Kasdan wanted to explore not only how things were done, but also why and how the team got there, attempting to capture more personal stories by asking the members who they were and why they were there. The audience learned that the inspiration for some of the ships came from everyday items like a stack of dirty dishes. Moreover, Johnston developed Colin Cantwell’s initial designs for the space ships by going back to Lucas’ “American Graffiti” film aesthetics. Lucas was very specific about the cars that each character drove. In Star Wars, the same concepts were used. The Empire were vehicles that were pristine, but the Rebel Alliance were used cars, souped up to go faster.
Tippet recalled some of the characters in their initial states had more descriptive names, like how Admiral Akbar was originally dubbed “calamari man.” Left alone, the ILM crew were more relaxed, but when Lucas showed up they tried to clean up their act. Duignan remembered that one time when a group were relaxing in a hot tub while John Dykstra was using a forklift to drop a refrigerator, Lucas arrived in a limo with a studio executive. After one look at this “country club,” Lucas and company got back in the car and left. Duignan thought they were in trouble, but they had been working hard and, at the time, sound effects engineer Ben Burtt was recording the refrigerator drop. In creating a modern myth for 12-year-olds about selflessness fighting selfishness, Lucas did set the tone for ILM. He wanted them to be without ego, and selflessly work together to get the work done.
The documentary “Light & Magic” premieres on July 27, exclusively on Disney+.
On Saturday, we got lucky. We got into the Celebration Stage to see “Mando+: A Conversation with Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni.” But in reality, Favreau and Filoni brought friends, including cast members from both “The Mandalorian” and “The Book of Boba Fett.” There were no spoilers, but whatever your feelings about the Boba Fett TV series, there’s no doubt that star Temuera Morrison knows how to make an entrance.
The panel was moderated by Ash Crossan, host of Screenrant, and Favreau and Filoni were joined by Pedro Pascal (Din Djarin), Brendan Wayne, Lateef Crowder, Giancarlo Esposito (Moff Gideon), Emily Swallow (The Armorer), Carl Weathers (Greef Karga), Temuera Morrison (Boba Fett), Katee Sackhoff (Bo-Katan), executive producer Rick Famuyiwa, Rosario Dawson (Ahsoka), and Natasha Liu Bordizzo. Fan favorites Grogu from “The Mandalorian” and Chopper, a droid that will be featured in “Ahsoka” also made an appearance, their first at Star Wars Celebration.
