Should Yoda be replaced by a CGI version in the OT?

[Nolocke]

Stop giving George ideas, you know he looks through forums and message boards for new ideas.

 

[Obri-An Kenobi]

Nope, don't replace him.

I hope they'll replace TPM Yoda once they do a box set or blu-ray release but I'm not sure.

When they did Episode 3 they replaced TPM Yoda with their Episode 3 version just as a test, so it's actually already done, it's just that it's the Episode 3 version so they'd have to modify it a bit and make it look younger than the AOTC version since the ROTS version is older and has more worn clothing and everything.

Yoda is over 900 years old, so those 10 years wouldn't make much of a difference to him . Although he did look older in ROTJ even though that was a year from ESB (but then again, he was dying).
They did do some tests for EPII where they took a piece of dialogue from ESB, and put in the CG version, just to make it feel the same as the puppet. I don't think that George would replace the puppet.
By the way, the bit in the making of EPI where George is showing Frank Oz some CG animation looks a bit ironic in retrospect.
Frank: "This is amazing. You don't need me, for God sakes.'
George: "Oh come on. We'll always need you."
And then for the second film he does get replaced.

 

[jkno]

 

[Hecubus]

the only thing that should be replaced is the awful puppet in EP1 - leave the rest alone!

 

[Ultimate Weapon]

Do I even need to answer this - because I'm jut going to reiterate what everyone else has said: No replacement in the OT, definitely replace the EPI abomination (on it's way). There; said it anyway.

 

[Bannister]

Now, I would be fine with them replacing the crummy Yoda in TPM. That thing was terrible looking and highlights even more how kickass the original was

Yoda looks mentally retarded in Episode 1.

 

[Darth Waller]

Yoda looks older in TPM than he does in ESB and ROTJ.

 

[Darth Madden]

No. The OT has been messed with far too much already,

Exactly... he better not screw it up anymore. But as long as I have the original OT on dvd its not that big a deal since I will never watch another "special" edition anyway.

 

[DarthNeil]

Exactly... he better not screw it up anymore. But as long as I have the original OT on dvd its not that big a deal since I will never watch another "special" edition anyway.

What about when they release the special TPM Edition sans Jar Jar?

I think, although the question was created to cause discussion, we're going in a circle as EVERYONE feels strongly that the ESB Yoda is too beloved to even be thought about being touched...

I think we're all rowing in the same direction. Let's hope we don't see George paddling in the opposite direction in a leaky canoe.

 

[niennumb1]

I saw the Empire Strikes back yesterday after quite some time along with my wife and she posed the question: Shouldn't Yoda be replaced by CG version at in the OT at some point?

I have mixed feelings about this. I think that Frank Oz's performance is stellar, he made Yoda seem alive, the eyes of the puppet are so life life like in a few scenes. As a result of being a puppet his arms are much longer than they should be though. I'm really not too sure about this. If Lucas does replace the Yoda puppet , then such a great performance by Oz will be lost. What do you fellow freaks think?

No. Yoda in the PT should be replaced by a superimposed puppet one to ensure better believability for the closeup shots or where full body action is not present. I always thought the CG yoda was a crap move from the beginning. You just can't beat the performance Yoda and Luke had in ESB. Just the same as Return of the Jedi. That CG Jabba never looked as good as the puppet they made for Jedi. AMAZING sets and creatures. They took a lot of cheap shortcuts that cost a lot of the magic that made Star Wars what it was. I would have shot anything I could live-action and leave the more impossible to CG if I had to. They did it right with the OT, why did they even steer away from that with the PT?

Peter Jackson was an excellent example of using a great combination of conventional old school effects with new age technology to create a great bridging of the two technologies.

A lot of people give Michael Bay crap about his films, but I can really appreciate and applaud the effort he puts into the use of as much practicality of visual effects as humanly possible in his films. This also helps with the performances of the actors throwing them into real simulated situations.

 

[Outer_Rim]

By the way, the bit in the making of EPI where George is showing Frank Oz some CG animation looks a bit ironic in retrospect.
Frank: "This is amazing. You don't need me, for God sakes.'
George: "Oh come on. We'll always need you."
And then for the second film he does get replaced.

That conversation took place when Rob Coleman and Lucas showed to Frank Oz the first Yoda footage for Episode 2, not Episode 1. Anyway, the official word is OT Yoda will never be replaced by a CG puppet.

 

[Amanaman]

In a decade or so, the PT purists will be defending it from further CG-ification.

 

[JustinLuck]

Nope, don't replace him.

I hope they'll replace TPM Yoda once they do a box set or blu-ray release but I'm not sure.

When they did Episode 3 they replaced TPM Yoda with their Episode 3 version just as a test, so it's actually already done, it's just that it's the Episode 3 version so they'd have to modify it a bit and make it look younger than the AOTC version since the ROTS version is older and has more worn clothing and everything.

I'm not sure Yoda has to age much. I mean, isn't his lifespan 800 years?? So the aging process would be very gradual. 20 years is like 2 years for him.

 

[Shai]

to answer the original question : Who cares ?

 

[DarthNeil]

to answer the original question : Who cares ?

Those of us who are... fans of SW. Shocking in this section but-- c'est la vie.

 

[Amanaman]

Why does marvel suck?

 

[Wanderer]

to answer the original question : Who cares ?

:emperor But very funnyyyyyy!

 

[Obri-An Kenobi]

That conversation took place when Rob Coleman and Lucas showed to Frank Oz the first Yoda footage for Episode 2, not Episode 1. Anyway, the official word is OT Yoda will never be replaced by a CG puppet.

I don't think it was. He did show him some footage for Episode 2, that's right. It would be the decent thing to do. But in the making of Episode 1 when Oz is about to perform Yoda (what a strange thing to say, by the way) he is shown some CG bits.

 

[Outer_Rim]

I don't think it was. He did show him some footage for Episode 2, that's right. It would be the decent thing to do. But in the making of Episode 1 when Oz is about to perform Yoda (what a strange thing to say, by the way) he is shown some CG bits.

They didn´t start working on the CG Yoda before Episode 2, in fact, there is a documentary in the Episode 2 DVD in which Lucas talk to Frank Oz about the new CG Yoda and by Oz´s comments it is clear he didn´t see the new Yoda before.

 

[Obri-An Kenobi]

I didn't say it was Yoda they were showing. I said that they showed Frank Oz some finished CG from the movie (I think it was Jar Jar), and he said why they would need a puppeteer working for them, if they were able to create realistic CG characters.