Bantha

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A Tusken Raider riding a Bantha. This particular shot was filmed in a part of Death Valley named Desolation Canyon, which Star Wars fans call "Bantha Canyon".
A Tusken Raider riding a Bantha. This particular shot was filmed in a part of Death Valley named Desolation Canyon, which Star Wars fans call "Bantha Canyon".[1][2]

Banthas are fictional creatures in the Star Wars universe. They are large elephant-sized mounts, with long furry tails, that are native to the planet of Tatooine.[3]

The first official Star Wars fan publication, Bantha Tracks, which existed for 35 issues from 1978 to 1987, is named after the Bantha.[4]

The first Bantha to appear on-screen was in the original 1977 Star Wars. Computer-generated imagery was not used to create the creature. Rather, an elephant was dressed in a costume of fur and fake horns. This proved problematic for George Lucas during filming. The elephant was unaccustomed to heat, and during the filming of Tatooine scenes in Death Valley, California, its costume kept coming off.[5][6][7]

Lucas retained the original shots of the elephant, rather than replacing them with CGI, for the 1997 Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.[8]

The elephant was a female Asian Elephant from Marine World Africa USA, named Mardji. She appeared both in the movie and in television commercials (for Skippy Peanut Butter). In 1995, aged 44, she was euthanized because of an untreatable and painful bone condition in her front legs.[9]

[edit] External links

  • Bantha on Wookieepedia, a Wikia wiki
  • Joe Jankovic. Elephants in Space. The Star Wars Pages. — a picture of the actual Bantha mask worn by Mardji, on display in the 1970s/1980s
  • L. Mangue. Mardji the Elephant. Nerf-Herders-Anonymous. — behind the scenes pictures of Mardji, both in and out of costume

[edit] Further reading

  • Jason Freiert (1999). Visiting The Set – Desolation Canyon. Star Wars in Death Valley. — maps and coördinates for "Bantha Canyon", with comparisons between stills from the film, filmed in Spring 1976, and photographs of the canyon taken in October 2000

[edit] References

A Bantha puppet at New York's Village Halloween Parade
A Bantha puppet at New York's Village Halloween Parade
  1. ^ Harry Medved (2006). Hollywood Escapes: The Moviegoer's Guide to Exploring Southern California's Great Outdoors. St. Martin's Griffin, 144. ISBN 0312308566. 
  2. ^ Mark Weller (2007-05-30). Star Wars: Fun with Action Figures in Death Valley. TheWellers.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-01.
  3. ^ Jeanne Cavelos (1999). The Science of Star Wars. St. Martin's Press, 70. ISBN 0312209584. 
  4. ^ Jonathan L. Bowen (2005). Anticipation: The Real Life Story of Star Wars: Episode I-The Phantom Menace. iUniverse, 49. ISBN 0595347320. 
  5. ^ Dale Pollock (1983). Skywalking: The Life and Films of George Lucas. Harmony Books, 175. ISBN 0517546779. 
  6. ^ Dana White (2003). George Lucas. Twenty-First Century Books, 84. ISBN 0822549751. 
  7. ^ Peter Hartlaub. "It takes computer effects to make movie monsters — but elbow grease helps", San Francisco Chronicle, Hearst Communications Inc., 2004-05-05. 
  8. ^ Gary Arnold. "The Drama Behind Star Wars", World and I, News World Communications, Inc., 2005-01-01. 
  9. ^ ""Star Wars" Elephant Put To Death", Contra Costa Times, 1995-11-28, pp. A03. 
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