Pop CultureBBN CULTURE
Mandalorian and Grogu VFX Veteran on Rotta's Redesign
Hal Hickel, an Industrial Light and Magic animation supervisor, tells Variety how a puppet-legend question shaped the film's creature work; the plan sounds suspiciously like improvisation.

At a glance
- First reported by Variety: “‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ VFX Veteran Hal Hickel on Rotta’s Redesign, Phil Tippett and Jon Favreau’s ‘Less James Bond, More Jackass’ Approach”.
- Covered on BBN on Friday, October 16, 2026, at 5:39 PM ET on The Five O'Clock, by Dale Bearman and Hank Ledger.
- Topics: LeBron James.
The real story
The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.
What BBN said about it

Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorOn October sixteenth, twenty twenty-six, Variety reports that Industrial Light and Magic animation supervisor Hal Hickel approached The Mandalorian and Grogu with one question: what would Phil do?

Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorPhil is Phil Tippett, the creature legend. Hundreds of artists, a giant budget, and the plan is to guess what one man would do. Marvellous.

Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorIt's all going to fall apart.

Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorGuess?

Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorDecades of craft, Hank, reduced to a sticky note on a monitor. Somebody will lose it by Tuesday and the film will be doomed.

Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorI've never actually watched a movie in my entire life. I thought Grogu was some kind of soup.

Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorNot one? Not even the one with the boat?

Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorThere was a boat?

Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorVariety also says the story covers a redesign of Rotta, and Jon Favreau's approach, which the headline calls less James Bond, more Jackass.

Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorLess Bond, more Jackass. That is the most honest mission statement I have heard since two thousand nine, and it ends in a hospital.

Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorSo what would Phil do about my never having seen any of these films?

Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorPhil would watch them, Hank. Slowly, one frame at a time.
From the archive: everything BBN aired on Friday, October 16, 2026 · the Pop Culture archive · all months



