The Last of Us 2 lead animator reveals real horses were mo-capped at Sony

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A behind-the-scenes video shows how Naughty Dog captured footage of real horses

(Image credit: Naughty Dog)

The Last of Us 2's lead animator Jeremy Yates has posted a video that shows how  Naughty Dog mo-capped real horses at Sony for the game. 

In the video posted on Twitter, you can see a real horse being ridden by an actor in motion capture gear as the horse majestically leaps over an obstacle and gallops through the studio's stage. Yates also explains that a layer of plywood and a large supply of rubber mats were used on the floor for safety during the shoot. I can't even begin to imagine how difficult it is to animate a horse's movements, and it's really neat to see how Naughty Dog captured footage of real horses in motion for the game. 

Yates said in a reply that The Last of Us 2 animator Michael Mach "created a spectacular video documentary years ago" when they shot footage of the horses, and expressed a hope that it would one day "make it out in the wild at some point." If this video is anything to go by, it would be great to see more. 

In the world of video game development, we've seen many examples of dogs being put in motion capture garb in order to create realistic movements and noises of animals. In fact, Yates has previously posted about some other "four-legged cast members", including a line up of Very Good Dogs by the names of Winnie, Kippy, Moxie, and Stetson. Some of the pups even played roles of other animals, with one video demonstrating how a dog was used to mimic a deer galloping. 

Outside of the Last of Us 2, we've also seen how 343 industries used adorable pug voice actors for Halo Infinite, complete with plenty of snuffling noises. These little behind-the-scenes snippets offer some truly fascinating insight into the processes of motion capturing animals to bring the world of the Last of Us 2 to life, and I, for one, personally always enjoy watching animal actors in action. 

Getting stuck into the adventure with Ellie? Here are all of The Last of Us 2 tips you need to endure and survive. 

Heather Wald
Heather Wald
Evergreen Editor, Games

Heather Wald is the Evergreen Editor, Games at GamesRadar+. Her writing career began on a student-led magazine at Bath Spa University, where she earned a BA (Hons) in English literature. Heather landed her first role writing about tech and games for Stuff Magazine shortly after graduating with an MA in magazine journalism at Cardiff University. Now with almost seven years of experience working with GamesRadar+ on the features team, Heather helps to develop, maintain, and expand the evergreen features that exist on the site for games, as well as spearhead the Indie Spotlight series. You'll also see her contribute op-eds, interview-led features, and more. In her spare time, you'll likely find Heather tucking into RPGs and indie games, reading romance novels, and drinking lots of tea.