The Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian

The Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian #1

by Phil Szostak, Doug Chiang (Foreword)

The Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian takes fans behind-the-scenes of the Emmy® Award-nominated Disney+ live-action series. Filled with concept art, sketches, and interviews with key crew and creatives, including executive producer/showrunner/writer Jon Favreau (Iron Man, The Lion King) and executive producer/director Dave Filoni (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars: Rebels), The Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian will provide readers with an exclusive and definitive look at a whole new universe of Star Wars characters, locations, and vehicles.

The Mandalorian follows the adventures of galactic gunslinger Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and the Child (affectionately nick-named "Baby Yoda" by fans) as they traverse the outer systems of the galaxy and form unlikely partnerships with a ragtag group of mercenaries and outsiders – including Alliance shock trooper Cara Dune (Gina Carano), Ugnaught scavenger Kuil (Nick Nolte), and reprogrammed bounty droid IG-11 (Taika Waititi) as they're put on a collision course with the villainous Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito). In The Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian, readers will encounter early visual and conceptual ideas for these new characters and unexplored frontiers filled with crime syndicates, bounty hunters, and smugglers.

Led by executive creative director Doug Chiang (Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story), the incomparable group of artists, designers, and dreamers known as the Lucasfilm art department "visualists" came together on this years-in-the-making Disney+ series to develop fresh takes on the iconic visual language of Star Wars. The Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian is the only book to explore the artistic vision for this groundbreaking series, taking readers on a deep dive into the development of ineredible new worlds. Exclusive interviews with the filmmakers and the Lucasfilm visualists provide a running commentary on The Mandalorian's innovative art and design, revealing the inspiration behind the look and feel of the series.

Genres: Star Wars, Art, Nonfiction, Film, Reference, Media Tie In, Tv

256 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2020

Reviews

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

“These stories were something that I had been working on for a long time. I didn’t know it would be for television. But I loved the idea of doing a story [after the fall of the Empire in Return of the Jedi.” Jon Favreau

This book will appeal to three, possibly overlapping, sets of people: fans of Stars Wars, those who have noticed and liked the art displayed with the closing credits of The Mandalorian television series, and those curious about the creation prop and set designs. All three should be satisfied with one caveat: the text font is so tiny and thin it impedes reading the text. So what, you say, this is about the art. Well, yes, but the text deserved better treatment.

“While flipping through these pages I am transported back in time, not just to 2018 but all the way back to 1977. We’ve honored George Lucas’s design philosophy in order to realize Jon Favreau’s bold new vision.” Doug Chiang, executive creative director

The book follows the creative process tracing The Mandalorian back to its roots in spaghetti westerns, samurai classics, and Boba Fett and IG-11. The artifacts spring from World War Two and Gulf War aircraft, ancient firearms, and assorted machine parts. The evolution of the title character’s armor and the Yoda child are especially interesting.

“Our ambitions can make the Force into something terrible even when our intentions might have been good. The Mandalorian has a choice: do his job … or take this lost child in and protect it, become it’s guardian.” Dave Filoni

[Kobi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read for anyone who watched The Mandalorian and admired anything about the production of the show. I was able to learn so much about the thought that went into costume and set design and everything to do with creative choices made by the directors, writers and producers in creating the first season. If you liked the show before reading this, you'll be in awe of it afterwards.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

I watch each episode's credits for the music and the concept art so it's great that we can see an entire book of the art. Definitely worth checking out.

[Lena's Version · Rating 4 out of 5]

Visualmente un compendio maravilloso de la 1ª temporada, que muestra capítulo a capítulo el arte y los concept que llevaron a la creación de los personajes y las escenas.
Gran formato, centenares de ilustraciones e interesantes explicaciones sobre el modo de trabajo creativo. Por ponerle un pero, algunas ilustraciones se ven demasiado oscuras para pararse a apreciar sus detalles bien.

[Andreas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not really a book, more a collection of images. As a big fan of Star Wars, and of course The Mandalorian, it was really cool to get to partake in the process behind the shows creation.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of beautiful concept art from season one of The Mandalorian, featuring buildings, vehicles, characters, creatures, droids, and planets. I appreciated how large many of the images are. There are brief explanations and behind-the-scenes details on the artistic side of the movie-making process. It explains sources of inspiration from inside and outside the Star Wars universe. I love how much they drew on the rest of Star Wars, especially the Original Trilogy and Rogue One. There's a lot about the thought process behind the designs. This book doesn't really add details to the stories; it's just about the art.

