Behind the Magic: The Visual Effects of The Mandalorian Season Two

Visual effects work on The Mandalorian was completed in all five of ILM's studios (San Francisco, Singapore, Vancouver, London, and Sydney) as well as a contingent of other vendors under ILM's supervision. The season's 8 episodes encompassed nearly 5,000 visual effects shots in addition to all of ILM's real-time effects work done for use during principal photography. The effects team leveraged virtually every trick in the book, from miniatures and motion control to traditional puppeteering, advanced animatronics, spectacular special effects, and photo-real CG. Here's a sampling of ILM's post visual effects work done for the series that garnered ILM 13 Visual Effects Society Award nominations.
Edited by Brent Segura-Bowers

[@disposablepal]

i love the blend of practical and CG, this is why i stay for the credits. everyone involved deserves the respect

[@fossilguytom4977]

Amen!

[@echobase5774]

Facts

[@WeldonRook]

Absolutely! I'm always one of the last few people, in the theater, when it's over, well when we used to have theaters.

[@elliotlovgren2031]

you stay for the credits because of the art and the catchy song. Dont lie...

[@coreyfisler8663]

There's one thing I learned for it, and it's about mandalorian attacks pirates.

[@Funny9689]

Wow I never realized some of the stromtroopers were fully CG. This is amazing!

[@gridcoregilry666]

at this point I realize that ILMs CG technology is not uncanny at all anymore. Insane

[@brandonwei2430]

Im pretty sure some of the movements were mocap rigs but still yeah definitely awesome

[@RickyDownhillRDH]

Same here, just amazing!!

[@aleksthevoyager1260]

Motion capture was used with a single actor so they didn’t have to pay more actors.

[@haydon1825]

Fun fact, every clone trooper in the prequels was CGI. No physical props for the troopers were built.

[@virtual7232]

The model of Moff Gideon's cruiser was something I didn't expect. Great job!

[@echobase5774]

It looks so cool

[@chitamule9040]

Same, I saw it and the first thought I had was 'I wonder how dense the wireframes will look, the poly count on this thing must be insane' . A practical model was the last thing I had in my mind.

[@haruo20101]

I respect these guys SO MUCH for their effort within time and budget constraints (I mean, a lot has been invested, but money can only get you so far). These guys have so many clever ways to pull off those SFX tricks, oh my God.

[@echobase5774]

These guys are geniuses, they made the visually stunning A New Hope on a very small budget, they can do anything!

[@haruo20101]

@@echobase5774 Yes!!! And I was so happy they kept using models on the second season too! They really know where to put effort in order to create a good atmosphere

[@firehot006]

VFX* ;)

[@IndySidhu88]

That soft 80s starlight and shadow effects from the original trilogy shown on Moff Gideon's ship is how it looks so authentic, of the time and great use of digital and practical. It's like modern nostalgia.

[@gridcoregilry666]

The blending of reality and CG has been perfected. Simply mindblowing!!! love from Germany ILM!!!

[@RickyDownhillRDH]

100% agree, it's all done so well!!

[@MattWinchell]

I love the practical light cruiser! Such an awesome addition to the motion-controlled shots in the show!

[@terebi916]

mad props to the artists who just make clouds

[@WoofWoofWolffe]

0:43 I love how those T-Posed Tusken Raiders just take the vomit

[@juanfelipe8484]

Nice

[@RickyDownhillRDH]

😂

[@v8matey]

I would watch both seasons again if every scene was broken down like this video. Jaw dropping

[@Shellshock361]

Still using old school models in some instances. That's awesome.

[@lothean2099]

Some company has to make a racing game of the biker scouts in the trench. That was an awesome scene

[@abdullahx4908]

That Morag jungle is incredible

[@sharhem_]

While there are some glaring omissions here which I would love to see more BTS of in the future (Luke, Boba Fett, Darktroopers, Moff Gideon, more Ahsoka and Grogu), I really loved this breakdown! Keep up the great job! ♥

[@KylerYun]

Incredible work as always. Bravo ILM!

