Martin Scorsese: Blackie, The Dog From 'Hugo,' Was Not 'CGI'd'

Thanks to a successful Awards season campaign by Martin Scorsese, Blackie, the Doberman Pinscher from "Hugo," is on the ballot for the Golden Collar awards. However, the director concedes that the pooch's chances of winning the prize are slim, something he half-jokingly blames on a "negative campaign," as well as Uggie, the beloved dog from "The Artist."

"Uggie is a very nice dog ... but Blackie was amazing. And [she hasn't received the same attention] because she was a guard dog and terrorized children in the film," Scorsese told Ellen DeGeneres on her show yesterday.

Scorsese didn't have to do much to prove his point to the "Ellen" audience: When a photo of Blackie was shown on screen, there were a few "awwws" from the crowd, as opposed to Uggie's photo, which elicited a much louder response. "You see!" exclaimed Scorsese.

The Best Director nominee also took the time to shoot down an anonymous report claiming that Blackie's expressions were created using special effects.

"Some sources close to the Golden Collar committee claimed that Blackie was CGI'd. [...] Rob Legato, who did our special effects, he wrote a rebuttal [in THR] explaining that there was not one shot CGI'd ... There is some negative campaigning going on," said Scorsese.

Despite his low hopes for Blackie winning the award, Marty happily accepted a gift on behalf of DeGeneres: A golden collar that says "Vote For Me."

"I want to make sure Blackie is taken care of," said the popular talk show host.

You'll have to wait until the Golden Collar Awards, on Feb. 12, to see if Blackie pulls the upset.

[via THR]