Action Figure Videos

Action figures are used as puppets in Star Wars in 3 Minutes.

I've written about the phenomenon of "Action Figure Videos" before (previously posted examples include I'm A Marvel / I'm A DC, The Eyes of Darth Tater and The Eye of the Tiger), which I find really interesting because they're a form of found object puppetry, even if the people making these videos don't realize it.

Thanks to Robot Chicken making Action Figure videos isn't exactly ground-breaking stuff, but someone who was doing it long before Seth Green's crew was Probost Productions. They're probably best known for Star Wars in 3 Minutes , but they've also parodied Raiders of the Lost Ark, celebrities and Rankin/Bass. You can see all of their videos on YouTube.

Mark Hamill Talks Yoda

Mark Hamill reminisces about working with Yoda in this clip from the documentary Legends of Film and Fantasy.

Here is Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill, talking about the difficulties of working with small green animatronic puppets that have exceptionally high midi-chlorian counts. It's a five minute clip from an upcoming documentary called Legends of Film and Fantasy.

Hat tip to Monster Island News via Lost in Schlock.

Monday Morning Inspiration: Incredible Full-Scale Star Destroyer

Some seriously dedicated Star Wars fans have built an incredible full-scale Star Destroyer set for the fan film Tydirium.

This morning's inspiration was going to be an amazing 60,000-Piece Lego Star Wars Hoth Diorama (complete with LED lights!), but never mind that. Who wants a Star Wars diorama when you can build a full-scale Star Destroyer interior for yourself instead? This incredible set was built for a long-in-development German Star Wars fan film called Tydirium.

Links via Gizmodo and Fan Cinema Today.

The Emperor Strikes Back (at all who steal his dessert)

In the latest Ask Palpatine, the Emperor wants the rebels to stop stealing his pie.

Depending on your feelings towards/knowledge of Star Wars, you may or may not enjoy Ask Palpatine. If you fall in to the first category, check out its latest wonderfully surreal episode.

Ask The Emperor

Ask Palpatine is a new Star Wars-themed puppet podcast from Hoggworks.

From the such-a-good-idea-you-wish-you'd-thought-of-it-first file comes Ask Palpatine from Hoggworks (let's hope no one tells the Ninja...he seems like a testy sort of fellow).

Two Puppets, Darth Vader and a Toaster

Darth Vader + Puppets = one crazy commercial.

This has got to be one of the most surreal (and cute) puppet commercials I've ever seen...two puppets help Darth Vader get a toaster. It's one of a series of commercials in the UK for Woolworth's featuring their mascots Wooly and Worth. The puppets in the ad were built and performed by the talented crew at Darryl Worbey Studios.

For more Wooly and Worth ads try searching YouTube.

Monday Morning Inspiration: Bubo Fett

"Bubo Fett" is a design by artist Ben Balistreri.

Simple, clever and don't try to tell me that this design wouldn't make a great puppet (click here for the full-size uncropped version).

From Ben Balistreri's Blog.

Star Wars: The Eyes of Darth Tater

"Rise Lord Tater, Rise!"

The annual Star Wars Fan Movie Challenge Awards were handed out last night. I think my favourite award winner is The Eyes of Darth Tater, a clever fan film that combines puppetry and animation to re-enact the finale scenes of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith using Mr. Potato Head figures.

For more fun with Star Wars toys check out the stop-motion short Incident at Toshi Station. You can see all of the Star Wars Fan Movie Challange Award winners and nominees on Atom Films.

30/5/07 Update: The Official Star Wars Blog has an interview with Eyes of Darth Tater director Lee Vehe.

Star Wars with Hands

Who needs special effects when you can do Star Wars with a few pairs of hands?

Just as the title suggests, Star Wars as performed by hands. No idea who did this, but it looks kind of old.

Via Puppet U.