Notes

… a disastrous initial encounter with the Jedi pushed ancient Mandalorian warriors to develop new technology, specifically the type of gadget-filled armor Boba Fett wears in The Empire Strikes Back, to neutralize the Jedi's paranormal powers. Thus, decades of devastating conflict between the Jedi and Mandalorians began. But one Mandalorian warrior, Tarre Vizsla, ancestor to Pre Vizsla's clan, broke off from his brethren, joining the Jedi Order and forging a unique, black-bladed lightsaber known as the Darksaber. Ultimately, Mandalorians emerged as the third superpower in the Star Wars galaxy, alongside the Jedi and Sith.

[szara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this peek into the creative processes of the production of the show. Both the concept arts and comments from creators were interesting and well arranged into a whole experience of this book. The fawning over corporations was to be expected so I just took it in stride and enjoyed the rest. Highly recommend for Mandalorian fans who also like 'behind the scenes' content.

[ahrya · Rating 5 out of 5]

a great read for anyone who is interested in the art and design choices of how the mandalorian came to be.

[Maggie Lovitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

With the second season of The Mandalorian inching past its midway point, the release of The Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian (Season One) tie-in book is perfectly timed. The Art of Star Wars books always provide a rare opportunity to look behind the scenes at the developmental processes involved with creating Star Wars and Abrams Books’ newest release is a must-have. READ THE FULL REVIEW AT YOUR MONEY GEEK: https://yourmoneygeek.com/review-the-...

The book opens with a compelling foreword by Doug Chiang, Lucasfilm’s executive creative director, discussing his work on The Mandalorian and how Jon Favreau’s pitch for the series made him smile. His sentiments about the series are a glowing reflection of his fifteen years of involvement in designing for the Star Wars universe. If there were any doubts in the minds of viewers — The Mandalorian is made by fans of the franchise. 

From there The Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian is written by Phil Szostak, who goes through the inception of the series, the pitch, and the creatives that bring it to life, burying tidbits of information among full spreads of gorgeous illustrations and concept art. He delves into the creative processes of both Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni, as well as the way in which the art informed the tone and style of the show. 

The book features insightful quotes from Favreau, the executive producer, showrunner, and writer, as well as Filoni, executive producer and director for The Mandalorian. Their passion and love for the franchise is apparent in what they have been able to create with the first-ever live-action Star Wars television series. Some are cheeky little comments that are sure to amuse fans of the creators and their past work. 

Through the course of the 250-page book, Szostak takes readers through each episode. He starts each new chapter with several paragraphs of background information; discussing the characters and creatures introduced during the episode, and he even includes details about when each episode was filmed. One of the most interesting details revealed in these sections was that the series shot episodes out of order. In fact, Chapter 5: The Gunslinger, was the last episode filmed during the production of the first season of The Mandalorian. These are the kind of details that Star Wars fans love to find out. 

Each illustration, sketch, storyboards, and sculpt is paired with detailed captions with quotes from the artists, reasons behind why specific versions were chosen, and details about their creation. Fans of “Baby Yoda” will enjoy seeing early concept art for the Child — some of which are downright terrifying, while others include top knots and adorable baby feet.

For those who follow Szostak on Twitter, some of the concept art will be familiar, but having all of it bound into one collection is truly remarkable. The Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian is page-after-page of jaw-dropping art, some of which is so detailed you will find yourself wondering if you’re staring at a still from the series. Be sure to flip through every page — including the acknowledgments! You won't want to miss out on any of the art in this book. 

Don’t miss out on never-before-seen concept art that brings the magic of The Mandalorian to life. Pick up your copy of Abrams Books’ The Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian on December 1st. 

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian (Season 1), by Phil Szostak is, what else - a book containing concept art from Star Wars: The Mandalorian, Season One. I have a fond memory of playing Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, a series of video games on the PC/Xbox in the early 2000's, and of course watching an rewatching the Star Wars films. I grew up when the prequel trilogy was being released, and have a healthy enjoyment of these films that is steeped in nostalgia. As an older adolescent, this series sparked my continued passion for Science Fiction, space, and municipal spirit. Odd, that last one, but the amazing cities, the villages living on strange worlds, and in strange environments, and so forth, are so interesting to me, and speak to a yearning for new places and exploration. As an adult and film lover, I have begun to respect Star Wars for what is was really meant to be; a science fiction based off of Westerns, with desert gun battles, a way of life under threat, and the constant exploration of marginal spaces.

This book was contains art from the new Star Wars television series. I have yet to view this show myself, but nevertheless, I continue to enjoy concept art from the Star Wars series. It is science fiction that still speaks to me to this day. The art work is quite well done, showing off the concepts of different looks, objects and places within the Star Wars universe. An enjoyable read for Star Wars fans, and for fans of science fiction concept art as well.

[Sebastian Zavala · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's no secret that 'The Mandalorian' is the best thing Disney has done with Star Wars; it captivated both long-time fans and casual ones, and it inserted Grogu (or Baby Yoda) into popular culture. It's a very solid show, and 'The Art of The Mandalorian' shows us why.