[@anthonypc1]

Love those model ship shots!

[@HAWXLEADER]

It's funny how half the scenes are pure CG animation. Kinda shows how crazy movies will get.

[@PetrPechar1975]

You mean TV series. :-P

[@jacobrumelfanger1635]

Unreal work as always

[@MateusSilva-fm2zc]

The perfect balance between digital and pratical effects. This is surely the way. 👏👏👏

[@RottweilerRage]

0:26 I know DUNE still needs to come out, but judging by the trailer and comparing it to this Worm...this worm blows it out of the proverbial water(or in this case sand) by a mile. Excellent work.

[@filmwolfs]

Outstanding Work....Thank you ILM

[@Gary_DeAfrique]

Still in awe of the VFX of this show 💙

[@RoodeMenon]

What an amazing show! The future looks bright for Star Wars once again!

[@echobase5774]

It has since TFA 😉

[@ciealevelpsychology4642]

Not if Kathleen Kennedy has something to say about it.

[@antinbath]

Astounding. Such amazing art and creativity on every level. You caught me out more than once with the CG. And I LOVE the practical models. You are still magicians.

[@_Amilio_]

Mind blowing. Best in the industry 👌

[@paulbateman858]

I can't get enough of this stuff, amazing work as always.

[@funkmachine9094]

this show was great,season 2 was way better than the first

[@clydemagrin1956]

I love ilm. They are the best of the best

[@JLOFlix]

WOW! Absolutely FANTASTIC!

[@Famsysthing]

ILM looking great as always!

[@rohankanhai2368]

The led wall trick messed with my brain

[@KINOMENTOR]

Always amazing work ILM! Thanks for sharing your epic breakdowns and let us see your process!

[@Gopic21]

show us the breakdown for the tie fighter's wake vortex turbulence interfering with the explosion!!!

[@EnigmaticPenguin]

How far we've come since the 1997 Special Editions trying to replicate characters in CG

[@Anarchist86ed]

Fun fact: Lucas refused CGI for the very first star wars movie. Yeah, there was CGI all the way back then. A CGI demo was made, but he chose models over the computer generated effects.

[@echobase5774]

Yeah, I like Star Wars better when it’s not overly digital looking, especially when it looks unfinished (*cough* Phantom Menace)

[@solaris5303]

​@@Anarchist86ed Well yeah, because it would've looked like complete garbage - state of the art CGI at the time was Futureworld. He did use primitive CGI for the death star hologram, however.

[@calebdarsky5040]

We have freaking cgi stormtroopers, dobby, Cesar, and Thanos all because George Lucas started ILM and wanted to make Jar Jar Binks 😂

[@echobase5774]

@@calebdarsky5040 crazy, right?

[@bobsaget8791]

been waiting for this!

[@MSeanMcManus]

Such great work!

[@redfive1300]

This is the Way

[@segagogu]

I was really hoping for a seismic charge scene breakdown

[@psychotoddler2149]

Dang now I want to watch it again

[@QuinnFilmsStudio]

this is incredible

[@LEV-1138]

You did a verry nice job! :)

[@radetsky_studio]

great work!

[@alexneo100]

Ребята которые это делают - респект Вам!

[@rodrigofarias9852]

excellent work

[@christopherschott2401]

Incredible ....

[@deaconx]

This show is so much better than the 'Sequel Trilogy'.

[@echobase5774]

This show is freaking incredible, just like the sequel trilogy 😉

[@Kustosh]

The Magic works because most of things are made and exists in real life

[@echobase5774]

THIS 👏 IS 👏 THE 👏 WAY

[@davidmthekidd]

Brutal.

[@LordTrilobite]

0:42 Krayt dragon legs!

[@DarkwarriorGamingandVideos]

rendering all the shots might have taken an entire week for each shot

[@Chicagangbang]

0:45 was that actual liquid or also CGI?

