed the attention. And because there were really great treats that you can only get on a film set. Boiled chicken, for example, cheese or a Wienerle, it’s different for every animal.”
The fact that her cats are people-oriented and extremely affectionate towards strangers is proven when Renate Hiltl opens a wire mesh door and leads her visitors into the outdoor cat enclosure. Immediately, eight house cats of different breeds rush from the house via an above-ground tunnel, rub their heads on people's trouser legs and, lying on their backs, demand pets. “Hello, my friends,” calls Hiltl, while two jump onto a tree stump to grunt and greet them. “This is our Amun, for example,” she says, stroking the tabby fur of a tomcat. “He already took part in the film 'Welcome to the Hartmanns'.” You could also see him in a fairy tale film and in various advertisements.”
Rough diamonds from the animal shelter
Anyone who thinks that the film animals are Hiltl's special breeds is mistaken: Amun, for example, who was allowed to cuddle with Senta Berger in front of the camera, comes from an animal shelter in Münster. Hiltl saw the cat on the WDR program “Animals Looking for a Home” and immediately fell in love with him. “We just got another dog from an animal shelter in Koblenz. “Hannes is a diamond in the rough: We still have to train him a lot and educate him so that he can become a real gem,” says Hiltl. She also recommends to all private individuals: “Before you get an animal, you should always look at the animal shelter first.”
Mini pig Lotti is also a film professional: she was already in the spotlight as a piglet - including for the BR crime thriller “Storno – Todsicher insured”. © Forster
Because the order situation in the film business fluctuates seasonally every year, Renate Hiltl has built up additional bases: she gives seminars on dog management to private individuals and offers interested animal lovers and fans of her protégés various experience packages on the ranch. It's not just Bandit alias Lassie that you can get up close and personal with. But also feed the goats Heidi and Klara, experience tricks from the sheep Gretl, who was already in front of the camera with Thomas Müller, laugh at the tricks of the BR crime-tested pig Lotti or, of course, watch the team during film animal training.
Difficult scripts and absolute no-gos
In all her commitment, Renate Hiltl attaches great importance to keeping her animals in a species-appropriate manner. In addition to lots of exercise and activity, their dogs also get a large portion of affection: Bandit & Co. are allowed into the house at night. “When I open my eyes in the morning, the work is already looking at me,” says Hiltl and laughs. “Then Lassie stands there and wants to know when we’re finally going for a walk.” If the ranch owner is out on a shoot again, someone else from the team will stay on the farm.
By the way, not all requests from film productions are accepted. “What I reject are films where I don’t like the message,” says Renate Hiltl. A few years ago she received a script in which an attack dog was supposed to constantly kill people. “We don’t do things like that. And we don’t put cats in disguise,” she says. “Because you can’t expect that from an animal.”
Good to know
On June 23rd, Renate Hiltl will once again be holding a large dog casting at the Bavaria Filmstadt near Munich, where owners can have their four-legged friends' camera suitability assessed. The Filmtier Ranch is also currently offering an internship position for a larger project in the summer. More information can be found at www.filmtierranch.de.