WiC Watches—Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian
Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian Episode 5 “Practical” – VFX crew with IG-11 on the set of THE MANDALORIAN
Chapter 5: “Practical”
This episode is dedicated to the practical special effects that put The Mandalorian over the top, and you know what that means: this episode has a lot of Baby Yoda.
First off, it was fascinating to hear from various cast and crew members who all had their own name for the puppet officially known as The Child. Some called it “The Baby,” others refer to it as “Baby Yoda,” while Bryce Dallas Howard simply calls it “Baby!” But while the names changed, one thing was clear: Everyone loved it.
Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian Episode 1 “Directing” – Werner Herzog and Dave Filoni on the set of THE MANDALORIAN. Image Courtesy Disney+
That goes for double for Werner Herzog, the uniquely strange but always delightful filmmaker who had a small role as The Client. Apparently, it was Herzog’s infatuation with the Baby Yoda puppet that inspired Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni to use in almost every scene, instead of CGI.
Deborah Chow directed Herzog in “Chapter 3: The Sin” and recalled a hilarious story about Herzog about the scene where Mando brings Baby Yoda to the safe house where The Client and his Imperial scientist are waiting to study it. “He got so into the baby that he started directing the baby directly as though he was talking to a person. And so, I’m trying to direct Werner, who’s trying to direct the puppet. He fell in love with it.”
Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian Episode 5 “Practical” – Cantina staff and patrons in THE MANDALORIAN
As for the puppet itself, Baby Yoda has five people who control different motions and features. There’s a person just for the eyes, someone controls its hands and feet, while another moves its cute little head. There’s a lot of time and effort poured into this puppet. And considering how it took the world by storm, it all well worth it.
Of course, the show has practical effects other than Baby Yoda, even if they’re not as adorable. Dave Filoni razzed Favreau for making a model of Mando’s ship, the Razor Crest, because he wanted to take the model home and proudly display it once filming was done.
The team behind the droid IG-11 talked talked about how they were inspired the sassy droid K-2SO from Rogue One. When we see IG-11 onscreen, it’s actually a prop on wheels. As the crew pulled it along, it would stop and start in these herky-jerky motions that they knew they wanted to include in the final version.
Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian Episode 5 “Practical” – Crew member adjusting the costume for a Nutmeg Guard in THE MANDALORIAN
And then there are the aliens. George Lucas is rightfully praised here for his use of practical effects in the original trilogy. Favreau and Filoni knew they couldn’t simply use CGI for all the cool-looking characters introduced in The Mandalorian, because it wouldn’t feel like it came from the same era as the OT.
All in all, “Practical” was a fun episode filled with interesting stories on how the creative team used props, puppets and models to bring The Mandalorian to life.