Phil Tippett, a visual effects veteran for Star Wars, has revealed that The Mandalorian made use of stop-motion animation in last week’s episode.
One of the joys of The Mandalorian – and something that will help it stand the test of time – is its dedication to using practical effects wherever possible, including prosthetics and puppets for the creatures.
In last week’s episode, ‘The Believer’, it turns out they also used a classic movie-making technique to bring the ‘scrapwalkers’ to life. They can be seen in the background where Mayfield is serving his sentence.
Taking to Twitter, visual effects veteran Phil Tippett said: “Want to thank @Jon_Favreau & Doug Chiang for believing that using stop-motion for the massive ‘scrapwalkers’ was ‘THE WAY.’ Think they turned out great, my team had a blast. Can’t wait for what Season 3 brings. ”
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Want to thank @Jon_Favreau & Doug Chiang for believing that using stop-motion for the massive 'scrapwalkers' was 'THE WAY.' Think they turned out great, my team had a blast. Can't wait for what Season 3 brings.
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.@CworthDynamics @halhickel @Tippett_Studio @themandalorian pic.twitter.com/ZQyXubg6Rq— Phil Tippett (@PhilTippett) December 17, 2020
It’s pretty awesome that The Mandalorian went with such an old-school technique instead of relying on CGI. Tippet has experience with this type of thing too, as he is the person who originally animated the Imperial Walkers on Hoth in The Empire Strikes Back.
The Mandalorian season two sees the returning Pedro Pascal (Din Djarin), Gina Carano (Cara Dune), Carl Weathers (Greef Karga), Giancarlo Esposito (Moff Gideon), Bill Burr (Mayfield), and Ming-Na Wen (Fennec Shand) joined by the likes of Temuera Morrison (Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones), Katee Sackhoff (Star Wars: The Clone Wars), Timothy Olyphant (Justified), Michael Biehn (The Terminator), Rosario Dawson (Daredevil), and WWE Superstar Sasha Banks.
The Mandalorian season two airs on Fridays on Disney+.