[@KaanUmay]

This is the way

[@CinematicCaptures]

[@버블껌-z2h]

That's my real STARWARS

[@rodigos]

Hermoso trabajo felicitaciones

[@ReginaldoAlvesVieiraRG]

Top D+

[@TheSilverSentry]

01:53 Good to know ILM still shows some love to Gina Carano =)

[@AlvarHanso84]

The cave monster wasn't real?? 😮

[@tapanjoshi7710]

How is this a TV show, movies don't have such good effects!

[@90AlmostFamous]

looks better than endgame, with what like 1 % of budget?

[@rhinorex47]

I want a Star Wars Open world game, Just story no multiplayer

[@keithtam8859]

they used some practical effect like the space ships, but now quite with the other things, if its a cost thing, why bother with practical at all??

[@supafun33]

Show... us... Luke.

[@echobase5774]

EXACTLY

[@_khooman_chronicles_]

Wait, ILM was owned by George Lucas?

[@meterpaffei5810]

So the whole thing is clicked together by a bunch of computer freaks?

[@strsocerplaya9]

Such a great show. Too bad KK had to get involved and screw it up for so many fans. #WeLoveCaraDune #IStandWithGinaCarano

[@echobase5774]

She always has been, but of course you people like to deny it 😂😂😂😂

[@article1934]

$150Million in special effect..... $50 on the script! go figure

[@MerchantIvoryfilms]

Funny how after "The Last Jedi" I lost ALL interest in that story and the production side of it to. But Mandalorian rekindled my love for Star Wars and how it was made...Disney Executives...DON'T TOUCH IT! Leave it ALONE!

[@echobase5774]

The Last Jedi and The Mandalorian are both masterpieces, ❤️ Star Wars

[@briandavies6050]

BRING BACK GINA!

[@BD12]

haha no, she was the worst actor on the show

[@briandavies6050]

No, she was a scape-goat for the "woke" A$$-HATS

[@ciealevelpsychology4642]

@@BD12 She was the most convincing strong female character in decades.

[@willybeeproductions9357]

If only the amazing magicians at ILM could make corporate wokeness and wrongful dismissal disappear! #WeLoveGinaCarano

[@echobase5774]

Jeez, I thought we finally had a comment section without trolling.....

[@willybeeproductions9357]

@@echobase5774 The term troll suggests a person who blindly insights controversy without a truly concerned interest towards consequence or outcome. I have been a Star Wars fan since I walked out of my hometown theater in May 1977 at the ripe old age of 7 years of age. I have a collection worth several tens of thousands of dollars and have been so invested in my love for Star Wars that I even named my daughter after the one and only Princess within the galaxy. In addition I've been traveling to Walt DisneyWorld almost every year since I was 28 years old, spent thousands of dollars there, and have encouraged and helped several friends, co-workers and family members to plan and have successful trips to the fantasy land that Walt built. I tolerated The Last Jedi and I'm sorry to say, HATED The Rise of Skywalker. But loved the Mandalorian and other than Grogu, Cara Dune was my favorite character. Being raised by three incredibly strong women, it was fantastic to see a capable, tough, and believably strong female character who could kick a$$ and look stunningly beautiful while doing it! She was the un-Rey of the SW Universe. SO as you can see, I'm a little TOO invested in Star Wars, Lucasfilm, and Disney to allow you to label me as a common troll. I'm the kind of consumer that Disney shareholders love to see at the parks, subscribing to Disney+, loading their home video libraries with DVDs and Blu-Rays from all the classics to all the latest Disney, Marvel, and SW blockbusters and who has often maxed out credit cards to savor my love for Star Wars. And what was done to Gina Carano for merely expressing a personal opinion, and using a dark time in history to punctuate the current divisiveness in America and demonization of one American against another merely because of their politics or beliefs and rather made a call for Unity was the last straw for me. It was Disney that succumbed to true trolls out there. The Mob that seeks to cancel anyone that disagrees with their view of the world, where dialogue and discussion are considered irrelevant unless their narratives are upheld without question or debate. Disney has made a critical error here, and all the Bothan spies in the world won't be able to save them this time!

