We’d follow Grogu anywhere. The puppeteers who create the complex illusion already do.
The world was watching as Grogu toddled onto the red carpet at the Hollywood premiere of Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu last week.
Instead of a designer suit, the diminutive star wore the simple brown coat that’s become his signature look. He didn’t need a chic frock or hair and makeup; the pink apple cheeks are all natural, his wispy hair always appearing freshly washed and perfectly wild.
And yet, in a sea of top talent including Director Jon Favreau and co-stars Pedro Pascal (the titular Mandalorian Din Djarin) and Sigourney Weaver (Colonel Ward), Grogu invariably stole the show. He smiled and cooed, waving for the cameras and striking a variety of photoshoot-perfect poses like an absolute pro.
Of course, Legacy Effects has worked behind the scenes for nearly a decade to perfect the practical puppet that anchors Grogu’s performance and very existence, in collaboration with the visual effects wizards at Industrial Light & Magic. “The advances in animatronics and robotics combined with the advances in CG just brings new life to characters that might have been a very traditional approach,” says Legacy Effects Co-Founder Alan Scott, “but then they’re just elevated to the next level.”
In a creature shop with about 100 employees, a character of Grogu’s caliber incorporates work from the entire studio to bring the practical puppet to life, Scott reveals. “Everyone touches it, whether it is sculpting, digital design, 3D printing, molding, casting, all of it matters. Every one of those little steps are combined to create the end result. It’s the artistry of everyone combined that creates what you think of as one singular character but it takes a lot of people.”
And that’s just the upfront work to build the animatronic. On every shoot day and every special event where Grogu has made an appearance, a team of skilled puppeteers works tirelessly off-camera to ensure that Grogu can hold his own, performing with his incredibly talented co-stars. “It’s easy for it to fall apart,” Scott admits. “Basically, it’s like we’ve built this amazing instrument and now we have to learn how to play it. It’s not one person because there’s so many different functionalities; ultimately four or five or sometimes more people are using their performance to create one singular performance. And the more that you work together, the more that you learn what the puppet is capable of, the more intuitive and natural those become.”
Back in Season 1 of the Disney+ series The Mandalorian, where the duo of the Mandalorian and Grogu first took the world and the galaxy by storm, a tradition of speaking directly to Grogu when directing him began, treating the little child star like every other actor on set. That continued during filming on the theatrical standalone adventure. “[Jon Favreau] directs the puppet and then everyone knows what their responsibility is,” Scott says, referencing the core crew of puppeteers — Mike Manzel, Dawn Diniger, Jason Matthews, Trevor Hensley, and Victor Broadley — operating Grogu. On days when the film’s four Anzellans — Minch, Bai, Keeto, and Clang — were in the mix, there could be as many as 25 puppeteers on set to bring all five characters to life.
The final version of the shots seen in the film may be augmented by ILM, but there’s no post-production involved in a live event like a red carpet strut. But when it comes to a scene in the movie, even Scott and his crew can’t always tell where the puppet ends and the CG begins, a seamless blend of techniques that gives Grogu his full range of articulation and emotion.
In real life and in the story, Grogu is always evolving. For the film, the puppet had to be able to swim and do other stunt work, including perching on the Mandalorian’s shoulder during action-packed sequences “He wants Grogu to grow,” Scott says of Favreau. “He’s got a story to tell. The baby is much more active [in the film]. He’s basically now a little protégé to Mando. [Favreau] wanted him to be able to live in Mando’s shoes and work with him and train with him and be his little apprentice in an interesting way that was still naïve and child-like but at the same time served the story.
“This is an action movie,” Scott continues. “There’s lots of fights. There’s lots of stunts. Where is the child during all of that?” Always right by Din Djarin’s side, armored up and ready for whatever the galaxy throws at him.
But when you’re gazing upon Grogu, whether he’s interacting with Favreau and his co-stars on the press tour or in the incredibly fun tale unfolding in his big-screen debut, it’s easy to forget all that. One can imagine that instead of those puppeteers, Grogu is like all the other actors during filming, breaking for lunch with his friends the Anzellans and napping on a towering director’s chair in between shots.
The first one on set. Always on his mark. Always ready for action.
Get your tickets for Lucasfilm’s The Mandalorian and Grogu, an all-new Star Wars adventure filmed for IMAX, in theaters now.