It is fascinating to see the creative process that went behind the making of the first season; the concept art and the interviews with Jon Favreau and Fave Filoni and all the artists. But also the thinking behind all creative and storytelling decisions, as well as the blending of aesthetics from many different eras of the saga. And it's also VERY satisfying to read about how supportive Kathleen Kennedy was, both towards Filoni as a first-time live-action director, and Favreau as showrunner and someone who was pushing new technology for the show. It won't change the minds of her haters, but still!

Anyway, 'The Art of the Mandalorian' is an amazing book, a must-buy for all fans of the show. Hope they manage to release one for the second season too!

[Einar Jensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love (most of) The Art of Star Wars series because the books aren’t only about the storyboard paintings and sketches. They also share stories of the creative process and, in the case of The Mandolorian, many of the links to other genres, tropes, and influences. The Madalorian is another Star Wars western, and it’s so much more. Some of its imagery’s roots include Frankenstein, Christian pietras, Taxi (the tv show), Frank Frazetta’s illustrations, samurai movies, and, of course, other Star Wars movies and shows. I look forward to watching the series again with these new clues for finding meaning. As a Star Wars and painting aficionado, I found this book worthy of top marks.

[Rachael Kosinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really insightful! I love learning about what influences go into visual media, and it was also palpable how enthusiastic and how much everyone loved the source material and characters. Very fun to read.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great trip through the season in art and concepts. There are some very talented people that work on Star Wars.

[Amheliie Amheliie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sympa mais j'aurais aimé plus de détails sur le duo guest

[abbey · Rating 4 out of 5]

dearest dave filoni, jon favreau, doug chiang, and christian alzmann: if I ever have the opportunity to eat your brains out of your skulls like soup I will take it without question. be warned.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though the book was large and heavy, the print was small and hard for my old eyes to read.

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mando my beloved

[KJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

*4.5?

After finally jumping aboard the Mandalorian train about 2 years late I was instantly obsessed and how could I not be? It has so many different story telling and character themes that I live and adore so much and as a causal "I grew up with Star Wars and like it well enough" kind of fan I was almost surprised that I loved it as much as I do, making me want to go back and appreciate the original and new movies as much as fans do.

While binging the episodes one thing that stood out to me the most was the use of concept art in the credits. One form of art I absolutely adore is concept art and the pieces that were shown were stunning and I knew I had to read the art book (I love that they did one for each season too) and it was just as interesting as I thought it would be.

I love the dynamic lighting and camera angles and so much expression through posing and character design. Learning about the inspiration for the story and characters being more of like western and samurai types was so cool and obvious if you think about it and even though I don't naturally gravitate to those kind of stories the themes and essence of those stories is so universal and especially the gunsliger type character, a lone wolf type, especially helping the innocent. My type of jam.

This really makes me want to go back and re-watch the show haha. Interesting insight and amazing artworks... what more yoy could ask for?

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's hard for Star Wars development art to disappoint... but Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian comes close. There are a few pieces that resemble Ralph McQuarrie's iconic concept art, but much of the artwork shown here is digitally produced and, when presented in a coffee-table size book, looks awkwardly blown up and Photoshopped. It's not exactly imagination fuel.

Also, and this is less of a knock on the artists, the artwork generally resembles exactly what you see in the show. This isn't concept art so much as storyboarding. Again, I want that McQuarrie stuff, the wild and out there art that's purely speculative.

In the book's favor, the behind-the-scenes comments from the artists were generally interesting and provided some of the "here's an idea that we didn't use" content I was looking for. The book is divided into chapters based on each of season one's episodes. Each episode gets an introduction, though the intro text is largely similar, explaining when and where the episode was filmed, alongside appreciative comments from the creators. Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian isn't really the book to read to dream about what The Mandalorian could have been - it's the book to read to get a somewhat bland understanding of what it is.

[Isaac · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me encantan estos libros de arte conceptual y he comenzado a crear una pequeña colección en casa (como podrán notar en mi lista de libros) y es por eso que escogí este libro de la nueva serie del universo de Star Wars "The Mandalorian"


Fue increible ver como fueron evolucionado los conceptos para la serie entre naves, planetas nuevos, droides y los personajes. En especial el titular Mandalorian y el Bebé Grogu, te inspira a crear cosas nuevas al ver el trabajo de artistas de este calibre



Estoy emocionado por ver que más nos trae esta genial serie del universo de Star Wars. Espero pronto poder conseguir los siguientes libros a medida que salgan las temporadas

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book, one almost feels as though creative discovery is demonstrated, step by step. I don't think I've ever fully appreciated the role concept art plays in developing a science fiction film. I especially appreciate all the rejected designs that are included here. There is no guarantee that creators will hit a home run.

