In the latest episode of Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian, Dave Filoni tells an amazing story of where they got the X-Wing that was used to film sequences for The Mandalorian on Disney+.
The Mandalorian tells the story of a bounty hunter and his quest to protect The Child, dubbed by fans as Baby Yoda. Of course, there is much more to the series than just that, and a dedication to story and Star Wars authenticity drew fans in by the millions to watch what has become a flagship series for Disney+.
The Mandalorian was so popular that Disney+ put together a behind-the-scenes roundtable discussion amongst key players in the making of the series including Jon Favreau, Kathleen Kenedy, Dave Filoni, and others. In episode eight of Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian, the team discusses various props and connections that they used to give The Mandalorian the authentic Star Wars feel that so many have nearly universally praised.
As Filoni is talking about his role as an X-Wing pilot, he tells a fun story about how the crew got their hands on the actual X-Wing that sits in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios today!
Favreau and Filoni recall that they essentially hijacked the X-Wing as it was being ready to be shipped off to Orlando for installation ahead of the debut of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. They tell the story about how the X-Wing really wasn’t built out for film, but rather to withstand the test of time in the Florida climate. Weather-proofed and reinforced to stand the test of time, crews had to cut away reinforcements to make room for a cockpit seat.
Filoni talks about some of the adjustments they had to make as actors to work with a full-size X-Wing instead of one that would be built specifically for film. Typically, filmmakers would just build out what would be seen on screen, in this case the cockpit. Because they used the fully built X-Wing intended for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, the actors had to climb up a ladder into the cockpit to film their sequences for The Mandalorian. So, next time you’re in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, take a minute to check out the screen-used X-Wing from The Mandalorian!
Of course, this isn’t the first cool thing to involve an X-Wing at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Back when the land opened, Disney “flew” X-Wings over Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge for the first few days before retiring them.
For more on how Disney accomplished this effect, check out our behind-the-scenes look at Disney’s partnership with Boeing!
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com for the latest Disney Parks news and photos. We’ll continue to bring you news and photos, where possible, through the Disney Parks closure due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) and will resume our normal coverage once the parks reopen to guests on July 11th!