The Search for Animal Chin
The Search for Animal Chin is a 1987 skateboarding film featuring the Bones Brigade. It is one of the first skateboarding films to have a plot, rather than simply a collection of skateboarding stunts and music videos.
| The Search for Animal Chin | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Stacy Peralta |
| Produced by | Stacy Peralta |
| Written by | Paul Gross and John Smythe |
| Starring | Tony Hawk Steve Caballero Mike McGill Lance Mountain Tommy Guerrero Rodney Mullen Mike Vallely |
| Music by | Dennis Dragon, William Santschi, Johnny Rad |
| Distributed by | Powell Peralta |
Release date | 1987 |
Running time | 65 minutes |
| Language | English |
An early version of the screenplay by John Smythe, titled "The Rollersurfing Quest for Animal Chang", was damaged by some ranch dressing. Producer Stacy Peralta misread the name of the title character "Animal Chang" as "Animal Chin", and liked the name so much that the title and the character's name were officially changed.
Plot summary
The Bones Brigade travels around California, Nevada, and Hawaii to different skate spots in search of a wisened old man, Won Ton "Animal" Chin. The movie is of the old-school nomadic, skate-everything-in-your-path genre with interludes of stopping to rip-up a big ramp, pool or kicker. After much searching and skateboarding, they locate a large ramp in the desert. They also find a Chinese character on the inside of the ramp's spine.
Cast
Bones Brigade:
- Tony Hawk - Himself
- Steve Caballero - Himself
- Mike McGill - Himself
- Lance Mountain - Himself
- Tommy Guerrero - Himself
- C. R. Stecyk, III - Emerson "Won Ton Animal" Chin - Himself (credited as Emerson Chin)
The film also includes:
- San Francisco Scene: Jim Thiebaud, Jesse Martinez, Bryce Kanights, Doug Smith
- Bakersfield Scene: Chris Borst, Bobby Reeves, Charlie Dubois, Ray Underhill, Adrian Demain, Donny Griffin, Kevin Lambert
- Rad Party Scene: Mike Vallely, Rodney Mullen, Per Welinder, Natas Kaupas, Arron Murray, Kevin Harris, Johnny Rad
Also, in non-skating roles are Skip Engblom as a bouncer and Gerrit Graham as Alan Winters, the head of Slash Skates.
Legacy
The iconic ramp featured in the movie was rebuilt at Woodward West Skatepark in Tehachapi, California for the 30th anniversary of the film. The original Bones Brigade reunited and skated the ramp design that no one has skated in 30 years - the original was torn down after filming.[1]
See also
- Animal Chin - a late-'90s ska-punk band named after the movie
- Animal Chin - a song by experimental jazz band Jaga Jazzist; the first on their acclaimed album A Livingroom Hush (2001).
References
- "Watch the Bones Brigade skate the recreated 'Animal Chin' ramp 30 years later". Grind TV. Retrieved 14 November 2016.