One of two major "talking bird" theatrical feature films that debuted in the year of 1998. The pair of pictures are Paulie (1998) and The Real Macaw (1998).
Four separate birds played the role of "Mac".
The true star of the film was Mac, a blue and gold macaw parrot, played by not one but four different birds called Tango, Harpo, Groucho and Chico. The feisty Tango, a parrot with attitude, was the lead bird, with the other three working as his stunt doubles.
According to visual effects house Rising Sun Pictures (RSP) in South Australia, their challenge for this film was "the film needed a digital bird to perform when the real Macaw couldn't or wouldn't." Their solution was "a 3D parrot that was integrated into the scenes via motion control and motion tracking. By squashing the bird onto a flat bed scanner we were able to extract the textures. If only!".
During the hotel interior shots, there was an orchestra rehearsing next door. Cast and crew had to time in between their takes, breaks, and schedules to listen to them.