[@BD12]

@@willybeeproductions9357 No one gives a shit about Gina. Nice copypasta though

[@willybeeproductions9357]

@@BD12 From what I've seen there are thousands and thousands that do...but then again I see the world as it is, not how others tell me to see it!

[@stevebragg4256]

@@BD12 actually lots do.

[@noodle7725]

Unpopular opinion: Mandalorian is overrated.

[@robertellis4130]

Maybe you need to hire Gina Carano back...then maybe we will re-subscribe to your stuff. Maybe.

[@billb.5247]

Does Disney blacklist special effects workers like it does actors?

[@echobase5774]

Do “fans” attack ILM like they do Lucasfilm?

[@BD12]

I think they only fire the ones who aren't good enough at the job

[@RobBank1985]

Such a shame Disney/Kathleen Kennedy is going to wreck a good thing once again.

[@RickyDownhillRDH]

Holy shit, the CG is just freaking amazing now days. I can't tell the difference between CG and real characters. Just blows me a way!!

[@echobase5774]

Ikr

[@RickyDownhillRDH]

@@echobase5774 Right indeed!

[@PunxTV123]

someday it will be real time like ready player one

[@RickyDownhillRDH]

@@PunxTV123 Most likely!!

[@imdasij]

@@PunxTV123 maybe thats what life is lol

[@thepuzzler317]

I love the amount of time and detail that put into the VFX and how they actually make the space ship models

[@Foomandoonian]

I want to see the breakdown of the shot where the Razorcrest is pulled out of the water and dumped on the landing platform in Ep 3. I assume it's fluid simulations, but it looked so damn good!

[@BenLoula]

Corridor did exactly that recently: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aIjQoJamac57rKM

[@Foomandoonian]

@@BenLoula Yeah, I don’t think they knew for sure how it was done though. I want to see the workings. 😄

[@TheHannahcast]

That moment you realize this television series had better effects than ANY of the movies that not only got nominated for Best Visual Effects at this year's Oscars but also any movie in 2020... 🙁

[@echobase5774]

You’re not wrong

[@calebdarsky5040]

That’s because ILM is the best!

[@calebdarsky5040]

@Pablo Velasco StarWars is the gold standard for VFX maybe more so than MCU because ILM has been pioneering the film industry since the 70s. You can best believe Star Wars is going to bring it no matter who owns them or what streaming service they’re on. 🔥

[@gregorcrawford3020]

I fucking love everything that ILM has achieved for this series. There's some true talent going in and I'm grateful for that

[@SuperWiiBros08]

I really gotta watch this series

[@virtual7232]

Oh, man! Definitely!

[@echobase5774]

I 100% recommend it

[@calebdarsky5040]

Do it man it’s so good. You might not feel like Star Wars is as good as it used to be but let me tell you this is amazing and worth the watch.

[@joannot6706]

Tried watching it, it sucked, I stopped, just here because ILM does good VFX.

[@RickyDownhillRDH]

It's pretty awesome. I mean it's kinda dorky/goofy, but it's really well done.

[@captainviggo4575]

3:03 Can't tell how many times I've re-watched this speeder-bike shot in this episode, probably the best action shot for me this season.

[@talkdiary]

ILM, a legend of CGI. I can't even tell which part in those scene is real or CG.

[@RapidActionAnimations]

ILM is truely a very interesting company and the projects for many films using cgi and practical effects had made their films and work much more interesting and unique.

[@MajatekYT]

Proving once and for all that CGI looks good and can be blended perfectly with real footage. Fantastic work!

