Inside the London Animatronics Studio That Brings ‘Star Wars’ Characters to Life

Great Big Story visited Biomimic Studio in South London, where animatronics expert Gustav Hoegen brings life to iconic characters from Star Wars, as he has for the past thirty years. His roster includes Admiral Ackbar, Maz Kanata, Argus “Six Eyes” Panox, and the tiny Babu Frik.

Do you know where Star Wars most Fantastical creatures are born? Well a lot of its weirdest and most wonderful characters come to life in a South London workshop and Gustav Hogan is the man behind them…Gustav’s been making monsters for three decades and he’s taking a look back at his creations.

Hoegen explained that the franchise had enthralled him since he was a little kid.

I remember vividly my dad taking me to see Return of the Jedi in the Tuschinski Cinema in Amsterdam when I was six years old. That film sort of lit a spark in me. first of all, I was just in awe, overwhelmed ,and it made me extremely curious how they crafted these films how they can physically make something that realistic.

Here’s more of Hoegan’s work.

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.

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