Phantom menace yoda, why did they change him?

[frosty]

I thought i'd start a thread on the prequal yoda, what are your feelings on it? me, i thought it was awful, why change it? why use silicone, i think the most shocking thing i found was that Nick dudman had access to the original moulds for yoda from the ranch, and yet they still redone him from scratch, why not do a clay press out of those moulds, slightly change the look if they had to, then remake the puppet we all knew and loved.
Look at how many people have sculpted classic yoda on here, he's been done and redone, i myself sculpted the new version as a commision, but i haven't seen many other versions of the new yoda.
Its been years now, but still that has to be the most jarring thing for me from the phantom menace, have the years softened it for everyone else?.
i've heard rumblings that it'll be replaced with cg yoda for the 3d release, i'm glad if it happens

 

[Monteburns]

To me the only true Yoda is the Empire version.

The prequel Yoda design has always been a disappointment.:sick

 

[frosty]

I agree, i just thought it was interesting with all the recent builds and topics of classic yoda.
So were is the PM puppet now, in a box at the ranch? or is it out on one of the exhibitions

 

[Hellclaw 01]

My guess is that they wanted a slightly younger looking Yoda. I think they failed miserably though. Weren't they supposed to replace the E1 puppet with the AOTC CG version in the next release of the film?

 

[micdavis]

I always wonder what happened with that, it is just so bad.

I prefer the final digital Yoda over the muppets in ESB. Face it folks he still looks like a muppet, if you're not 12 years old.

Although I do not want to see them do that to ESB at all.

 

[Etewaf]

I think PM Yoda looked a bit botoxed.

Yeah, I agree, they were probably trying to go younger, but, is 30 some years that big of a gap for someone who has been alive 800+ years? It was too much. His ridges were so defined and deep, and he seemed to display only one expression throughout the movie. It always struck me as strange. The ESB Yoda's face seemed to emote much, much more. As most will say, I definitely prefer ESB Yoda

 

[Jedi2016]

My guess is that they wanted a slightly younger looking Yoda. I think they failed miserably though.

That's exactly what it was.

What I never understood was the idea that he was supposed to look "younger" at all. In ESB/ROTJ, he was around 900 years old. That means he would be, what.. 860-870 in the prequels? Come on, how much is he really going to change there? That's like one of us aging six months, there's no discernible change at all.

As for CG Yoda, there is a quick snapshot of CG Yoda in TPM, which we assume will be part of the upcoming Blu-ray and 3D releases, but there's been no confirmation that I'm aware of.

 

[frosty]

I for one couldn't disagree more, the look and the performance really sold the character, it was a chore to get him on screen, but worth it in the end
edit
whoops, that was for micdavis

 

[frosty]

I think it was maybe an ego thing, putting your own stamp on a character is really tempting i suppose, but they went to far

 

[thegreatgalling]

EDIT:

Here are some pics that I think really capture the differences:

I actually loved the ROTS Yoda. While ESB will always define the character to me, I think they succeeded in making him much more expressive, gave him some pep, but stayed true to the character.

I think the PM Yoda was a simple case of bad execution. I think they really wanted to show Yoda youngER and probably figured the general public would be confused if he looked identical to the films without aging. Despite the obvious plot hole, they went ahead with it anyway.
The problem was to do this, they seemingly changed his bone structure which makes no sense, aged him by 500 or so years, and even changed his color.

 

[PantheraGem]

Apparently, 30 years before ESB, Yoda was a crack addict. Must have been an intervention before AotC.

I really hope we get the Yoda from AotC and RotS for the Bluray release. I thought it worked pretty well.

 

[James Kenobi 1138]

As for CG Yoda, there is a quick snapshot of CG Yoda in TPM, which we assume will be part of the upcoming Blu-ray and 3D releases, but there's been no confirmation that I'm aware of.

That scene is explained in one of the extra DVDs in a video-doc by the head of ILM digital dept. He said that was a test done just after TPM to show Lucas it could be done, and ultimately won ILM the job of digital Yoda in AOTC and ROTS.

 

[cayman shen]

TPM Yoda was a cool looking example of Yoda's species, but not Yoda...his jaw is so square and defined, almost heroic. He doesn't even seem to have the same skull structure as OT Yoda. In 30 years, did his jaw morph somehow? Was is swamprot? Bleeeeccchh. I can live with the AOTC/ROTS Yoda. I'll flip if they replace him in ESB however.

 

[Jm419]

As far as I'm concerned, they can replace him in ESB if they take that music video out of ROTJ... I just about threw up watching that today...

 

[Alan Castillo]

I prefer the final digital Yoda over the muppets in ESB.

I so agree with this :thumbsup

I will never forget the adrenaline rush, open mouth, and ear to ear smile on my face when I saw the little fellow do his fight scene like a fit 18-year-old. To me, that really defined the character.

Would have been almost impossible to do with the puppet.

Priceless

 

[Hirohawa]

I so agree with this :thumbsup

I will never forget the adrenaline rush, open mouth, and ear to ear smile on my face when I saw the little fellow do his fight scene like a fit 18-year-old. To me, that really defined the character.

Would have been almost impossible to do with the puppet.

Priceless

It's funny. That almost ruined the character for me seeing him jumping around like a looney tunes character was really ridiculous.

Yoda to me is defined by pulling the X Wing out of the swamp on Degobah after he poetically explains the Force to Luke and it's limitless possibilities.

That scene shows the real power of the force more than being the Tazmanian Devil with a lightsaber.

And yes TPM Yoda looked like crap.

 

[Alan Castillo]

That's the beauty of this earth.

Diversity

 

[frosty]

Great comparison pics, the digial yoda looks fine, basically the same as the OT, i'd have to watch it again, but i'm sure in the AOTC dvd extra's, even george himself says they went to far with the PM puppet.
I'm guessing he's in the ranch on the reject shelf, along with chewbacca's kid lumpy, lol

 

[Apollo]

My feelings exactly.

I will go even one more in that the Prequels don't even exist in my book. :unsure

To me the only true Yoda is the Empire version.

The prequel Yoda design has always been a disappointment.:sick

 

[defyitall]

I believe in the Making of Episode III book (or somewhere like that) it mentions that Rob Coleman had his animators bone up on animating Yoda by replacing him in TPM scenes. It was during the lull of principle photography when his animation department didn't have much to do. Not sure how many scenes they did or what but I think that statement always lead people to think they might replace the puppet in Episode I.