You know a fictional character has “made it” when he or she ends up as a Christmas inflatable. This photo of Baby Yoda and Darth Vader is what I see in a front yard as I'm walking by. The Darth Vader inflatable is another character who has reached the heights of Christmas inflatabledom. I am a big fan of the original Yoda but must admit I have not seen baby Yoda on film yet. My 20-year-old niece LOVES baby Yoda and has the stuffed figure to prove it. She even brought it with her when we went in a paddleboat on a North Carolina lake in October. My favorite tiny guys are the Minions, and I’m sure baby Yoda is just as adorable. Let’s find out more about him.
Grogu — colloquially known as "Baby Yoda" among fans and the media — is a character from the Star Wars Disney+ original television series “The Mandalorian.” He is an infant member of the same unnamed alien species as the Star Wars characters Yoda and Yaddle, with whom he shares a strong ability in the Force. In the series, the protagonist known as "The Mandalorian" is hired to track down and capture Grogu for a remnant of the fallen Galactic Empire, but instead becomes his adoptive father and protects him from the Imperials. The character's real name was not revealed until "Chapter 13: The Jedi," in which it is explained that Grogu was raised at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant during the Clone Wars. Prior to this, the character's official name, as used in subtitles and captions, was "The Child."
Grogu has appeared in every episode of the series with the exception of "Chapter 15: The Believer." He was created by “The Mandalorian” creator and leading producer Jon Favreau based upon his desire to explore the mystery around Yoda and his species. The character was further developed in early conversations between Favreau and executive producer Dave Filoni, and the character's imagery was defined by concept artist Christian Alzmann. Grogu is mostly a work of animatronics and puppetry, although accentuated with computer-generated imagery.
The puppet was designed by Legacy Effects and cost about $5 million to make. It is controlled by two technicians, one who operates the eyes and mouth and another who controls other facial expressions. The character's voice and sounds were created using a combination of adult and infant vocals, as well as recordings of a bat-eared fox and kinkajou. The dynamic between the Mandalorian and Grogu embody a theme of parenting and fatherhood prevalent in “The Mandalorian,” with the character also raising questions about good and evil and nature versus nurture in the series.
Grogu has received a positive reception from fans and reviewers, is widely considered the show's breakout character, and quickly became a popular internet meme. The Guardian called him "2019's biggest new character," and The Hollywood Reporter has said the character "represents the future of Hollywood." Many writers have described Grogu as a key part in the success of Disney+. Grogu was kept secret and was deliberately withheld from “The Mandalorian’s” pre-release marketing and merchandise plans to avoid leaks before the show aired. As a result, merchandise of Grogu was not immediately available after the first season debuted in November 2019, which some analysts say cost Disney $2.7 million in revenue, but Bob Iger, Disney's CEO at the time of “The Mandalorian’s” premiere, has defended the strategy.
Characterization
Physically, Grogu closely resembles Yoda, sharing his signature green skin and long, pointed ears. Grogu is small in size, with wide eyes, short hairs and wrinkled skin. Grogu is capable of sitting up, crawling, walking and eating. He appears capable of understanding some language spoken around him but cannot speak except in baby-like babble noises. Anthony Breznican of Vanity Fair stated: "There is an emotional transference happening here. The audience cares more about the unnamed, faceless Mandalorian because he cares so much about Baby Yoda." Rebecca Keegan of The Hollywood Reporter believes Grogu displays a form of wisdom despite his young age, describing him as "a Dalai Lama in toddler form." Jeanne Cavelos, former NASA astrophysicist and author of “The Science of Star Wars,” also believes Grogu demonstrates intelligence beyond his years, noting his awareness and empathy toward beings even when their faces or bodies are covered completely, as well as his ability to recognize injury in others and attempt to repair it.
Despite his youth, Grogu demonstrates a considerable ability to use and manipulate the Force, such as when he lifts the large Mudhorn creature into the air in "Chapter 2: The Child," and when he deflects the fire of an attacking stormtrooper's flamethrower back against him in "Chapter 8: Redemption." Kevin Melrose of Comic Book Resources noted that in the original Star Wars trilogy film “The Empire Strikes Back” in 1980, Luke Skywalker struggled to lift an X-wing fighter due to its large size, so the fact that Grogu can lift heavy objects despite his diminutive size and young age demonstrates the vastness of his Force powers. Grogu also repeatedly shows a desire to use the Force to help those around him, such as when he attempts to heal the Mandalorian's wounds in "Chapter 2: The Child," and when he heals Greef Karga's near-fatal wounds in "Chapter 7: The Reckoning." However, after using the Force in this manner, Grogu is often exhausted and slips into unconsciousness, indicating that he is still developing his power and does not yet have the skills to fully control it. Despite his raw natural ability with the Force, Grogu is untrained and still depends heavily on the Mandalorian and other allies for protection. Grogu has a sweet temperament, and comes across as innocent and kindhearted to most of the people he encounters, but is also occasionally capable of violence, such as during a scene in "Chapter 7: The Reckoning" when he uses the Force to choke Cara Dune while she is engaging the Mandalorian in a friendly arm wrestling match.
