Summary
Star Wars: Skeleton Crewturned to one of the VFX artists who helped bring some of the original trilogy’s most memorable special effects to life.
Star Wars: Skeleton Crewiscurrently set to be the franchise’s next Disney Plus series afterStar Wars: The Acolytepremieres in June. Created by Jon Watts and Christopher Ford,Star Wars: Skeleton Crewstars Jude Lawas an unnamed Force user. It follows four children who try to find their way home after discovering a mysterious secret on their planet and getting lost in the galaxy. While the series is set during the same post-Return of the Jediperiod asThe Mandalorian, the creators employed techniques from the original trilogy with the help of visual effects wizard Phil Tippett.
During an interview withCollider’s Steve Weintraub at CCXP Mexico City,Watts explained howStar Wars: Skeleton Crewused a combination of new and traditional special effects techniques. “I got to use all the cool stuff on my most recentStar Warsshow. We had pre-viz, MOCAP, we shot on the volume, we did everything. But the most fun part was we also used all the old school techniques as well,” he said. “We got Phil Tippett to do stop-motion. We did matte paintings, like real old-fashioned matte paintings. We got an ILM painter out of retirement to come out and do that. So to me, all that stuff is fun, but it’s just another tool, and it depends on how you use it.”
Because the Disney PlusStar Warsshows have been connected by shared characters and storylines, which will culminate in aNew RepublicStar Warsmovie by Dave Filonithat serves as a climax toThe Mandalorianand its spinoffs, some people are concerned thatSkeleton Crewmight require some catching up to understand. Fortunately, Watts assured people thatSkeleton Crewcan be watched without seeing pastStar Warsprojects. “Yeah. You don’t need to have really any priorStar Warsknowledge to enjoy it. But if you do, you can enjoy it on many levels,” he explained.
Of course, the hardcoreStar Warsfans are likely familiar with Tippett’s contributions to the franchise. After being tasked with creating the stop-motion chess game on the Millenium Falcon for the originalStar Warsfilm, Tippett co-developed the stop-motion animation technique used to animate the AT-ATs and the Tauntauns inStar Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. However, his work at Lucasfilm’s creature shop forReturn of the Jediearned Tippett a Special Achievement Academy Award for Visual Effects.
While fans are still debating thebest balance of CGI and practical effects in sci-fi films, most are likely thrilled to hearStar Wars: Skeleton Crewis using everything in the special effects toolbox. George Lucas' is often criticized for overusing CGI in theStar Warsprequel trilogy, so fans are usually happy anytime the franchise returns to basics. Tippett is a pioneer in the special effects department, and it will be exciting to see what new magic he has in store for the modernStar Warsera.
Star Wars: Skeleton Crewis expected to be released on Disney Plus in 2024.
Star Wars
Star Wars is a multimedia franchise created by George Lucas and Lucasfilm Ltd with the 1977 motion picture. The science fiction franchise follows the adventures of characters (both humanoid and alien) in outer space including those who can wield a mystical power known as the Force. Since the release of the original trilogy of movies, the franchise has expanded to include multiple films and branched out to other media like comics, video games, TV shows, theme park attractions, and more. The IP and Lucasfilm were sold to Disney in 2012.
