If you haven’t heard about the tiny, green and pointy-eared alien known as Baby Yoda, then you’ve probably been living under a rock for the past few months. The Force-sensitive toddler took the world by storm when he first appeared in the hit Star Wars TV series The Mandalorian. Although most fans are crazy about the newest addition to the galaxy far, far away, not everyone is too high on the animatronic creation, including The Mandalorian’s own Werner Herzog:
No, not cute. It was a phenomenal achievement of sculpting mechanically. When I saw this, it was so convincing, it was so unique. And then the producers talked about, Shouldn’t we have a fallback version with green screen and have it be completely digitally created? I said to them: It would be cowardly. You are the trailblazers. Show the world what you can do.
Based on these comments he made to The New York Times, Herzog seems to be impressed with the ingenuity that went into constructing Baby Yoda. However, he could seemingly care less about “The Child’s” actual appearance. The actor would later double down on these sentiments with some personal application involving his wife:
Not cute. It’s heartbreaking. My wife has seen companion robots that are being created: a fluffy creature with big eyes talking to you, reading your facial expressions, putting its head to the side and asking you, “Oh, you don’t trust me?” There’s big stuff coming at us in terms of robotics.
Herzog’s thoughts on Baby Yoda are interesting to say the least, but he’s not the only Mandalorian actor to be unphased by the prop. Comedian Adam Pally, who guest starred as a Bike Scout Trooper, even went as far as to punch the puppet.
While many may not share Herzog’s views on Baby Yoda, it’s hard to disagree with the fact that animatronic creations are becoming more robust, and Baby Yoda is at the forefront of that movement. Some have even been inspired to construct their own, which has led to some impressive imitations.
Despite this, some may be exhausted with the Baby Yoda craze, as Disney and Lucasfilm have (wisely) done what they can to capitalize on the creature’s popularity. This includes releasing a look alike toy that makes sounds and appears to use the Force. As you can imagine, many are still trying to get their hands on one.
Season 2 of The Mandalorian has wrapped, which means fans will eventually get their fix of Baby Yoda. Yet with the coronavirus currently stalling Disney’s production plans, it’s unclear if the new season will arrive this fall as planned. Regardless, you can bet Disney and Lucasfilm are going to do everything they can to make sure the Mando’s traveling companion returns sooner rather than later. Season 1 of The Mandalorian is now streaming on Disney+.
