The Star Wars: Skeleton Crew Character Who Surprisingly Isn't CGI

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"Star Wars" is full of jaw-dropping CGI moments. The franchise has had a reputation for cutting-edge visual effects since the very beginning, when George Lucas committed to an impossible task to create the impressive imagery of "Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope." Back then, things were so complicated and expensive that Lucas literally couldn't afford to make any mistakes with the film's special effects – and when he eventually got a chance to fully embrace computer-generated visuals, he did so with such enthusiasm that even the death sticks in "Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones" wound up being CGI

Against this background, it's only natural to assume that "Star Wars" is invariably eager to create its most elaborate alien designs with CGI, especially if they also happen to be prominent characters. However, "Star Wars: Skeleton Crew" shows that the franchise still knows how to embrace practical effects. The elephant-like design of main character Neel (Robert Timothy Smith) may look a whole lot like a fully CGI creation, but that's actually quite far from the truth. Instead, Smith's portrayal of the sympathetic alien is aided by a ton of practical elements, including an animatronic head and a prosthetic suit the actor wore. The main CGI element used is facial motion capture, which of course only enhances Smith's own contribution to the role.   

Robert Timothy Smith heavily influenced Neel's development in Skeleton Crew

With a massive animatronic head and a special suit, it's easy to think that an actor can't help but disappear among the various components that go into creating Neel, with voice work the main outlet to influence the character's nuances. However, "Star Wars: Skeleton Crew" creators Jon Watts and Chris Ford have confirmed that this is far from the truth, and Robert Timothy Smith proved to be a very important piece of the Neel puzzle. In an interview with StarWars.com, Watts described the actor's impact:

"Robert was the total wild card. We initially thought of Neel as this sweet, shy little blue elephant-like alien. But Robert always came at it at this other oblique angle. He's a comedian. He's always telling jokes and doing bits, and it's always really sweet. He's just trying to get a rise out of you or a laugh. And that allowed us to try some different, funnier performance options to let Neel be a little bit more neurotic and unique. Robert had all these gestures and physicality that you would never expect."

From the sound of it, a lot of work went into making Neel feel a very real part of the central group of kids instead of a random tagalong alien. It's great to hear that Smith was able to shape the character so much, and fans are able to see the end result when the first two episodes of "Star Wars: Skeleton Crew" premiere on Disney+ December 2, 2024, at 6 pm PST (with additional episodes dropping on Tuesdays at the same time thereafter).