Matilda (1978 film)

Matilda is a 1978 American comedy film directed by Daniel Mann and starring Elliott Gould, Robert Mitchum and Lionel Stander.

The film was budgeted at 5.2 Million. Producer Al Ruddy explained that we debated over using both a real kangaroo and an actor in costume and opted for the latter as crosscutting proved too jarring for the viewer. However the costume was a 30,000 investment that paid off as it not only allowed freedom of movement, but we were able to program it with transistors to allow us to direct the actors tiniest gesture. Critic Tom Allen wrote in The Village Voice that Matilda is worked by a person in a fur suit and fixed mask. ... The technicians do not even get the ears to wiggle and the mouth to pucker until the final minutes.

Source: Wikipedia