The Last Jedi: Creating the adorable Porgs based on necessity
We just can’t get enough of The Last Jedi’s new furry little creatures: Porgs! Here’s a look at how they were conceptualized by the film’s creative team.
Dubbed by many as the franchises’ new Ewoks, Porgs have taken the Star Wars galaxy by storm. The furry little puffin-like creatures from Star Wars: The Last Jedi make their nests on the island of Ahch-To where Luke Skywalker has been in self-imposed exile since the destruction of his Jedi Order.
The creation of these creatures occurred because the island of the southwest coast of Ireland that was used to shoot the Ahch-To scenes is actually a bird sanctuary and it is overrun with puffins.
In a short video done by Entertainment Tonight, they explore the fashioning of these adorable little bird-like creatures. After seeing these puffins all over the island, Rian Johnson felt like they should have something like these birds in the film.
As Mark Hamill says in this video:
"More from Dork Side of the ForceThe High Republic Adventures (2023) 1 reviewDaniel José Older named a High Republic Adventures character after someone specialHow animation changed Star Wars: Ewoks and DroidsKelleran Beq comes to Star Wars: Galaxy of HeroesThe Mandalorian’s Pedro Pascal becomes No. 1 on IMDb’s Starmeter for 2023“Rian dreamed up Porgs. Porgs are the new Puffins. What can I say?”"
During the process of creating these little guys, the Porgs took on many different shapes. In the video, the film’s Creature Concept Designer, Jake Lunt Davies, discusses the process that was used to get to what we now know as Porgs. What a cool job he has, dreaming up fantastical creatures in a galaxy far, far away!
It’s so refreshing to see the evolution of the sketches and how they eventually got to, as Davies refers to it, “an egg with wings and eyes.” I hadn’t thought about it like that before, but now that I’ve heard him say that I’ll probably always think of them like that.
It’s also mesmerizing to watch how the crew built the Porgs. It’s a mesmerizing process, and the Porgs look so lifelike!
Next: Lessons on mentorship in The Last Jedi
So, give the video a watch and let us know what creatures from Star Wars: The Last Jedi are your favorites, in the comments below!
Star Wars: The Last Jedi hits stores on Blu-“Rey” March 27.