Messi the dog from 'Anatomy of a Fall' steals the show at the Oscars and people are here for it

The most-anticipated 96th Academy Awards happened on March 10 at Dolby Theatre in California. While honoring the works of several incomparable artists and creators from 2023, the award night was graced by some of the greatest stars of Hollywood. One among them was Messi, the dog who played Snoop in the French drama film, "Anatomy of a Fall." The canine celebrity stole the show with his adorable presence amid the star-studded crowd. Alongside his trainer Laura Martin Contini, the beloved pooch enjoyed the awards, earning a special shout-out from host Jimmy Kimmel during his monologue.

Gracing the most-awaited award night of 2024 in a formal look, the 7-year-old Border Collie simply gave away gentlemanly vibes wearing a voguish black bow tie. The organizers had reserved Messi one of the prime seats in the front among many other top actors. As part of his hilarious opening monologue, Kimmel was pulling Robert Downey Jr's leg and said, "Robert played the villain and correct me if I have this wrong, in a movie where Tim Allen turns into a dog, right?" The host then mentioned that if the "Iron Man" star ever planned on remaking the film, the right fit to play Tim Allen would be Messi. As Kimmel honored the canine star, the camera panned to Messi, who was sitting there looking adorably handsome.

As the crowd applauded Messi, Kimmel mentioned, "Even though he's a dog, he may have given the performance of the year in 'Anatomy of a Fall,'" and added jokingly, "Messi has an overdose scene. Honestly, I haven't seen a French actor eat vomit like that since Gérard Depardieu." The "Anatomy of a Fall" scored 5 Oscar nominations and won the Best Writing (Original Screenplay) category this year.

Having played a significant role in one of the most critically acclaimed movies last year, Messi was an inevitable participant in the Academy Award Nominees luncheon. Messi's mom Contini told The Hollywood Reporter that the growing attention for the pooch began at Cannes.

While speaking of the luncheon scenes, where Messi bonded with many stars, including Ryan Gosling, Contino said, "The big moment was with Billie Eilish, who bonded with Messi for almost 10 minutes. They were hugging and petting and they really had a vibe. Then Bradley Cooper bumped into him in the hallway. The dog went right to him, so they also had a connection." After Messi's visit to Hollywood for the luncheon, he was expected to have a rain check for Sunday's Oscars night, as per the media channel. Messi and Contini live in Paris and have been on a myriad of press junkets both in France and the U.S.

"What we've been experiencing here in America — with the attention to this dog and his acting — it's beyond anything we anticipated. It's probably the maximum that you can accomplish in this field," Messi's proud mom said. As per the media channel, the Academy faced many complaints from other companies representing other nominated movies that having Messi's presence at the Oscars might benefit "Anatomy of a Fall" during the voting window. But to the surprise of Messi's admirers, the canine star won many hearts in the award fraternity and his remarkable presence became a highlight of the night. Watch Kimmel honoring Messi in this video shared by ABC News on YouTube.