The truth about Anatomy of a Fall star Messi the dog's memorable Oscars moment

One of the most memorable moments of the 2024 Academy Awards had to be Messi the dog from the nominated film Anatomy of a Fall appearing to clap along with the audience.

The delightful moment had viewers at home, and, according to the telecast, Oscar nominee Ryan Gosling delighted by the cute scene.

However, it's since been revealed the footage was pure Hollywood magic using editing and filmmaking tricks to make it happen.

Watch the video above.

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A video filmed in the Dolby Theatre ahead of the Oscars ceremony shows a small number of audience members and what looks like Messi sitting in seats and clapping.

The camera is focused on a dog that was not actually Messi, who wasn't initially expected to attend the Oscars.

According to Chris Gardener, a writer from The Hollywood Reporter who shared the behind-the-scenes clip on X (formerly Twitter), the dog clapping during the Oscars footage was a "lookalike".

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But that's not all – a photo shared on Messi and his trainer Laura Martin Contini's Instagram stories revealed the truth about the clapping paws.

As you can see from the image below, a man lying on the floor in front of the dog is using fake paws to simulate the dog's claps.

Gardner's video of the dog clapping pre-record has shocked many who chose to believe in the magic of the moment.

"Tell the kids about Santa Clause next why dontcha lol" one commented.

"I don't believe this I can't," wrote another.

"Don't ruin everything," an X user posted.

"BETRAYAL!!!!!!!" one said.

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Messi is a border collie who gives a scene-stealing performance as Snoop in Anatomy of a Fall. The French film follows a woman suspected of her husband's murder, where the only witness was her blind son.

The dog's performance has been praised, especially for his ability to play dead, a trick he repeated at an Oscar nominee luncheon. Messi's act was so believable Gosling apparently rushed up to help him.

Messi was adopted as a puppy by Martin Contini from her neighbour's litter, and named by her two children in honour of the soccer player Lionel Messi.

He is the first dog Martin Contini has trained for film.