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Two months after its theatrical debut, The Mandalorian and Grogu is now available to buy or rent digitally. The film proved divisive among Star Wars fans for myriad reasons, landing at a 60% critic score and 87% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Though the story left many viewers wanting, one aspect that remained as excellent as ever was the artistry used to bring Grogu to life.
Din Djarin's adorable alien foundling was animated through a combination of physical puppetry and CGI, but he felt just as real as any of the film's human characters. The notion that a member of Yoda's species could headline a live-action film would have seemed impossible just a few decades ago. The very existence of The Mandalorian and Grogu can be traced back to a single scene from 2002's Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones that director George Lucas once called his "greatest risk."
Attack of the Clones' Final Action Scene Deeply Worried George Lucas
The scene in question was Yoda's showdown with Count Dooku in the Geonosian hangar. Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi fought Dooku during the devastating Battle of Geonosis, but the Sith Lord defeated both. Before Dooku could kill the pair of Jedi, Yoda arrived to duel his old apprentice. The two clashed with the Force at first, but they were stalemated, so they switched to their lightsabers.
For the first time since Yoda debuted in 1980, Star Wars fans got to see the diminutive Jedi Master in action. He used acrobatics to make up for his short stature, jumping and flipping around Dooku at superhuman speed. In the director's commentary track for Attack of the Clones, Lucas said, "I was scared to death of this sequence and how we were going to pull this off… This was the biggest risk in the whole movie. Could I make this realistic enough to make it believable, or would it be this ludicrous joke?"
In the original trilogy and even Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Yoda was a physical puppet operated by voice actor Frank Oz, who was hidden beneath the stage. As the Yoda puppet became heavier and the movements required of him grew more complicated, this was no longer feasible. Thus, in Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, Yoda was fully CGI.
The Phantom Menace had already included some CGI aliens, most notably Jar Jar Binks, but he was meant to be a comedic character. By contrast, Lucas wanted the audience to take Yoda seriously. His confrontation with Dooku was Attack of the Clones' climactic final fight scene, like Obi-Wan's memorable clash with Darth Maul in the previous film and Anakin's heartbreaking duel against Obi-Wan in the next installment.
Reactions to Yoda's showdown were mixed, with some viewers finding the concept inherently ridiculous, but for the most part, the scene was believable. Despite Yoda's physics-defying athleticism, it always appeared that he was genuinely interacting with Dooku. This scene was a proof of concept for Yoda -- or another member of his species -- playing a larger role in future Star Wars projects.
The Mandalorian and Grogu Achieved George Lucas' Star Wars Vision
After Attack of the Clones came CGI-pioneering films like the latter installments of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy, James Cameron's Avatar, and Rupert Wyatt's Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Now, in 2026, the same tools and techniques used to bring Yoda to life have evolved to the point that Grogu could be one of two protagonists in a feature-length film.
Like The Mandalorian series before it, The Mandalorian and Grogu sometimes used a puppet to represent Grogu and other times relied on CGI. The switch from a practical Yoda in The Phantom Menace to a digital version in Attack of the Clones was obvious, but that was not the case for Grogu.
The CGI model of Grogu was not only extremely realistic but also animated in a puppet-like manner. This rendered the transitions between the two versions of the character seamless. The Mandalorian and Grogu included Grogu in several action scenes even more complex than Yoda's fight with Dooku. The film also focused on him for quieter character moments that required subtle facial expressions.
The Star Wars franchise and technological innovation have always gone hand in hand. Lucas did not want to make new Star Wars installments unless he could do something groundbreaking with their visuals. These days, fans may take the realism of Grogu's CGI for granted, but it is the culmination of a long process that began in Attack of the Clones. Regardless of one's thoughts on The Mandalorian and Grogu, it is undeniable that Lucas' "biggest risk" paid off for the Star Wars franchise.
