We already know Bradley Cooper will voice Rocket Raccoon In Guardians Of The Galaxy and director James Gunn is using rotoscoping with real animal models to make Rocket Raccoon as convincing as possible. If this GIF Marvel said we can’t post is any indication, the rotoscoping is going very well. But who’s the real-life raccoon used to model that animated, machine-gun toting raccoon?

His name is Oreo, and he’s adorable. His mother was unable to produce milk, so little Oreo was hand reared by an animal encounters habitat in the UK. He’s one of the only tame raccoons near where Guardians Of The Galaxy is filming.

Gunn has posted countless pictures of himself with many different critters on his Instagram and Facebook pages. These creatures come from an animal rescue place called Oreo and Friends. “Oreo” is the name of the raccoon who has served as the inspiration for Rocket Raccoon himself. […] As far as the other animals are concerned, Gunn may also be studying their movements. Our theory is that The Collector (played by Benicio Del Toro) will have many different animals, and may be responsible for Rocket Raccoon’s “experimentation.” [Guard The Galaxy]

He’s also quite a gentleman.

And here’s a video compilation of Oreo’s first year.

(Pictures courtesy of Oreo and Friends and James Gunn.)