If you search for "mandalorian hovering pram sketch," the first image that appears (on lined paper) seems to have been an early design that unlocked a lot of what the show would become.

I also loved the Razor Crest development story.

I'm not a huge fan of westerns beyond The Good the Bad and the Ugly. But that genre's trademark images--such as a bounty hunter entering the door of some decrepit dive bar or of a traveller making his way head down along a dangerous alley--really seem to pack dramatic tension. I also love the secret Mandalorian sewer tunnels.

My final note is that I would never have borrowed this book from the library if the TV series didn't end each episode with slides of the concept art as the closing credits run.

[RumBelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these The Art of... Star Wars books because they provide such interesting insight into the creation of the movies and series. You get to see how so many beloved characters, places and locales come to fruition, through many different stages of development.

My two favorite characters to see develop were the Armorer, the Mandalorian and the Child. The different versions of Grogu, in particular, were so cute. Some were very strange, but all had elements of what he would eventually be. The same was true with Mando and the Armorer. Seeing the stages their outfits, ships and other related props went through before a final decisions was made was really interesting.

The level of the art itself, and the noted the designers had, was extraordinary. So much time and thought was put into this show, and seeing a small glimpse of that was fascinating.

A great book for Star Wars, or television fans.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun art book showing mostly concept art, with a few models and story boards. There's also some behind the scenes notes from various people involved in the production of the show. Mostly the artists, but also some from others.

The only mild complaint I have is that modern special effects allow the creators to basically go straight from the concept to the screen without much in the way of changes. Part of the fun with looking at old Ralph McQuarrie art is seeing how it differed from the final product. This is mitigated somewhat by the book showing various iterations of some designs.

Overall worth the read, and it makes me a bit sad that we'll likely see fewer of these kinds of books in the immediate future, until producers figure out that AI prompts aren't a substitute for collaborating with concept artists.

[C · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this collection, as I have all of the art of star wars books. Some great behind the scenes info combined with some fantastic art (Particularly glad to have Chiang working on this series as I just adore his work...)

One thing that I found intriguing (and they touched on it in the book) is there is a lot less art that looks drastically different than what the episodes ended up looking like. It definitely looks like the design phase for this first season was streamlined and effective. I do sort of miss the "what if" element of that art that didn't make it in but still enjoyed the book immensely.

[Stephen Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite possibly the best of the "Art of..." books so far.

Not only did I like the forward, I liked all of the text and found it interesting and relevant. I also liked the thorough/detailed captioning.

The art quality is great and the breadth of what they included was very good. There were a couple of areas where I'd have liked to see more, but maybe they showed everything they have (I don't know if Esposito was envisioned as the Big Bad from the get-go, for instance...). But if you like concept art and seeing the progression from idea to on-screen, you should like this.

My one quibble is that the quality of the paper felt a little inferior to what they've used in prior Star Wars "Art of" books. It's not bad/flimsy, but just didn't feel quite as robust to me.

[Trike · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s an oversized collection of art from the best Star Wars production since Rebels, so yeah, it’s good.

I do wish they had included more ship designs and less stuff like the lava sewers. A couple pages of lava sewer is fine, thank you. No need for seven. There is one tiny picture of an alternate version of the ship from the prison escape episode that is as cool as anything in any Star Wars movie, but it’s just off to the side and too dark to make out detail. I’d much rather have a chapter on that stuff, to be frank.

But overall this is an excellent collection, with good behind the scenes info. The type is ludicrously tiny, though.

[merlin513 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful addition to any collection of ‘the art of’ books. Printed on a nice heavy stock & the same dimensions as the previous ‘Star Wars art of books’ excepting of course the originals from the 70’s & 80’s which are more of a rectangular book format.

Lots & lots of behind the scenes artwork & the thinking of the crew about tying ‘The Mandalorian’ into the existing universe post ‘Return of the Jedi’ ( I don’t remember blurgs being in the Ewok special?) Cool factoid!

Can’t wait to get my hands on an art book for Season 2!!!

[Haley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great!! One of my favorite parts of the series is seeing the amazing concept art at the end of each episode, so it was a no-brainer for me to get this book. I loved seeing the character design evolve from version 1 to the final design we see in the series. It was fascinating to read about the movies and stories that inspired The Mandalorian, and how much they deferred to the original trilogy for the way the series was going to look.
If you love The Mandalorian, this book is for you!!!

"This is the way."

[Sean Loone · Rating 5 out of 5]

For anyone interested in The Mandalorian this is a great addition to your library. The illustrations are excellent with everything you could possibly want to know about behind the scenes. A really enjoyable journey through all things Star Wars with breathtaking images all the way through. Not a book I bought for the text though it is interesting. All said I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Not cheap but if you shop around there are bargains to be found. Only available in hard back but to be honest that makes it even more attractive.