Newport appears in ‘Hangover 3’ trailer

What do giraffes dream of when they take a little giraffe snooze?

Tough to say, but it probably has little to do with meeting the Campus Drive 73 Freeway overpass face-first.

About five months after shooting for “The Hangover Part 3” closed down a 3-milestretch of the 73 from the 405 Freeway to Jamboree Road, area residents can see part of the final product in the movie’s trailer, which features a pretty sizeable Newport Beach cameo.

VIDEO: Watch the trailer

Actor Zach Galifianakis is shown driving a silver Mercedes-Benz convertible southbound on the 73, past a backdrop of fluffy white clouds, palm trees and verdant hills.

“My name’s Alan, and I bought a giraffe,” he yells to a kid in a passing sedan, who gives him a thumbs-up. A wider shot reveals that said giraffe is riding in a rickety open trailer behind the Benz. “Ahh, my life is great!”

Cut to a shot of a sign indicating that University Drive is three-quarters of a mile away and MacArthur Boulevard is coming in a mile and a half. A Newport Beach city limit notice is visible in the bottom right corner.

The giraffe pulls its ears back, bracing for impact.

Then an ominous splat sounds. As cars and trucks screech into a massive pile-up behind the Benz.

Daily Pilot photos of the October weekend shoot show an empty trailer, so it appears that no live giraffes were harmed.

Costa Mesa City Councilman Steve Mensinger at the time criticized the California Department of Transportation for closing a major county roadway due to the potential for economic impacts on his city, as well as the incovenience.

Filming took place on the final stretch of free highway before drivers reach toll plazas.

A spokeswoman for the agency that collects tolls for the San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor said that Warner Bros. paid a location fee of $10,000 per day, plus lost toll money for the closure.

The movie, billed as the “epic conclusion to the trilogy,” will come out Memorial Day.

jill.cowan@latimes.com

Twitter: @jillcowan