"Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade"

Special Effects: Redesigned and created animatronic rhinocerous for pre-title sequence.

In the final days of shooting, an urgent call went out Buechler to create an animatronic snake for the opening sequence of the movie. As it turned out, a rental snake became available and a new one would not have to be made. Steven Spielberg then showed John Buechler another project which needed attention, a massive foam and fiberglass rhinocerous prop had been created by the British special effects crew for an important sequence with young Indy. Spielberg wanted the rhino to move! A sequence would be shot in less than three days, where the director wanted to see this rhino snarl, snort, and blink it's eyes. Buechler took on the challenge. The huge prop was delivered to Buechler's North Hollywood studio from the stage at Universal. Buechler and his crew set to work re-inventing the rhino. Over the course of three days, Buechler and company resculpted, re-cast, and mechanized the beast to such a degree, that not only did the rhino blink, snarl, and snort as Spielberg wanted, but it also wiggled it's ears! So happy with the final creature was the director that he allowed Buechler to call "action" and "cut" on the final shot of the movie. They clinked champaigne glasses together and toasted the end of the picture.