The Last Of Us Used A Real Giraffe In Finale Scene – And Twitter Has Mixed Feelings
Warning: This article contains spoilers for the season one finale of The Last Of Us.
The giraffe scene from The Last of Us — a pivotal and emotional moment that occurs during the post-apocalyptic survival game — was re-created using a real giraffe for the season finale of the hit drama.
According to the show’s Twitter account, the scene, in which Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) meet a giraffe in the remains of Salt Lake City, was re-created using a “combination of a VFX stage, scenery and location shoot with real giraffes from the Calgary Zoo”.
The Giraffe Scene
— Atom (@theatomreview) March 13, 2023
From “Look for the Light”
The Last of Us Season 1, Episode 9
Director: Ali Abbasi
Cinematography: Nadim Carlsen#TheLastofUs#TheLastofUsHBO#TheLastofUsEp9#TLOU#HBOpic.twitter.com/70BaS4G1bS
In the game, the iconic scene symbolises one of its darkest periods, when Ellie begins to recover emotionally after falling into a deep state of depression.
During the heartwarming scene, Joel and Ellie feed the massive animal, making a new friend before continuing their journey.
The moment marks one of the most popular scenes in the game series since its launch nearly a decade ago.
Explaining why the show’s team chose to forgo using CGI, production designer John Paino told Variety: “I’m sure Alex Wang, visual effects supervisor, could have made a CGI giraffe if we had the time.”
“The trainers worked to get [giraffes] to eat out of a stranger’s hand. So, when Ellie and Joel walk up at the enclosure, that’s the giraffe eating those branches of food,” Paino added.
Many fans sharing their thoughts on Twitter initially assumed that the giraffe was 100% computer-generated. However, viewers quickly realised that there was nothing simulated about the towering creature.
i thought the giraffe in the last episode of the last of us was cgi ????
— ⋆☽ ???????????????????????????? ☾⋆ | djats spoilers (@sgdreamich) March 14, 2023
can someone please check on that nice giraffe actor from the last of us something’s gotta be wrong if we all thought it was bad cgi
— jordann ???? (@jordannwstover) March 14, 2023
can’t even imagine how that giraffe felt standing next to the last of us stars bella ramsey & pedro pascal pic.twitter.com/Lj2xilDwI4
— em (@bestofaloy) March 13, 2023
the other giraffe actors on the last of us set when they didn’t get picked to meet Pedro pascal pic.twitter.com/sRgIqj3RZ4
— fonapilled ???????? (@cowgrlfriend) March 13, 2023
The giraffe scene in this episode of The Last of Us was so *chef kiss*
— Raaalphalphaaa ???? (@raaalphalphaaa) March 13, 2023
On the other hand, some viewers called out the beloved scene on social media for not resembling the video game more closely.
The giraffe scene in the last of us finale was nothing like the game at all pic.twitter.com/3tthPA6ztK
— Kyle&Chin (@kyleandchin) March 13, 2023
the giraffe scene in the new last of us episode is hilarious man, felt like the budget starting running out on the CGI ????????
— Abdel (@abdel_taco) March 13, 2023
The last of us giraffe looks horrible ????
— Johnny (@rios54321) March 13, 2023
Last month, HBO announced that The Last Of Us had been renewed for a second season amid the series’ massive success.
All nine episodes of The Last Of Us are now available to watch on Now.
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