The Mandalorian’s ice-spider chase revisited in new Side-by-Side video
A new Star Wars video revisits the Maldo Kreis chase, while production insights reveal how creature design, lighting and Frog Lady’s performance shaped the escape.
The short answer: A new Star Wars video revisits the Maldo Kreis chase, while production insights reveal how creature design, lighting and Frog Lady’s performance shaped the escape.
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A new Star Wars Side-by-Side video compares early footage with the finished ice-spider sequence from The Mandalorian. Published on 29 October 2026, it revisits the Maldo Kreis episode and shows how a crashed ship became the centre of a desperate escape.
The sequence is from Season 2’s “Chapter 10: The Passenger”. Din Djarin and Grogu are escorting Frog Lady when the Razor Crest crash-lands on a frozen planet. Giant ice spiders hunt the three travellers as they try to make their way back to the damaged ship.
Building a bigger threat
Image Engine’s production case study provides more detail on how the spiders were created. They grow progressively larger before the Mother emerges from a dark cave. Animation supervisor Jeremy Mesana says the creature’s design drew on Ralph McQuarrie’s unused work for The Empire Strikes Back.
Our job was to make the creature more unsettling and give it a realistic feel. Jeremy Mesana, animation supervisor, in Image Engine’s Season 2 case study
The cockpit glass helps build the sense of danger. Image Engine created the smaller spiders crawling across it, including silhouettes seen through the frost, while the Mother traps the Razor Crest against the cavern floor. The team also replaced some of the background ice with computer-generated surfaces, giving them control over the glow. Lighting could reveal the Mother’s face or keep her in silhouette, shaping how much of the threat viewers could see.
To make the escape feel continuous, the team combined footage from three sets, two of them filmed inside ILM’s virtual production LED volume. The characters move between those setups and a physical set dressed with snow columns. Digital replacements and additions helped maintain continuity as they raced from the caves back to the crash site.
Frog Lady’s physical performance
Frog Lady’s flight also involved a blend of practical and digital work. The character was mainly a costume and puppet, with digital features added in some shots and a fully digital double used in others. Image Engine matched the animation to footage of the performer in costume, retaining the movement restrictions of the suit. Even the simulated dress flaps across her face during the leaps, preserving a touch of physical awkwardness.
Misty Rosas, who played Frog Lady, discussed the preparation in a 2022 Blue Screen Reveals interview. She and visual effects artist Joe Bauer worked out how to shift from an upright run to frog-like jumps. Before leaping, Rosas gathered up the character’s long skirt, adding a small, natural gesture as the movement became distinctly amphibian.
Looking ahead took practice, too. Rosas said she could see through Frog Lady’s mouth and had to lower her chin to make the character appear to look straight ahead. In rehearsals, she used a point on Mando’s armour to orient herself; when the mouth closed, muscle memory helped her find it again.