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The Game of Thrones Dragons Are Based on Chickens

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Suddenly, those dragons on Game of Thrones seem a lot less terrifying: the fire-breathing beasts are in fact based on supermarket chickens.

Visual effects team Pixomondo tells the Washington Post that they played with a chicken to understand its physiology while designing the dragons for HBO. “You could feel how the muscles underneath are moving and what are the restrictions, where the bone can’t go,” says visual effects supervisor Sven Martin. “We built our dragon basically the same way.”

As Daenerys Targaryen’s hatchlings grow over the course of the series (Pixomondo signed on beginning in season 2), the team had to make alterations to the design so that the dragons would be able to take flight.

Tune in for the season 5 premiere on April 12 to find out what has become of these chicken-dragons since Daenerys locked them in their cave.

[Washington Post]

See The Real-Life People Who Inspired Game of Thrones Characters

HBO; Getty Images
From left: Cersei and Margaret of AnjouHBO; Getty Images
From Left: Khaleesi and Queen Elizabeth I.HBO; Getty Images
From Left: Melisandre and Bloody MaryHelen Sloan—HBO; Getty Images
From left: Talisa Stark and Anne Boleyn.Helen Sloan—HBO; Getty Images
From left: Brienne of Tarth and Joan of Arc.HBO; DeAgostini—Getty Images
Portrait of Henry VIII. By Hans Holbein Date c. 1540. Henry VIII (28 June 1491 - 28 January 1547) was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was also Lord of Ireland (later King of Ireland) and claimant to the Kingdom of France.
From left: Henry VIII and Robert Baratheon.HBO; Getty Images
From left: Joffrey and Caligula.HBO; De Agostini—Getty Images

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