STOP-MOTION VISIONS

3D World talks to director Magdalena Osinska about the making of the new Aardman Star Wars short film I Am Your Mother

Stop-motion has been a part of Star Wars storytelling since the original George Lucas movie was released in the summer of 1977. From the game board pieces aboard the Millennium Falcon to the realisation of the Tauntaun in The Empire Strikes Back; from the evil Empire’s machines in Return of the Jedi to the creatures of Endor in the Ewok TV movies The Ewok Adventure and The Battle for Endor, stopmotion has been showcased in a galaxy far, far away. This distinct storytelling style has been the perfect match for Aardman, and the studio’s new film I Am Your Mother is one of the nine new short films comprising the second series of Star Wars: Visions that launched in May 2023 on the Disney+ channel.

Aardman’s new film embraces the opportunity to be playful and whimsical and, in its short-film running time, packs in plentiful nods to Star Wars lore, while never losing focus on the core character drama of the film – which centres on a young Twi’lek pilot named Anni, who teams up with her clingy mother Kalina for a race. The characters for the episode were a collaborative design venture between Felicie Haymoz and Andy Janes.

Director Magdalena Osinska begins our conversation by explaining that “the opportunity came to Aardman and the brief was quite broad, simple and open. They [Lucasfilm] wanted Star Wars to meet Aardman. I was very excited about making it in stop-motion. Just imagining this Star Wars universe with these amazing sets, costumes, characters and creatures to be done in miniature [as stopmotion] was just a really exciting opportunity.”