Phil Tippett’s Stop-Motion Sequence Elevates The Mandalorian And Grogu Movie

The upcoming Star Wars film The Mandalorian And Grogu is set to feature a rare and visually striking stop-motion sequence, created with the assistance of legendary visual effects artist Phil Tippett.

Director Jon Favreau shared the news during a conversation with Puck’s Matt Belloni at CinemaCon. While discussing the differences between producing a streaming series and a theatrical motion picture, Favreau emphasized the extended production timeline and expanded creative resources available for the film.

Unlike the rapid turnaround of a television season, The Mandalorian And Grogu had years to develop its visual effects. Favreau explained that the crew prioritized practical sets and location shoots, building vertical sets, jungles, tanks, pits, and forests. Filming took place on location, with the Volume stages primarily used for interactive lighting and reflections to avoid over-reliance on bluescreen technology.

However, the most unexpected revelation was the inclusion of miniature work and advanced CGI simulations from ILM. Favreau noted,

“We have a lot of miniature work. But we also have state-of-the-art C.G. sims that ILM is at the forefront of. So to us it’s a mixed bag. And we even have a sequence that we worked with Phil Tippett on: a fully stop-motion sequence in the film.”

Phil Tippett, a pioneer in visual effects, began his career at George Lucas’ Industrial Light and Magic and played a key role in the original Star Wars trilogy. He coined the name Salacious Crumb and won an Oscar for his work on Return Of The Jedi. His credits also include RoboCop, Willow, and another Oscar win for Jurassic Park.

Though Tippett has remained largely outside the Star Wars universe since Jedi, his last credited involvement was as the chess scene supervisor for Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015. In 2021, he released his critically acclaimed stop-motion film Mad God, a decades-long passion project described as both terrifying and masterful.

With The Mandalorian And Grogu reportedly packed with numerous Babu Frik cameos, fans may find that Favreau has already anticipated and embraced Tippett’s innovative approach.