Bantha

Bantha
Star Wars character
A Tusken Raider riding a bantha on Tatooine in a scene from Star Wars (1977)
First appearanceStar Wars (1977)
Created byGeorge Lucas
Portrayed byMardji (elephant)
In-universe information
Habitats

Banthas are fictional creatures in the Star Wars franchise. They are large, quadrupedal mammals with long, thick fur, and are first seen in the film Star Wars (1977), where they are used as beasts of burden by Tusken Raiders on the planet Tatooine.[1][2][3] They have since been featured in several other Star Wars works, including the Special Edition version of Return of the Jedi (1983), the prequel films The Phantom Menace (1999) and Attack of the Clones (2002), and the television shows Star Wars: The Clone Wars, The Mandalorian, and The Book of Boba Fett, as well as video games and books.

One of the first creatures introduced in the Star Wars franchise, banthas were created by George Lucas, who was inspired in part by creatures called Banths in John Carter of Mars. Ralph McQuarrie designed the concept art for the banthas, with original sketches depicting them as horse-like creatures before they were changed to be elephant-sized. Art director Leon Erickson led the creation of the bantha costume for Star Wars, the base of which was an elephant saddle with palm fronds and yak hair to create a shaggy coat, as well as a head mask molded from chicken wire, curved horns made from ventilation tubing, and a tail crafted from wood covered with thick thistles.

The bantha's moan was created by sound designer Ben Burtt, who slowed down a bear sound originally collected to help create the voice of the Wookiee character Chewbacca. The banthas in Star Wars were portrayed by a female Asian elephant named Mardji, who was provided by the Marine World Africa USA amusement park. Her scenes were filmed in Death Valley National Park in California, and Mardji kept shrugging the heavy costume off her body during filming due to the intense heat.

The elephant's gait served as the model for the movement of AT-AT walkers in The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and banthas also inspired the creation of the luggabeast creature in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) and the Corellian hounds in Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018). Banthas that have appeared in subsequent Star Wars films and shows were digital creations modeled after the creature from Star Wars. The bantha shares characteristics with several real-life animals, including bighorn sheep, muskoxen, woolly mammoths, and domestic yaks, and its use of fur to help insulate itself from excess heat is a trait shared by such animals as the antelope, camel, and jerboa. The bantha has been described as a favorite among fans, as well as the cast and crew of the films; Anthony Daniels, the actor who portrayed C-3PO, called it "one of the best things in the movie".[4][5]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference HSW was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Chua, Jasmin Malik (May 26, 2017). "Chewbacca to Jabba the Hutt: 10 Real 'Star Wars' Beasts in the Animal Kingdom". Live Science. Archived from the original on December 18, 2019. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
  3. ^ Hennon, Blake (December 1, 2015). "Is it Wookie or Wookiee? The Times' definitive 'Star Wars' style guide". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 27, 2019. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference DeLange0923 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Rinzler266 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).