At a time when the entertainment world is filled with hyper-realistic digital effects and generic AI that can conjure anything out of thin air, Disney has placed one of its most important franchises on the shoulders of a small analog creation.

The knee-high space creature — known as Grogu, Baby Yoda or simply, as his human minders often call him, “The Baby” — is a main character in “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” the first Star Wars film to hit theaters in nearly seven years.

This character was the first to create a stir disney+ tv series More than six years ago. But if her recent red carpet haul is any indicator, the kid has staying power.

An animatronic puppet has been modeled after the real-life celebrity ahead of the film’s Friday debut, testing Grogu’s high-tech internal machinery and puppeteers who operate it out of sight with a remote control.

The promotional tour features Grogu the bot from a BBC interview, where he sat there wiggling pointy ears and winking from saucers at various premieres, including one in Japan, where he waved out of director Jon Favreau’s arm and grabbed a small umbrella that was handed to him.

On social media, it’s become a spectacle: There he is, presenting the look on the red carpet in an earth-tone tunic at a Hollywood premiere; There he is again, rejoicing over the gift of blue cookies, or “tasting” lemons in the cooking area with chef Jamie Oliver, Favreau, and co-star Pedro Pascal.

Pascal plays the second title character in the film, a helmeted bounty hunter (also played by multiple body doubles) who serves as Grogu’s protector and father figure. It’s a wild adventure that takes the duo from tight spot to spot, including a gladiator-style battle royale and a cavernous snake pit. Grogu shows growing mastery of the Force, even though his lineage as the child of the original Jedi sage Yoda remains mysterious and his language mostly obscure.

About 90% of the Grogu acting was created with puppetry technology, says John Noll, senior visual-effects supervisor at Lucasfilm’s Industrial Light & Magic, whose shop supplemented the other 10% with computer-generated imagery.

A studio called Legacy Effects handles the physical side of Grogu. For many of his scenes, two puppeteers manipulated rods controlling his body. In other scenarios, the team used remote-controlled puppets with gadgetry under the skin to make facial expressions and other subtle movements.

It was an evolution of the technologies used in the TV series that first introduced the world to Grogu.

In 2019, when “The Mandalorian” helped launch Disney+ streaming service, there is a race for it baby yoda merch For which Disney was not prepared. Now the company is hoping the stars can attract audiences beyond kids for the PG-13 release get a much needed win For the Star Wars franchise.

But something big is about to happen.

People first adopted Grogu as a novelty, the latest in a line of cute, evil critters going back to the Ewoks. Now the difference: They also seem to be promoting Grogu as a small but symbolic physical specimen – an achievement of human arts and crafts that stands out against a Tide of AI-generated content Many people consider it inauspicious.

Unlike the TV show, in which Grogu often traveled around in a floating vehicle, in the film he is set loose. He slides along a wall, climbs a rock, crosses drain pipes and leaps up and down from his favorite spot – behind the left shoulder of Din Djarin, aka the Mandalorian warrior.

Although, in the age of digital verisimilitude, it’s a bit odd to see a big-budget movie character running around like a Muppet, Favreau was adamant on showcasing the handiwork.

“We’re trying to highlight some of the fun adventures of movies from the ’80s and ’90s that used these techniques,” says Knoll. “Being aware of the subtlety is, to some extent, part of the charm, so we’re not trying desperately to hide that thing.”

Legacy Effects had half a dozen Grogu models for a variety of activities and settings. He designed one to get wet, allowing swimming in a swamp that alludes to “Apocalypse Now”.

The team spent a lot of time simulating the way physics worked on a miniature body with a grape-shaped head and three-fingered hands. Legacy Effects co-founder J. “Luckily he’s got his little tunic, so we don’t have to worry about his legs,” says Alan Scott.

There were 20 puppeteers on the set during the film’s four angel scenes, which swelled the crowd. At one point these little, grumbling, barking mechanics pile into a small space ship with Grogu and go on a side quest.

Knoll’s digital-effects team was tasked with erasing all visual evidence of the puppeteers, including shadows. Computer magicians also added activities that puppets could not do, such as eating. Grogu does this a lot, swallowing the scorpion and taking on the Star Wars version of popcorn.

Close-ups of Grogu tending to the injured Mando demanded surgical levels of control from Scott and his fellow puppeteers to elicit emotion. “In those quiet moments,” says Scott, “you really need to show care and love for each other.”

Even after the film was finished, puppetry techniques continued to improve. In March, Grogu came to the Oscars and told host Conan O’Brien that the happily waving puppet sitting next to actress Kate Hudson did not have the ability to applaud.

“Clap, Grogu, Clap!” O’Brien shouted.

“After that public dressing down, we made it our mission to make sure she could clap the next time,” says Scott.

Like any movie star, it’s hard to put a finger on Grogu’s appeal, even for those who created him.

“It’s not because he’s 14 versus 9 inches taller, or because he’s green or has longer ears,” says Scott. “He’s still kind of an enigma.”

Write to John Jurgenson john.jurgensen@wsj.com