Characters:

Susan Costello Ü played by Madchen Amick. Susan is of average height, slender, with chestnut brown hair and blue eyes. She is seen in suits at work and styles her hair pulled up at the crown of her head. She has diamond stud earrings and a ring on her right hand, pale pink lipstick, dark red nail polish on medium length nails. At home, she wears long sleeve knit tops and slacks and has her hair clipped back to fall down her back.

Jack Carver played by Vincent Spano. Jack has dark brown hair that is long enough to cover the tips of his ears. He is of average height, has dark eyes, an oval face and medium complexion. Although clean shaved, his beard is evident. He wears loose fitting dark clothing and black boots. He drives a classic blue Mustang.

Ty Ü JackÍs assistant played by Shawn Michael Howard. Just shorter than Jack, Ty has milk chocolate skin, full lidded eyes and a broad forehead. His dark hair is worn in very short braids. He wears blue jeans, a long sleeved shirt and a torn T-shirt over that with boots on his feet.

Amy Costello Ü played by Daveigh Chase. Amy is about 10 years old with wavy brown hair pulled over her ears falling over her shoulders. She has dark blue eyes, an up-turned nose and full cheeks. She wears pants and long sleeved shirts.

Ray Jarvis played by David Wolos Fonteno. Ray is a heavyset man with short graying hair with a receding hairline. He has a medium to dark complexion with dark eyebrows over dark eyes. His neatly trimmed beard is flecked with gray. He a camel colored overcoat over his suit, white shirt and tie.

Miss Page Ü played by Sheila McCarthy. Miss Page has short reddish blonde hair parted on the left and combed behind her ears. She has delicate features, a pale complexion, dark eyes, and dark red lipstick. Her knee length, fox fur coat complements her hair color.

The rats: Ü The rats in the film are brown. Their bodies are 5î to 6î long; their tails are longer. Many of the rats are trained, while some are computer generated. For more about rats see the Encarta article below.

Credits:

Music by Elia Cmiral; Edited by Michael N. Knue; Production Designer Sandra Kybartas; Director of Photography David Foreman; Co-Producer Eric Hetzel; Produced by Bob Roe Executive Producers Robert Cort, David Madden. Written by Frank Deasy. Directed by John Lafia. Additional cast: Nyla - Elsa Moolecherry Karl - Joe Pingue Queen - Kathryn Winslow Janitor - Aron Tager Doctor - Yanna McIntosh. Nurse - Jennifer Coristine Jay - Kim Poirier Tech Guy - Balazs Koos Bitchy Woman - Jackie Laidlow Nervous Rider - Domenic Cuzzocrea Conductor - Cabral Richards Artie - Philip Dewilde Lifeguard - Bryan Thomas Big Kid - Teo Weyman Cop - Shane Daly. Unit Production Manager Ü Sandir Pereira First Unit Director Ü Cynthia Gillespie Second Unit Director Ü Arline Robichaud Casting by Phyllis Huffman, C.S.A. Olivia Harris Canadian Casting by Tina Gerussi, C.D.C. Costume Designer Jenifur Jarvis Art Director Ü Armando Sgrignuoli Set Director Ü Elizabeth Calderhead; Make-up Artist Ü Cathie Davies Irvine; Hairstylist Ü Katrin Calrk-Citroen; Special Effects Make-up Ü Paul Jones; Second Unit Driector Ü Ross Clyde; Camera Operators Ü Gilles Corbeil, Joel Guthro; 2nd Unit Director pf Photography Ü Luc Montpellier; Sound Mixer Ü Sylvain Arsenault; Stunt Coordinator Ü Anton ñTyî Tykodi; Stunt Performers Ü Taryn Ash, Ron Webber; 2nd Unit Director Ü Sorcha Vasey; Script Supervisor Ü Dawn Sorokolit; Location Manager Ü Arthur Clarke; Production Accountant Ü Andrea Wassell; Production Coordinaotr Ü Sandy Kaplansky; Extras Casting - Zamert Kleiman; Gaffer Ü Harry Stroud; Key Grip Ü Erik Berger; Property Master Ü Craig Grant; Special Effects Ü Marianne Klein; Animatronics Ü Walter Kalssen; Animal Trainers Ü Brian Gibbs, Larry Payne; Construction Coordinator Ü Dan Mucka; Transportaion Coordinator Ü Bill Sims; Post Production Supervisor Ü David H. Jeffery; Visual Effects Supervisor Ü Bob Munroe; Assistant Editor Ü Mel Friedman; Supervising Sound Editor Ü Thomas E. DeGorter, M.P.S.E.; Digital Visual Effects by C.O.R.E. Digital Pictures, Inc.; Animation Directors Terry Bradley, Lisa Carr-Harris; Technical Directors John Mariella, Ken Ouellette, Nordin Rahhali, Mark Visser; Production Manger Lisa Wyse-Teranishi; Re-recording Mixers Chris Haire, Ross Davis; Music Editor Mike Flicker, Thomas Bartke; Colorist J.R. Benson; Film Lab Services Provided by THE LAB IN TORONTO, INC.; Telecine Provided by MAGNETIC NORTH; Digital Post Porduction Services Provided by LEVEL3 POST»; RAT New York Footage by Mark Lewis; Main Title Design by FRESH DESIGN»; Animatronic Rats Desgined by Walter Kalssen FX; Post Production Sound Provided by Todd Studios-Burbank; Camera Systems & Lenses by Panavision»; ñThe Flyî Clip Courtesy of Twentieth Century Film Corporation; A Cort Madden Production; Fox Television Studios. A News Corporation Company.;

