Elephant heads, miniature ships and bespoke sound: The art of creating ‘Star Wars: Skeleton Crew’

It may not seem like it, but it has been more than 45 years since the unexpected success of Star Wars — the seed of what would eventually grow into the expansive saga we know today. That original trilogy gave way to a second, followed by spin-offs, series, and, of course, endless, multi-million dollar merchandising, ultimately becoming a cornerstone of global culture. Now, Star Wars continues its unstoppable journey with the new series Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, which was released in December on Disney+. The show combines the ever-appealing nostalgia of the franchise with its classic galactic idiosyncrasies. Its ability to combine these two elements — especially when it comes to the visuals — is thanks to George Lucas. Not only did Lucas create the saga, but he also founded Lucasfilm and a number of related companies, including ILM (Industrial Light & Magic), the visual effects powerhouse behind the Star Wars universe, as well as iconic films like E.T., Indiana Jones, Ghostbusters, Back to the Future, and Pirates of the Caribbean.

The team at ILM, was responsible for shaping the visual and emotional tone of the new series, its look and feel. They decide how things should look, but more importantly, how they should make us feel, creating that signature patina of Star Wars — the look, the sound, and the atmosphere. What’s perhaps most surprising is that there are far fewer green and blue screens used to create images than one might think. At ILM, tangible objects hold value — as symbolized in the Yoda statue at the entrance of their four modern buildings in San Francisco’s Presidio Park. ILM’s offices in Sydney, Mumbai, and Vancouver, where over 1,300 people work, are dedicated to crafting fantasy worlds grounded, above all, on real objects.

In a conversation with various media outlets, including EL PAÍS, the team behind the effects — Shawn Kelly, animation supervisor with 28 years at ILM; Eddie Pasquarello, visual effects supervisor with 35 years at the company; and Tony Villaflor, responsible for final sound mixing with 15 years at ILM — explained their approach. Although Villaflor focuses on post-production, Kelly and Pasquarello regularly visit the set to create their effects. So, do ships sail through galaxies, or do creatures with elephant heads or spiny monkeys really exist? While not exactly, the ILM team works to make it feel that way. They prefer to work with real objects and practical effects first, then add visual effects in post-production. The result is a more authentic look that not only has a more realistic effect but tends to age better over time.

They oversee the entire project and advise on “the shooting methodology and approach,” they explain. One key point they emphasize is their conscious effort to ensure that Skeleton Crew, a 2024 series, retains a feel similar to the original Star Wars films. While modern technology has made incredible advancements over the past 50 years, they intentionally choose to maintain the same movements in the ships, for example.

“We have to look out for our discipline on set,” they say, half-joking, half-serious. “So everyone’s doing their job. Sound is getting what they need, special effects is getting what they need. We get the elements that we need to make the shots. We work on them, we present them again [to the directors], we take notes and we start again. That is the day to day, refining the shots and achieving the vision they are looking for,” Pasquarello says. “That’s my job, overseeing that whole effort.”

Although the two have been with ILM for three decades, this is the first time they’ve worked together, which illustrates the vast number of people and projects at the company. Kelly, as animation supervisor, says his role is to review the visual effects, “almost anything that moves,” including the cameras. “We’re doing acting performances of characters or composition of the shots and the elements within the shots, things like Neel talking or spaceship parking or people riding hover bikes.” The key, he adds, is always “staying really true to the original trilogy.”

Neel is one of the child protagonists of Skeleton Crew, and while Jude Law may be the series’ big-name draw, the spotlight is firmly on the ensemble cast of teenagers. The show features elements from the 1980s that evoke memories of The Goonies and more recent hits like Stranger Things. Played by Robert T. Smith, Neel has the body, hands, and head of a small blue elephant, and his fun, endearing personality is sure to make him a fan favorite.

However, the realism of Smith’s performance doesn’t just come from his acting; his head, in more than half of the shots, is fully practical. In some scenes, visual effects are used to enhance his expressions, especially since his trunk obscures his mouth. For example, in a scene where Neel is taking a bath, Kelly recorded himself at home wearing a wetsuit in the bathtub surrounded by bubbles to capture realistic movements. “We look for as much real, real world reference that we can get right because it grounds our work,” Pasquarello told EL PAÍS. “Research is visceral, so things look and feel as they should.”

Neel’s head is essentially a puppet, with three units created for the show — one of which is on display in the ILM employee cafeteria. Similarly, the Teek monkey, another key character, is a real doll controlled remotely to give it more realism. Depending on the scene, visual effects are added in post-production. Sometimes, both practical and digital effects are used within the same shot: the puppet monkey climbs on a child, disappears for a moment, and then reappears digitally running away. While ILM’s motto is “whenever possible, everything should be practical,” they acknowledge that digital effects also hold up well over time and serve a particular aesthetic. However, whenever they can, they always prefer real-world references.

Another element that has always enriched the Star Wars saga is its vehicles — planes, ships, cars, and motorcycles — that are meticulously designed and often physically built, rotated, and moved manually. “In the original trilogy, there were limitations. We wanted to stay true to shots in those original films,” explains Kelly. “It creates the best illusion for the audience,” he continues. “It’s hard to pin down what’s going on: if some of it’s real, and some of it’s not.”

The movements are slow and done using motion control, meaning that a full day’s work might only result in a couple of takes, each with different lighting and perspectives. “We repeat the same shot 12 or 13 times,” Pasquarello admits.

The iconic lightsabers are not only seen but felt. The sound of each Star Wars product is, as Tony Villaflor puts it, “bespoke.” “It’s important to know who’s in the scene by their bespoke sound, which represents the character,” he explains. Every sound in a scene is carefully crafted and layered: the sounds recorded on set, additional dialogue, ambient noises, sound effects, and finally, the music.

“We have a massive sound library with millions of sounds. One of the beautiful things about Skywalker Sound [the company’s sound subsidiary] is that it’s made up of every film we’ve ever worked on, with editors and sound engineers contributing to it over the years. There are millions of sounds to play with,” Villaflor adds.

As the Star Wars universe continues to captivate millions, do audiences notice the level of detail in the sound design and other elements? “Well, as an audience, I almost hopefully not,” Villaflor reflects. “I hope they can sit down and enjoy the show without overthinking it. If there’s dialogue, they have fun, and the music is helping you get through it emotionally. I don’t think our goal has ever changed: we’re always trying to help the filmmaker tell their story and make sure that every sound we put in is specific, intentional and articulate. It’s all about helping the viewer enjoy it.”

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