Life of Pi (2012) on Netflix
PG20122h 7mAdventureDramaFantasy
Pi Patel, a zookeeper's son in Pondicherry, follows three religions. When his family sails to Canada with their animals, a storm leaves him in a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger, Richard Parker.
- Netflix3.9/5
- IMDb7.9/10706,038 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes86%
Trailer
Plot summary
In Montreal, a writer visits Pi Patel, who agrees to recount his life. Pi grows up in Pondicherry as the son of a zoo owner and is named Piscine Molitor after a French swimming pool, a name he shortens to Pi at school. Raised Hindu, he later embraces Christianity and Islam as well, with his mother's support and his father's disapproval. The family prepares to leave Pondicherry for Canada, where they plan to sell their animals, and books passage on a Japanese freighter. Then a storm sinks the ship, and Pi is left in a lifeboat with the zoo's Bengal tiger, Richard Parker, alongside a zebra, an orangutan and a hyena.
Cast
- Ayaan Khanas Ravi Patel (7 Years)
- Mohd Abbas Khaleelias Ravi Patel (13-14 Years)
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Life of Pi (2012)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Rhythm & Hues Studios, which provided most of the film's visual effects, won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects at the 2013 Academy Awards after being forced to file for bankruptcy on February 11, 2013; nearly 500 VFX artists protested outside, and supervisor Bill Westenhofer's microphone was cut off when he brought the company up in his speech.
- A 2013 investigation by The Hollywood Reporter brought to light leaked emails suggesting animals had been mistreated during filming, though the American Humane Association put its No Animals Were Harmed certification on the film; one AHA monitor wrote, last week we almost killed King, about a tiger that apparently nearly drowned while filming a scene.
- In 2015 PETA released a video showing Life of Pi animal trainer Michael Hackenberger swearing at and whipping a young tiger 19 times, and in April 2016 the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals filed animal cruelty charges against him based on that evidence.
- Tobey Maguire was announced in April 2011 for the role originally referred to as a reporter, but in September 2012 Lee cut him from the film, saying he wanted an entirely international cast and calling Maguire too jarringly recognizable; the scenes were reshot with Rafe Spall.
SPOILER
Shyamalan was expected to direct the adaptation after completing The Village and even wrote a new screenplay himself, but ultimately chose to film Lady in the Water instead, saying he was hesitant because the book has kind of a twist ending.- After 3,000 young men auditioned for the film's lead, Lee cast Suraj Sharma, a 17-year-old student and an acting newcomer, who then underwent extensive training in ocean survival and in yoga and meditation practices.