"Rat," Microsoft¬ Encarta¬ Online Encyclopedia 2002

encarta.msn.com © 1997-2002 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved

Introduction, Brown, Black, and White Rats, Bush and Wood Rats, Related Rodents

I. Introduction

Rat, common name for any large member of a family of rodents, with dull-colored, coarse fur; long tails; large ears; and a pointed snout. Rats have extremely powerful teeth, with which they often gnaw through wooden planks to get at stores of food, and they have even been known to bite holes in lead pipes. They are usually nocturnal and live in human habitations, in forests, in deserts, and on seagoing ships. They are extremely prolific, breeding 1 to 13 times a year and producing 1 to 22 young in a litter. Most species of rats are herbivorous, but some are omnivorous.

II. Brown, Black, and White Rats
Two species of rats are found almost throughout the world. The brown rat, which is also known as the Norway rat, house rat, gray rat, barn rat, and wharf rat, is the larger of the two. It attains a length of about 18 to 26 cm (about 7 to 10 in), not including the tail, which is about 15 to 22 cm (about 6 to 9 in) long. It is grayish-brown above and sooty white below. This common species does much damage to foodstuffs in storehouses, carries fleas that transmit such diseases as plague and typhus fever, and attacks domestic animals, poultry, and occasionally humans. The brown rat was carried on ships from Europe to the United States late in the 18th century, and it has gradually displaced the black rat, a smaller, less aggressive species introduced into North America in about the 16th century. The black rat, which is almost completely black in color, is now prevalent in tropical and subtropical America and in the southern United States. The black rat produces 1 to 11 young in a litter. Like the brown rat, the black rat spreads disease and destroys property. Albino strains of both the black and brown rat are bred for use in biological study; these white rats have been extensively used for nutritional studies and in many other areas of scientific research.

Rats are controlled by the use of traps or poison. Most rat poisons are dangerous, however, and should be used only under professional supervision.

III. Bush and Wood Rats

Bush, or wood, rats live far from human habitations. The bush rats, which are 15 to 23 cm (6 to 9 in) in length, excluding the tail, are native to America and are found in wooded and desert areas throughout the United States. They build characteristic dome-shaped nests, about 1 meter (about 4 ft) high, and in some species the exterior of the nest is studded with needle-sharp thorns or bits of cactus for protection against natural enemies. Bush rats feed chiefly on green vegetation. The eastern wood rat, pack rat, trade rat, or bush rat, found along the South Atlantic and Gulf coasts, is slate-gray above and white below. The bushy-tailed wood rat differs from most other rats in that it has a hairy tail. This rodent, which is found west of the Rocky Mountains, is buff and black above and white below. The desert rat is a short-tailed bush rat found in the deserts of the western United States.

Another common rat of the southeastern United States is the cotton, or marsh, rat, which is especially abundant around the edges of cotton fields. This aggressive, voracious rodent is 13 to 20 cm (5 to 8 in) long, not including the tail, which measures 8 to 14 cm (3 to 6 in). The cotton rat is yellowish-gray, grizzled with black above and sooty white below. The animal is fond of cotton seeds and also feeds on green vegetation. It produces 1 to 12 young in a litter.

IV. Related Rodents

Several other rodents are popularly known as rats: among these are the bandicoot rat, the kangaroo rat, the ground rat, and the pocket rat. The hutia is frequently called the cane rat. Certain South and Central American octodont (eight-toothed) rodents are known as spiny rats or hedgehog rats; they are so called because their fur has long, sharp spines.

Scientific classification: Rats belong to the family Muridae. The brown rat is classified as Rattus norvegicus, and the black rat as Rattus rattus. The eastern wood rat is classified as Neotoma floridana, the bushy-tailed wood rat as Neotoma cinerea, and the desert rat as Neotoma lepida. The cotton rat is classified as Sigmodon hispidis.

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