"Because we were paying tribute to Star Wars, we wanted to elevate the production quality compared to previous 'Robot Chicken' episodes," Campodonico says. "We really put our heart and soul into it. As soon as our crew, who are also huge Star Wars fans themselves, knew they would get to recreate the Death Star or make Imperial walkers, they bent over backwards to make it look perfect."
To get certain elements of the special just right, the team made a special trip to see the historical context, "We got a chance to visit with Mark Andersen, formerly of the original Industrial Light & Magic, now at their new company, Kerner Optical, and see their model shop," Bulkley says.
"When we visited Kerner Optical and saw some of the original cameras that shot stop-motion footage of The Empire Strikes Back, we realized that our technique now for the special might actually be better than when they had to shoot it originally," Bulkley says. "So when we tried to recreate that scene at the beginning of the Star Wars special, which you can see in the trailer, we kind of laughed about how ironic it was that we wanted to capture that same feel and look using the old techniques as opposed to the digital way most filmmakers rely on now."
It's easy to see the hard work and creativity that went into the special, but another element of the special seemed especially cool for the team. "My favorite part of this experience was asking Les Claypool to do the Imperial March music as an opening title sequence for the special," Bulkley smiles. "That just gives me chills to this day. The guy is one of the greatest musicians of all time, and for him to actually be recording the Imperial March is amazing."
As the debut of the Robot Chicken: Star Wars special draws near, the producers can't wait to see what the fans think of their favorite characters in stop-motion action. "We have obvious parodies with Luke and Darth Vader, but it's the bizarre little ones that fans will really have to know their trivia," Campodonico says. "We did our research. After all, we're fans making a special for fans."
Read more about how the special got off the ground in Inside Robot Chicken: Star Wars.
Tune in to Adult Swim on June 17, for the debut of Robot Chicken: Star Wars. For more information on the special visit the official Robot Chicken: Star Wars here.
Be sure to check out these clips currently on starwars.com:
VIDEO:
- Robot Chicken: Star Wars -- "On the Couch"
- Robot Chicken: Star Wars -- Trailer
- Robot Chicken: Star Wars -- "Twist"
Check back here on starwars.com for more interviews and profiles with the people behind Robot Chicken: Star Wars.
