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Artistic Choices: Animal Acting and Limited Effects
One of the film’s most remarkable aspects is its use of animal acting rather than CGI. Many Hollywood productions rely heavily on visual effects to create monsters or supernatural entities, often resulting in less believable or overly digital threats. In Good Boy, Leonberg opted for practical effects and limited monster reveals, enhancing suspense and eeriness. Most of the entity remains unseen or half-seen, lurking in shadows—playing on the viewer’s imagination and a dog’s natural tendency to fixate on unseen sights.