Conception
In mid-2017, shortly after Favreau pitched “The Mandalorian” to Lucasfilm President Kathlen Kennedy, she suggested he meet with Dave Filoni, who had co-created several Star Wars animated series. Filoni said of his meeting with Favreau:
When he brought up in the very beginning of doing this child and having it be of Yoda's species, I was like, “Oh, that's very tricky, because there's never been this before outside of Yoda, and then Yaddle in the prequels on the Jedi Council. It's kind of a sacred thing ... We just have to be responsible when we're telling a story with what we're deciding to do. The fans want to know things are a calculated, careful decision. Then if you tell a good story, most of the time they go with it.”
The character of Grogu was further developed in early conversations between Favreau and Filoni, the latter of whom drew a rough sketch of the character on cocktail napkins during the talks. Multiple artists worked to refine the image of Grogu created by Filoni, but the definitive imagery came from a concept drawing by artist Christian Alzmann, which depicted the character's makeshift garment. Favreau said of this rendering: "It looked cute, but it also looked a little weird. That's part of Yoda. It can't just be cute. It can't just be a straight-up Disney baby, it has to be a little bit tweaked." The team sought to establish mannerisms and expressions for Grogu that would remind viewers of a pet with whom they might share a connection. These characteristics include Grogu's ears, posture and the way he cocks his head.
Disney CEO Bob Iger said of Grogu: "The moment I laid eyes on the character I had a strong feeling that it was going to connect with audiences. So cute, so interesting, so compelling. So familiar and yet so new." Favreau has clarified that Grogu is not a younger version of Yoda himself, but has declined to comment upon whether he is related to Yoda or otherwise connected to him.
Development
Grogu is mostly a work of animatronics and puppetry, although accentuated with computer-generated imagery. Legacy Effects, the special effects studio started by protégés of special make-up effects creator Stan Winston, designed the Grogu puppet and supplied the puppeteers to animate it during filming. The puppet is relatively heavy due to the amount of wires and animatronic technology inside it. There are several stand-in versions for Grogu used in filming in addition to the primary puppet. The crew of “The Mandalorian” wanted to use animatronics for Grogu as often as possible. However, they also shot versions of the character's scenes both with and without the puppet, so they had the option of replacing it with a CGI effect in post-production if the puppet did not look satisfactory. When CGI is used, Favreau said they try to make the character obey the same physical laws that he would if he were a puppet, adding: "I think a lot of times CGI makes itself too obvious where you don't create parameters creatively that allow the character to keep the same identity and charm."
The voice and sounds of Grogu were created by David Acord and Matthew Wood, sound editors with Skywalker Sound, who had previously worked on various Star Wars projects. Acord recorded animals' noises at a wildlife rescue near San Diego, and used recordings of a bat-eared fox and kinkajou to make the initial version of Grogu's voice. However, Favreau suggested the voice needed to sound more human-like and relatable to audiences, so instead the animal sounds were scaled back and used only for small grunts and cooing noises. Actual infant vocals were used to create the new version of Grogu's voice, and Acord used a highly-pitched version of his own voice for some of the more articulated vocalizations. Acord also previously voiced Rotta the Hutt, the young Huttlet son of Jabba the Hutt, in the animated film “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” in 2008.
Filming
The character was referred to as "The Child" in screenplays for “The Mandalorian,” though Bryce Dallas Howard, who directed "Chapter 4: Sanctuary," said she always referred to him on set simply as "Baby," and other cast members called it "The Being." During filming, the director of each episode would communicate with Grogu's puppeteers to discuss what was happening in the scene, what emotions Grogu should express, and what actions the character should take. Director Deborah Chow said in this way, it was similar to providing direction to a living actor. Favreau encouraged the directors to test and push the boundaries of the Grogu puppet during filming, urging them to experiment and attempt to get the most realistic movements and mannerisms possible from the character. Brendan Wayne, a body double for the Mandalorian character, said the puppet looked so realistic that performing against it felt like working with an actual child actor. Rick Famuyiwa, the director of "Chapter 2: The Child," said he was shocked when he learned that the premiere episode of “The Mandalorian” ended with the introduction of Grogu, because it meant he would be directing the next episode that further expanded upon the character.
