10 Things you didn’t know about Guardians of the Galaxy

Today is the day FanGirls and FanBoys! You can own Guardians of the Galaxy on Blu-Ray™ 3D Combo Pack, Blu-Ray™ and On Demand just in time for the holidays. If you can’t wait for your very own copy, here is a sneak preview of behind the scenes footage along with Ten Fun Facts you didn’t know about Guardians of the Galaxy.

1. The multi-talented Vin Diesel is well known for his acting career, but he also writes, produces, directs, and he has even created his own video game. In his unique role as Groot, Vin Diesel only had one line to work with, but he did an amazing job displaying a range of emotion. In the end, he recorded his “I am Groot” line in multiple languages including Russian, Mandarin, Spanish, Portuguese, German, and French so his real voice could be used in films around the world. He recorded the line over 1,000 times.
2. In the film, Peter Quill’s ship is called The Milano, a reference to Alyssa Milano, his childhood crush.
3. Oscar® nominee Bradley Cooper plays the voice of Rocket, but the real hard work was making a raccoon believable as a gun-wielding protector of the universe. Turning Rocket into a lifelike character took a blend of realistic raccoon movement and anthropomorphic traits. This blend was developed by analyzing the movements of a raccoon named Oreo as well as Sean Gunn, the director’s brother. Creating a cross between these two made Rocket’s animation come to life.
4. The dedication of the actors aided in the success of this imaginative film. The grueling physical training and endless hours of makeup brought the other worldly characters to life. Vin Diesel would even wear stilts while recording his voice in order to get into character and become the essence of Groot.
5. Director, James Gunn, would hand out small containers of Play-doh to anyone that did a good job throughout the day. He said the smell of it reminded him of childhood, and it helped put him in a creative mood.
6. In the very end of the movie, The Milano is taking off and in the distance, three suns are visible. The three suns look very much like the silhouette of Mickey Mouse’s head.
7. Each day, it took five makeup artists, five hours to apply makeup for Drax. At the end of production, David Bautista (Drax) had spent a to total of seven whole days having makeup applied.  
8. The Kyln is the space prison where the guardians meet, and it was the largest production build. It was 360 degree set made up of 100 tons of steel across three levels.
9. Based on the comic book by Arnold Drake and Gene Colan, Guardians of the Galaxy was first introduced in 1969 and based on a team of heroes in the 31st century.
10. James Gunn originally didn’t want to see Chris Pratt audition. Gunn’s assistant talked him into it, and after 30 seconds, Gunn knew Pratt was the man for the role. Pratt became completely devoted to the movie. He adopted a strict diet and trained four hours a day to get in fantastic shape for his portrayal of Peter Quill.