OUR TOWN'S A MOVIE STAR!

When Runt arrived in town, locals couldn't wait to play a part!

- Megan Rowe

Residents of the historic WA town of York are excitedly preparing to see their small community on the silver screen this month.

More than 90 local folk were cast as extras in the new feel-good family movie Runt, along with a menagerie of animals and even a local bobtail lizard!

Local animal wrangler Nigel Spencer looked after the "really well trained" lead, Squid, originally a rescue dog, as well as donkeys, sheep, chickens and a trained peacock for the production. "I've got hundreds of animals here from camels to cats so the director could take his pick," Nigel tells Woman's Day, adding that the sheep were among the trickiest of the creatures to keep on track. "I had to do a lot of ducking and weaving on set because the sheep would follow me and I had to try and stay off camera!"

UPSON DOWNS

The adorably scruffy Squid is set to melt cinemagoers' hearts. "Our amazing animal department searched far and wide, and sourced the incredible Squid, who was in need of rescue, and they swept her up and gave her a home," says Craig Silvey, author of the bestselling novel. "Now she's going to be the most famous dog in Australia."