The Grogu puppet was popular on set with the show's cast and crew. Chow said: "With the baby, every time it came on set, the whole crew would respond to it. Even the grip department, every production assistant is coming to the monitors, trying to see it." Howard screamed in excitement when she first saw it, and Gina Carano said of Grogu: "That was our precious. Our precious is this being that we all end up taking care of in some way." Emily Swallow said she "fell in love with it like everybody else", adding: "I was thrilled when they brought him in that little bag for the scene that I got to have with it. I just wanted to snuggle it." Amy Sedaris said the animatronic Grogu puppet made everyone on the set happy: "The minute you looked into Baby Yoda's eyes you just got lost." Likewise, Giancarlo Esposito said he enjoyed interacting with the Grogu puppet during filming: "It melts my heart, because the reality is, this little baby does things that you could never imagine and when you look at those eyes and that little body, how can you not help but fall in love?" Carl Weathers has said of him: "He is very interesting and very knowledgeable and very cute. I never use that word, but he is a cute little guy."
Werner Herzog particularly enjoyed filming scenes with the animatronic Grogu puppet, which he called "heartbreakingly beautiful". Chow said directing the scene between Herzog and Grogu in "Chapter 3: The Sin" was "one of the weirdest" moments of her career, because he had so much affection for the puppet and was interacting with it like it was a living being. She said: "I literally think that he had forgotten that it's not a real-live creature, and he had fallen in love with it." Herzog strongly urged “The Mandalorian” filmmakers to use the puppet for the character and not CGI. While filming one scene, Dave Filoni began to remove the puppet to shoot an alternate take, in case they decided to use a CGI version of Grogu in its place. Herzog passionately urged him not to do so and to remain committed to the animatronics and puppetry, saying: "You are cowards. Leave it. Leave it." Esposito has also said having an actual Grogu puppet to perform against has been beneficial for the cast, because "that space allows all of us to be so wowed by its presence."
Misty Rosas, who delivered the motion capture performance for Kuiil, often held the Grogu puppet during her scenes in "Chapter 7: The Reckoning." This occasionally proved challenging for Rosas, who also had to manage the weight of the animatronics in her own costume and face mask, as well as the weight of Grogu prop. One full day of filming the episode focused upon Kuiil riding the blurrg creature, a process Rosas described as "intense" due to the amount of time she spent on the fake creature and the speeds at which it was made to run. The process was made further challenging because she was carrying the heavy animatronic Grogu puppet throughout the scenes, and she occasionally needed breaks between takes. Rosas said: "My legs are not exactly long, so I was squeezing for dear life and holding the baby." Nevertheless, Rosas said she enjoyed working with the Grogu character, saying: "He just melts my heart, he's so cute."
During the opening scene of "Chapter 8: Redemption", an Imperial Scout Trooper portrayed by comedian Adam Pally punched Grogu. During the first take of filming the scene, Pally punched the animatronic Grogu puppet hard, prompting Favreau to inform the actor that the puppet cost about $5 million to make. This made Pally so nervous that he missed Grogu altogether when he tried to punch him in the three subsequent takes. Pally joked about working with Grogu: "I gotta tell you, the truth is that Baby Yoda is a bit of a diva. He's constantly vaping. At some point during filming of “The Mandalorian,” George Lucas visited the set and held the Grogu puppet. Favreau posted a picture of Lucas holding Grogu on Instagram on January 16, 2020, which drew considerable internet attention.
Prerelease
Grogu was kept secret and was deliberately withheld from “the Mandalorian’s” prerelease marketing and merchandise plans due to the risk that details about the character could leak before the show aired. Favreau said of this plan: "I think that part of what people really value is to be surprised and delighted, and I think that's becoming all too rare." Favreau has credited Donald Glover as the source of that strategy. While developing “The Mandalorian,” Favreau was simultaneously directing Glover in the photorealistic remake of “the Lion King” in 2019. While discussing music and pop culture, Glover told Favreau that people enjoy being surprised, because true surprises had become much less common in the internet era. As an example, Glover cited the excitement generated by the sudden releases of surprise albums by singer and songwriter Beyoncé. Favreau felt keeping Grogu a secret until he was revealed would allow fans to connect with the character and "discover the story as it was unfolding." The leadership and marketing team at The Walt Disney Co. was supportive of this strategy. Screeners of the pilot episode were not distributed to reviewers to avoid leaks about Grogu, and the official Lucasfilm and Star Wars social media accounts did not start posting messages about Grogu until about a week after the series debuted, to avoid spoiling the character's debut as much as possible.
