Disney’s Star Wars has been so wary of avoiding a common prequel era criticism that it now faces a different yet no less prevalent issue. When they were first released, the movies of the Star Wars prequel trilogy faced a lot of backlash, particularly about the new characters it introduced, the central romance, the at times cheesy and inconsistent writing, and the introduction of new lore such as the midi-chlorians. One issue that was consistently pointed out, however, was the overt use of CGI in the prequel films, a stark contrast to the major practical effects used whilst filming the original Star Wars trilogy.
George Lucas has always been a filmmaking pioneer. The first Star Wars movie, later retitled A New Hope, changed how Hollywood approached fantasy and science-fiction filmmaking forever. Star Wars became renowned for its practical costumes, make-up, battle sequences, miniature work, stop-motion animation, and painted backgrounds. As such, when Lucas started directing the Star Wars prequels, it should have been no surprise that he would heavily invest in and experiment with the latest technology available to him. The prequels were bigger and thus made on a grander scale, and so utilized different skill sets. Balance is key, however, and Disney hasn’t been able to find that balance yet, either.
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The Star Wars Prequel Trilogy Was Heavily Critiqued For Overuse Of CGI
Fully CGI characters like Jar Jar Binks and his fellow Gungans, General Grievous, Watto, Dexter Jettster, and the CGI clone troopers were a particular cause for concern, as the contrast between these animated characters and the actual actors present on set was very prominent. While the prequels have enjoyed a resurgence in popularity since the early days of their release, and some of the Star Wars prequels’ CGI isn’t nearly as outdated as some believed it would become, Disney’s Star Wars is still avoiding CGI wherever character design is concerned. While using practical effects is commendable, it is not always the right solution.
Disney’s Star Wars Is Depending TOO MUCH On Practical Effects
Many of Star Wars’ character designs are mysterious and thought-provoking, and rightfully so. Animation, which is a major Star Wars storytelling medium, allows artists to come up with intricate and complex species designs. As pointed out by X user Cobalt, the Pykes of the Pyke syndicate are a great example. In shows like Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: The Bad Batch, the Pykes are eerily elegant and unnervingly alien, perfectly matching their status in the galaxy and their customs. In Solo: A Star Wars Story and The Book of Boba Fett, however, the Pykes’ animated design has been stripped back entirely.
One could attribute this to different factions of the Pykes having different looks, certainly, but there are other examples, too. The animated Grand Inquisitor in Star Wars Rebels, for instance, a member of the Pau’an species, has an elongated skull. And yet, though this elongated skull was represented in live-action in the Star Wars prequel movies, the Grand Inquisitor’s role in Obi-Wan Kenobi was much more physical, and he looked like a completely different character as a result. Consistency is key. If Star Wars characters are too dissimilar from their original design because of a reliance on practical effects, then CGI can and should be used.
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