Baby Yoda became a worldwide phenomenon when he made his debut in Disney+’s The Mandalorian last year. The force-wielding toddler not only found a place in the heart of the titular character but in the hearts of millions of fans across the globe. One of the ways that the character has endeared himself to so many is through his cute and innocent appearance. However, it seems that it took a while for Jon Favreau and his team to nail down Baby Yoda’s final look, and one of the early designs that was brought to them is admittedly horrifying.
During the latest episode of Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian, Jon Favreau explained the lengthy process that went into creating Baby Yoda. This included various sketches that depicted potential designs for the creature. But of all the images that were revealed, one stands out from the rest, and it arguably even scare a Jedi. Check out the image down below:
I think we can all agree that this concept art is, at least to some degree, extremely unsettling. While there are traces of the final design to be found within, there are more than a few key differences. For instance, the ears on this version are a bit larger, and the baby, as a whole, appears to be a lot pudgier. The burlap sack that the child is wearing also doesn’t do the overall look any favors.
Jon Favreau and the folks at Lucasfilm had a difficult task ahead of them when it came to crafting The Child. Not only was he modeled after one of the most iconic characters in all of Star Wars, but he also had to be appealing to the eye. We all know that Lucasfilm’s parent company, Disney, has plenty of experience creating adorable characters, but this very fact concerned Favreau.
The Lion King director was concerned that the character might end up being too cute, so he and his collaborators made efforts to “ugly up” the character. This included adding little things like the scraggly hairs on his head. Luckily, the team found a nice balance somewhere between “impossibly adorable” and “absolutely terrifying.”
Aside from the general public, The Child has also had an effect on the cast and crew of the show. Many were amazed by just how life-like the puppet is and became. The child become so much of a lively entity that actor Werner Herzog even began to direct it during one of his scenes.
Regardless of how Baby Yoda looks, the cast and crew would likely be enchanted with the little, green alien anyway. Still, we should definitely be grateful that Jon Favreau didn’t base the final design on that particular piece of concept art. Because let’s be honest, no one would want to see that face on a mask or cereal box.
You can catch Baby Yoda in The Mandalorian Season 1, which is streaming on Disney+.
