Jon Favreau builds Mandalorian sets inside Lucas-inspired aviation hangars

There is a profound sense of technological continuity in how Jon Favreau has approached the production of The Mandalorian and Grogu. By filming within the original Quonset huts of Los Angeles, the production occupies the same mid-century aviation and hot rod epicenters that fueled George Lucas and his initial vision for a lived-in galaxy. These structures once housed Howard Hughes' aircraft and James Garner's Corvette shop, providing a gritty, industrial foundation that echoes the "kit-bashed" aesthetic of the original trilogy. For a hardware enthusiast, seeing these historical machine shops repurposed into high-tech soundstages is the ultimate example of resourceful engineering.

Melding gaming tech with practical craftsmanship

While the series is famous for its pioneering use of "The Volume," Jon Favreau reveals that the core of the show's visual language was built on consumer-grade hardware. During the initial development, the production relied on NVIDIA GPUs—which at the time were largely viewed as gaming components—to achieve the 24-frame refresh rates necessary for in-camera final pixel effects. This intersection of VR technology and traditional filmmaking allowed for a level of interactive lighting that blue screens simply cannot replicate. For The Mandalorian and Grogu, the team took this further by building full-scale practical sets, ensuring that the reflections on The Mandalorian's chrome armor were physically accurate rather than digitally fabricated.

The art of the physical puppet

One of the most compelling insights involves the evolution of Grogu (Baby Yoda). Originally intended as a lighting reference or a background stand-in to save on CG costs, the puppet built by Legacy Effects became the heart of the production. As the team added more servos and refined the rod-puppetry techniques, the physical character's personality began to outshine digital alternatives. Jon Favreau recounts how legendary director Werner Herzog once called the crew "cowards" for even considering a clean plate without the puppet, urging them to trust the tangible magic of the animatronic. This commitment to practical effects extends to droids like IG-11, which functioned as a rod puppet before being augmented by digital work.

Kit bashing the real world

Following the blueprint established by Industrial Light & Magic in the 1970s, the current art department—led by Doug Chiang and Andrew Jones—continues the tradition of "greeblies." They source authentic World War II components, Rolls-Royce Derwent engines, and vintage model kit pieces to build their props and sets. This obsessive attention to detail ensures that even deep-cut references, like a video game unit based on a never-used set piece from Tosche Station, feel integrated into the universe's history. It’s a testament to the idea that the best tech isn't always the newest; it's the right combination of bleeding-edge processing and tactile, real-world components.