Guardians of the Galaxy!

Here at Oreo and Friends, we’ve had the chance to be involved in some pretty amazing projects over the years, but both humans and animals agree that our involvement with Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy was definitely the most exciting!

Yup, this is where it all started! James Gunn tweeted the above photo, making public the fact that he’d hired a real raccoon to act as the real-life model for the franchise’s most beloved character, Rocket Raccoon. Oreo was more than happy to take on the challenge! Our little man was an angel as he worked with the Guardians team, helping them to bring Rocket to life. James also very generously invited Oreo, his humans and a few of his animal friends to visit the set during filming and meet the movie’s wonderful cast, who were all very kind to the animals! What’s more, he even took the time to visit Oreo and the rest of our animals at Oreo and Friends HQ. James had such an affinity with our animals and it was plain to see that they really took to him – though none more so than Oreo, who really did get quite attached!

Even after we thought our involvement with the movie was over, James surprised us yet again with an invitation for Oreo to attend the movie’s European premiere! Needless to say, it was definitely the most exciting day of Oreo’s life (and our lives!) The night itself was overwhelming, moving and lots of fun! Oreo remembered James straight away and climbed straight onto his buddy’s shoulder, and walked the red carpet with him in front of a huge crowd of fans and camera flashes! We couldn’t have been prouder of the way he behaved, and he certainly caught a lot of people’s attention! Within minutes of his appearance, photos of Oreo and James had spread worldwide across the internet – and just like that, Oreo became a superstar! Not only was James posting about Oreo, but so were the people at Marvel themselves! And that was just the start – here are a few snippets from the night’s excitement.

Check out these awesome news stories featuring Oreo too!

Empire: “Raccoon Rule At Guardians Of The Galaxy’s London Premiere”
Daily Mail: “the animal appeared rather enamoured with the filmmaker”
Digital Spy: “James Gunn arrived with a seriously cute raccoon on his shoulder”
Guard the Galaxy: “James Gunn was spotted with Oreo, the raccoon used as the model for Rocket”
Business Insider: “Meet The Real-Life Raccoon Who Inspired ‘Rocket'”