The technology behind Grogu seems eons ahead of his "Star Wars" predecessor, Yoda, who made his debut in "Star Wars: Episode VI – The Empire Strikes Back." Yoda's backstory, from a technical standpoint, at least, is a more humble one, as he merely came to life through puppeteers and was voiced by legendary "Muppets" performer Frank Oz. On the other hand, Grogu is a technical marvel that appeared to be a living, breathing creature once it was fully constructed.
John Rosengrant told Metacritic that the hardwired puppet seemed so real to "Mandalorian" cast member Werner Herzog — who is simply billed as "The Client," the character who put the bounty out on Grogu — that he was worried when the puppet was shut off. "He thought it was very real, and it added a lot to his performance," Rosengrant said. Grogu apparently felt real to "Star Wars" creator George Lucas as well. Lucas held the puppet like he was cradling an actual infant, Industrial Light and Magic Senior Vice President Janet Lewin recalled. "You can't resist cradling the baby, bouncing the baby ... It's a puppet," Lewin told Metacritic.
For those who may feel Jon Favreau missed a big opportunity by not doing the facial motion capture for Grogu, he did get another opportunity to act in the "Star Wars" series. Favreau — whose acting credits include Happy Hogan in the Marvel Cinematic Universe – provides the voice for the Heavy Infantry Mandalorian Paz Vizsla in "The Mandalorian" as well as an episode of "The Book of Boba Fett," while actor Tait Fletcher physically wears the armor.
