Book of Boba Fett's Stunt Coordinator Rode an Animatronic the ‘Size of an Elephant’ for Final Episode
Paul Kavanagh, the book's animation supervisor, was pleased to not only animate the rancor but also to witness the legendary "Star Wars" creature in action.
In an interview with the associate editor of Variety Meredith Woerner for the HBO production Artisans, Kavanagh stated, "We wanted to depict the rancor on the free in the city, and simply rampaging."
Kavanagh consulted VFX veteran Phil Tippett, who puppeteered the original Rancor in "Return of the Jedi," while he was trying to figure out how to accurately portray the savagery of the reptilian beast with computer graphics.
Kavanagh claims that Tippett described on Zoom how he managed the rancor puppet while filming the 1983 movie.
Regarding paying tribute to Tippett's puppeteering work, Kavanagh remarked, "The one in 'Boba Fett' the CG one is very, very true to the original in 'Return of the Jedi'."
In the series finale of "The Book of Boba Fett," Kavanagh also explained how the visual effects team used a combination of a remote-controlled head and CGI to create the action sequences with the rancor.
Boba Fett rode the full-sized head as Mando jumped on its back and attempted to wrestle it during the backlot shoot.
With that, we photographed as much as we physically could, according to Kavanagh. "After that, we filled the remainder of the body with CG. Therefore, we had to shift the real head of the onset rancor in the computer.
Before working on the Disney+ series "The Book of Boba Fett," JJ Dashnaw, the Emmy-nominated stunt coordinator, wasn't a huge "Star Wars" fan.
But it's difficult to resist goofing around when you're riding an enormous animatronic that looks like a "rancor" beast and wearing the Boba Fett outfit.
It was enjoyable to sit atop it and choose the rhythms. And since I had a background in rodeo, riding this monster was just like riding a horse. Only want to make Boba appear cool.
Dashnaw worked closely with his stunt crew on the series to make sure that the stunts were safe, realistic, and amazing since his goal is to "make Boba seem great."
The famous "Star Wars" bounty hunter known as Boba Fett from the first trilogy, played by Temuera Morrison, was the subject of "The Book of Boba Fett," which debuted in December 2021.
Boba must recover and take control of a criminal organization in Mos Espa after being left for dead and abandoned in Tatooine's desert.
In order to protect their village, Boba and his band of outcasts, which includes Pedro Pascal's The Mandalorian, go to fight in the series finale.
When things start to heat up, Boba takes dramatic action and unleashes his rage. The bounty hunter mounts the big, strong animal to gain the upper hand in the struggle. Dashnaw is actually wearing the costume on set. And yes, he actually rode the enmity.
It was just made up of a head, yet it was the size of an elephant. It was almost like being on a mechanical bucking bull since this thing was very enormous.
They had everything set up to growl, open his lips, and move. Dashnaw remarked, "It was quite fascinating. A little math goes into it, which is weird for me to say merely because I'm not that great at math."
It's important to get wire pull angles that seem realistic rather than superhuman. We decide what would appear best and be the most realistic for that photo after the camera is pointed in a specific way.
The train heist scenario from the second episode of the series was a different scene that was as challenging to shoot. Jumping from speeders, hand-to-hand combat on top of a moving train, and difficult gymnastics are all part of the robbery.
Dashnaw said, "The atmosphere may be helpful at times. You had to be careful where you walked since there wasn't a lot of room to maneuver up there. Because that's exactly what's occurring, it appears as though we're battling while attempting to maintain our equilibrium.
Dashnaw emphasizes that, in reality, his team's stunt work is at the forefront of any action sequence.
While viewers may perceive a sequence such as a train scene as a load of visual effects carefully constructed to give the impression of danger, Dashnaw emphasizes that, in reality, his team's stunt work is at the forefront of any action sequence.
In the end, Dashnaw continues to regard his time spent donning the Boba Fett outfit as a once-in-a-lifetime chance. It was enjoyable, but I don't constantly geek out at work and everything, Dashnaw remarked.
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This article originally appeared in Variety: The Ranchor's return: 'Book of Boba Fett' Animator on resurrecting the Iconic 'Star Wars' Beast.