Parenting and fatherhood
One of the primary themes of “The Mandalorian” is parenting and fatherhood, particularly through the father-son relationship dynamic between the Mandalorian and Grogu. Ryan Britt of Fatherly wrote: "For years the Star Wars franchise avoided depicting a parent-child dynamic. With Mando and Baby Yoda, that’s finally changing." Vulture writer Kathryn VanArendonk argued that parenting has been the subject of past Star Wars stories, but almost always during later stages of parenthood, rather than an infant in early developmental stages such as Grogu. As examples, she cited Obi-Wan Kenobi serving as a mentor to the adolescent Anakin Skywalker, Princess Leia lamenting over her grown son Kylo Ren or the absence of Rey's parents. Several reviewers have compared the dynamic between Grogu and the Mandalorian to “Lone Wolf and Cub,” a manga or graphic novel about a samurai warrior and his young son. Grogu makes the Mandalorian a softer and more relatable character; he changes in a positive way because of raising Grogu, becoming less selfish and self-absorbed. Several examples of the Mandalorian parenting Grogu appear throughout the series, such as when he stops Grogu from pressing random buttons in the cockpit of the Mandalorian's spaceship, ultimately by holding him in his lap. In another example, the Mandalorian sets up a car seat for Grogu in the cockpit of his ship, so he can be seated safely and comfortably during their travels.
Critical reception
Several writers described Grogu as a pop culture phenomenon, particularly noting the adoration it had received from fans on social media. Bryan Alexander of USA Today wrote: "There's nothing hotter in the universe than Baby Yoda." Some critics noted that fandom for Grogu transcended age and experience, and that few fictional characters unite entire fan bases in the way Grogu had; Anthony Breznican of Vanity Fair wrote: "In an era of bitter division on nearly all matters, there is seemingly unanimous adoration for this tiny alien creature."
Vox writer Allegra Frank said Grogu made “The Mandalorian instantly more memorable and evocative," and alleviated the solitude and tension that might otherwise have surrounded the show's protagonist. Carolyn Giardina of The Hollywood Reporter said Grogu helped “The Mandalorian” not only achieve critical and commercial success, but also impact the cultural zeitgeist. Beyond the show, other writers have described the character as a key component in the success of Disney's rollout of the Disney+ streaming service. Julia Alexander of The Verge wrote: "There's no question that Baby Yoda is driving interest in Disney+". Some critics called Grogu one of the best and most lauded new Star Wars characters in recent memory, while others said the character had made the Star Wars franchise relevant to an even wider range of audiences.
Vulture writer Madison Malone Kircher described Grogu as an example of a character so popular that his fame nearly eclipsed that of his own franchise, comparing him to Baby Groot from the “Guardians of the Galaxy” films. The Guardian writer Zach Vasquez noted past Star Wars works had featured young characters that have not resonated as strongly as Grogu, so he credited his success with the character's designers and special effects. Likewise, Robyn Bahr of The Hollywood Reporter said the positive response to Grogu, along with that of the show “The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance,” demonstrate that audiences still desire puppetry, animatronics and practical effects rather than only CGI. Bahr wrote: "If Baby Yoda were entirely 3D animation, he wouldn't have become an icon the minute we laid our eyes on him."
Grogu was featured on the cover of the December 2019 issue of The Hollywood Reporter, along with the headline: "Baby Yoda represents the future of Hollywood." In an article in the magazine, writer Rebecca Keegan argued Grogu is the culmination of several shifts and trends in the entertainment industry over the decade prior to the release of “the Mandalorian.” These include the decline of the traditional movie star, the growth of streaming media services, the rise of internet culture and technological advances in CGI. Variety writer Caroline Framke said she fell in love with the character even despite acknowledging that he is an "inherently manipulative product of the most powerful media conglomerate."
Cultural references
In December 2019, artwork of Disney CEO Bob Iger with Grogu appeared in the Time magazine article naming Iger their Businessperson of the Year. The New Yorker published a cartoon of a woman pushing a baby stroller and saying to the baby inside it: "No offense, but Baby Yoda, like, blows you out of the water." Ice2Ice — a musician associated with the website The Ringer — released "Dear Baby Yoda: A Love Song" on December 3, 2019, with the music based upon the song "Dear Theodosia" from the musical “Hamilton.” The character was also mentioned in the December 2019 South Park episode "Basic Cable." In the episode, a character named Scott Malkinson attempts to get Disney+ because the woman he is interested in loves Grogu, so he believes she will love him too if he gets the streaming service. Grogu was also parodied in the December 14, 2019 episode of Saturday Night Live. He was portrayed by comedian Kyle Mooney in a “Weekend Update” segment, in which he gossiped about “The Mandalorian” cast, talked about his future business ventures and threatened Baby Groot. At the 77th Golden Globe Awards, host Ricky Gervais jokingly mistook Jow Pesci for "Baby Yoda." On February 20, the United States Army revealed that a M1 Abrams tank belonging to the 3rd Infantry Division of Fort Stewart in Georgia had been named after Grogu, with the words "BABY YODA" printed on the barrel of its gun. Some critics have noted that other media companies introduced young versions of their own characters following the debut of Grogu, and suggested they could be attempts to capitalize on Grogu's success. As an example, Ashley Carman of The Verge cited "Baby Sonic," a young version of the video game character Sonic the Hedgehog who appears in his 2020 film, which she described as "like something ripped out of Disney's playbook."
Commentaires