The bonus pre-credit scene in Guardians of the Galaxy in which we as an audience get to see that (spoiler) Groot survived his apparent death and is now a baby with more moves than Michael Jackson’s spirit fighting a Ghostbuster, is arguably one of the more memorable scenes from the last year in film. But did you know that the motion reference for that scene was based on how director James Gunn actually dances?
If you’ve somehow made it all the way into 2015 without seeing this scene, which would be impressive considering that it was shared by practically everyone, here it is. For everyone else, here it is again, don’t even dare pretend you’re tired of seeing it.
The scene was an instant hit with fans, thanks to a combinations of the surreal visuals of a baby tree getting its groove on to the sound of the Jackson Five and the fact it revealed that one of the film’s best characters hadn’t actually died. In fact, the scene proved to be so ridiculously popular with test audiences that James Gunn intentionally moved it from the middle of the credits to the start to ensure that nobody who went to see the film missed it. Which is mostly surprising because it suggests there are people out there who’ve yet to realise that leaving Marvel movies before the credits finish is a really fucking stupid idea.
Speaking of James Gunn, according to him, the motion referencing for Baby Groot’s sick dance moves during that scene were directly sourced from him. While he didn’t exactly put on one of those stupid suits covered in ping pong balls and dance in front of a camera, he did allow the animators to base Groot’s movements on how he dances in real life.
And it must have been pretty freaking accurate because one of Gunn’s friends immediately recognised Groot’s moves and when they spoke to Gunn about the scene, one of the first things they said was “‘I knew that was you because that’s exactly what you dance like“. In other words, James Gunn, the man who directed Guardians of the Galaxy apparently, dances exactly like this:
Please keep this in mind the next time you feel a bit sad.
