***** spoiler *********
Filmed in Alberta, Canada, which is not a native habitat for lemmings and has no outlet to the sea, lemmings were imported for use in the film. (Purchased from Inuit children by the filmmakers.) The lemmings were placed on a snow-covered turntable and filmed from various angles to produce a "migration" sequence; afterwards, the helpless creatures were transported to a cliff overlooking a river and herded into the water to die. The movie does not depict an actual lemming migration -- at no time are more than a few dozen lemmings ever shown on the screen at once. The entire sequence was faked. They used a handful of lemmings deceptively photographed to create the illusion of a large herd of migrating creatures.
Filmed in Alberta, Canada, which is not a native habitat for lemmings and has no outlet to the sea, lemmings were imported for use in the film. (Purchased from Inuit children by the filmmakers.) The lemmings were placed on a snow-covered turntable and filmed from various angles to produce a "migration" sequence; afterwards, the helpless creatures were transported to a cliff overlooking a river and herded into the water to die. The movie does not depict an actual lemming migration -- at no time are more than a few dozen lemmings ever shown on the screen at once. The entire sequence was faked. They used a handful of lemmings deceptively photographed to create the illusion of a large herd of migrating creatures.