‘Skeleton Crew’ Will Mix CGI, The Volume, and Stop Motion to Tell Its Story
From the groundbreaking visuals of the original trilogy through the CGI-heavy prequels and the use of The Volume to create the world of The Mandalorian, Star Wars has long used cutting-edge technology to help transport audiences to a galaxy far, far away.
In recent years, however, Lucasfilm has also pulled back on the special effects and attempted to tell its stories in a more grounded fashion. From the practical sets of Andor to the return of puppet Yoda in The Last Jedi, Lucasfilm has learned that it is the story, not the special effects, that, by and large, keep fans coming back.
Photo: Star Wars
‘Skeleton Crew’ Will Use Different Mediums
For his entry into the Star Wars canon, director Jon Watts wanted to blend old-school art forms with cutting-edge technology to tell the story of Skeleton Crew.
“I got to use all the cool stuff on my most recent Star Wars show,” Watts told Collider. “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.”
Photo: StarWars.com
Leaning into ILM’s vast talent pool, Watts brought back legendary stop-motion designer Phill Tippett, who worked on both A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back.
Photo: ILM
“We got Phil Tippett to do stop-motion,” Watts said. “We did matte paintings, like real old-fashioned matte paintings. And 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.”
When ‘Skeleton Crew’ Debut?
Skeleton Crew will be the latest live-action series set during the New Republic era.
According to Watts, the series is “about a group of kids that find a mysterious secret on their planet and accidentally get lost out in the galaxy, and it’s the story about them trying to find their way back home.”
Skeleton Crew. Photo: Lucasfilm
At this time, there is no release date for Skeleton Crew, although the series is expected to debut in late 2024 or early 2025.