[@jasonball3496]

These 3D computer animation models are getting jaw-droppingly good. We're almost to the point where I wonder what even the point of real-life photography will be. The extra background stormtroopers that were added in look just as real as the "real" ones.

[@LaneCarter]

Somewhat hot take: the practical ship model does not add anything for the viewer unless they specifically know that that is how they accomplished those shots. The movement of the CG ship is more realistic and from a rendering standpoint looks just as good. I know the creators enjoyed making and shooting their practical model, which is fine, but it does not look "better". It is a different style that is reminiscent of an older time.

[@gonzomuse]

I think the CG ships look so good because they have a real reference, and used photographs of the model to texture the CG ships. On a TV show where the budget is limited, I think the models tend to look better for close up stuff.

[@LaneCarter]

@@gonzomuse maybe, but I've seen plenty of other great looking spaceships in movies. CG still has some shortcomings, but hard surfaces is not one of them.

[@gonzomuse]

@@LaneCarter Yeah, I definitely agree that CG is capable of photorealistic machines. But the really good photorealistic CG work is still quite expensive. I think there is still a place for model work. Check out pierce films YT channel, they have been uploading their films "A sense of scale" about miniatures in film.

[@LaneCarter]

@@gonzomuse Oh I definitely think models have their place. I was more so saying that this specific use doesn't make much sense, and seemed like it was done out of passion/nostalgia instead of a desire to make the effect more believable. One of my favorite uses of models is the snow fortress collapsing in Inception.

[@gonzomuse]

@@LaneCarter I dunno, it is ILM, but there will still be lower budgets for TV, and models work out between a quarter and half of the cost of CGI. That's based on something I was told about 8 years ago so things might have changed a little.

[@krishnasai1232]

ILM is the G.O.A.T🙏🤯🤩😍

[@echobase5774]

Amen

[@EricDKaufman]

With Stagecraft, The Mandalorian has become as ground breaking as A New Hope

[@HTHAMMACK1]

Best looking show ever, along with Chernobyl.

[@TheMrKlump]

Wow, I had no idea that the Banthas were cg.

[@BD12]

No explanation for why Luke looked so weird, then?

[@funtourhawk]

Just watched this season in 4k...the vfx is basically flawless, so fucking crisp

[@hoppyscreations]

So old school with the practical vehicles and ships , keep it coming , you keep me busy recreating these models

[@chuckkissel2785]

That LED wall is so trippy

[@Gideon0297]

ILM & your work are awesome! Fantastic job! Disney on the other hand & their hypocrisy are so incredibly stupid! #WeLoveGinaCarano

[@crystanubis]

I'll admit, I wasn't a big fan of the Razor Crest's design at first. Felt kind of generic, almost out of place. However, it does grow on you and I suppose seeing all the punishment it takes over the course of the series gives you a good feel for the construction. It really sells you on the immersion, like it's a real craft. The Falcon, at its best, always felt a little disconnected, segmented, or overly compartmentalized. The gun turrets were the worst offenders on this front. In the end, I was way more heartbroken at (Spoilers) in Season 2 than I was excited about the Falcon's return in Episode VII. Also, I'm a little biased; I found out between seasons the Razor Crest was partially based on the A-10 Warthog, one of my favorite military aircraft.

[@DINOMAN1337YT]

star wars the mandolorian but as a FPS and TPS videogame with at least a 24 hour campaign pls like make it similar to doom eternal with campaign dlc that can be bought standalone or with the deluxe edition of the game or like with a seasonpass

[@filmcraft43]

that's really awesome sir I really love to be CG artist and do that type of visual effect can you advice me when i should start learning i will be appreciated

[@joshoshea3194]

Without doubt this is the best CGI I've ever seen. Endgame looked amazing but in the final battle there was no question how much of it were CGI. More like an amazing looking videogame where as Mandalorian just looks REAL! My 2022 brain still can't tell the difference at this point in time. I think a lot of it IS down to the lighting. Spectacular stuff.