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This Child stole the spotlight on The Mandalorian. According to some of the creators behind this Disney+ Star Wars series, however, there’s a reason why he’s so loveable and “charming.” Here’s what we know about making “Baby Yoda” come to life. 

‘The Mandalorian’ introduced the world to the cutest force-wielder yet

Disney+ brought Star Wars fans to a new corner of the galaxy far, far away. The Mandalorian follows the adventures of one bounty hunter and the characters he comes in contact with trying to earn money and do what’s right.

It wasn’t all dark and serious, though. This series also included the adorable, unnamed child, who looks similar to Master Yoda but also super small and adorable. He was nicknamed “Baby Yoda” by fans on the internet with some wondering how they made him look so lifelike. 

Executive producer/writers Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, Pedro Pascal, Gina Carano, Carl Weathers, Giancarlo Esposito and Taika Waititi of 'The Mandalorian'
Executive producer/writers Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, Pedro Pascal, Gina Carano, Carl Weathers, Giancarlo Esposito and Taika Waititi of ‘The Mandalorian’ | Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney

Yes, Baby Yoda is mostly a puppet on ‘The Mandalorian’

What makes The Child so “charming?” Part of it has to do with the fact that he appeared at large as an animatronic puppet. During one interview with Cinemablend, VFX artist Goran Backman commented on the “Baby Yoda” puppet and whether or not he was CGI-ed into the Star Wars series. 

“I get that question a lot, but no, we largely did not. Baby Yoda was practical for the vast majority of the shots. Favreau grew up with Star Wars and has a love for the way they did the old movies: the creatures were practical and stop-motion animated,” he said.

“So he was wanting to use practical as much as he could, and Baby Yoda is a nice example of that still, to this day, being a viable option,” he continued. “There is a lot of charm you get from using puppets.”

Jon Favreau commented on the inclusion of this adorable character

The mastermind behind this character, John Favreau, shared that his reasoning behind choosing Baby Yoda mostly related to the character in the original and the prequel Star Wars trilogy.

“I think what’s great about what George created is that Yoda proper, the character that we grew up watching, was always shrouded in mystery, and that was what made him so archetypal and so mythic,” Favreau said during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

“We know who he is based on his behavior and what he stands for, but we don’t know a lot of details about where he comes from or his species. I think that’s why people are so curious about this little one of the same species,” he continued. Fans hope to see more of this loveable green character in season 2 of this Disney+ series, which premieres on Oct. 30, 2020. 

Star Wars television shows, including The Mandalorian and The Clone Wars, and movies The Rise of Skywalker and The Last Jedi, are available on Disney’s streaming platform. To learn more about Disney+ and to subscribe, visit their website.

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