David Harley and I don’t see eye-to-eye when it comes to Twentieth Century Fox’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Rupert Wyatt’s prequel to the 1968 masterpiece that spawned multiple sequels. Personally, I thought it was one of the best Fox films in nearly a decade, and was blown away by the extermination of CGI “dead eyes”. This was accomplished by sticking star Andy Serkis in a motion-capture suit and thus using his body language and actual eyes in the finished product.

Fox is rightfully campaigning to land Serkis a best supporting actor nomination for his role as Caesar, an ape with extreme intelligence who falls victim to the prejudices and fears of man. As Hitfix notes, if Serkis finds himself among the five nominees announced a week from Tuesday, it will make history as the first motion-capture performance recognized by the Academy (let alone any major awards organization).

There has been major debate as to whether or not Serkis should be recognized, considering you don’t actually see him on screen. The below video should put the argument to rest, unless of course you can’t stop laughing (it’s super weird and uncomfortable). It displays Serkis sans CGI acting as the lead ape. It’s supposed to be an emotional moment when James Franco, who played Caesar’s adoptive human father Will, leaves him behind after a public incident.