Rise of Skywalkers VFX reel shows how Leia was brought back for the finale

Regardless of whether you agree with the decision to bring back the late Carrie Fisher to reprise her role as Leia in The Rise of Skywalker, at the very least it’s an impressive technical achievement. Now, a new visual effects (VFX) breakdown from Industrial Light & Magic has shed more light on the process, while also offering a peek behind the curtain at some of the movie’s other big set pieces such as Rey’s leap over Kylo’s TIE Silencer, or the film’s final space battle.

It’s particularly surprising to learn just how much of Fisher’s scenes were digital. While her face itself came from unused footage from The Force Awakens, her costume and hair were digitally created to give them a new appearance in the latest movie. Meanwhile, the...

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