![‘Ready or Not 2’ Cast Announce Includes Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Cronenberg! [Video]](https://bloody-disgusting.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/ready-or-not-movie-1024x591.png)
.png?format=1500w#)
.png?format=1500w#)
![Mouse Invades United Club at LaGuardia on the Eve of $1,400 Fee Hike [Roundup]](https://viewfromthewing.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/united-club-lga.jpg?#)
![Caught on Video: “He Busted Through!” Frontier Airlines Passenger Storms Closed Las Vegas Gate [Roundup]](https://viewfromthewing.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Screenshot-2025-04-20-140707.png?#)
![It’s Unfair to Pay 100% for 50% of a Seat—Why Airlines Must Start Refunding Customers When They Fail To Deliver [Roundup]](https://viewfromthewing.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/broken-american-airlines-seat.jpeg?#)
.jpg?#)
.jpg?#)
![[Podcast] Unlocking Innovation: How Play & Creativity Drive Success with Melissa Dinwiddie](https://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/melissa-dinwiddie-youtube.png)
Ahmed Best Helped ILM Craft Yoda’s Epic Duel in ATTACK OF THE CLONES; Inspired by Anime, Martial Arts, and the Tasmanian Devil
If there’s one scene in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones that caused every fan in the theater to cheer in excitement, it’s the moment Jedi Master Yoda ignites his lightsaber and goes full acrobatic fury against Count Dooku. It was unexpected, insane, and it was unlike anything we had seen from the character who once poked at Luke Skywalker with a stick. But what many fans don’t know is that this unforgettable lightsaber duel was born out of panic, improvisation, anime, martial arts movies… and a whole lot of help from Ahmed Best.Yes, the actor behind Jar Jar Binks helped crack one of the most pivotal action scenes in the Star Wars prequel trilogy.This story was revealed in Season 2 of the Lucasfilm docuseries Light & Magic, now streaming on Disney+. In one episode, Animation Supervisor Rob Coleman recalled how George Lucas handed him a script that casually described Yoda’s climactic duel as “a fight that defies description.” Naturally, Coleman had questions.So he went to Lucas and asked what the fight should actually look like, and Lucas laughed and told him: “Yeah, you gotta figure that out.”As for what Yoda’s fighting style should resemble, Lucas offered this bit of maddening insight: “Think of him as the Tasmanian Devil.”Then, when reviewing early test footage, Lucas gave even more colorful direction: “I would like him more like a frog. He would spring around. Big thighs. The illegitimate child of Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy.”Rob Coleman, understandably, was losing his mind.That’s when Ahmed Best noticed him looking stressed on set. Best asked what he was going to do with the Yoda fight. That’s when Best made an unexpected offer.A lifelong student of martial arts and a huge fan of anime and martial arts action cinema, Best invited Coleman to his home to help him visualize the sequence. There, he fired up a series of films and anime action sequences that changed everything. He showed Coleman films from Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and one film that stood out was Jet Li’s Swordsman II.Rob explained his thinking: “These ninjas, they start flying, and it just went ‘boop’, now I can see Yoda.” And that is the inspiration behind how that fight scene was created.With that spark, the team at ILM reimagined Yoda’s movements using the principles of classic martial arts cinema and stylized anime combat emphasizing speed, verticality, and unpredictability. It wasn't just about making Yoda fast or flashy; it was about translating a philosophical, wise Jedi into a kinetic, agile force of nature that could believably take on someone like Count Dooku.One of the key visual inspirations was Bruce Lee’s iconic fighting stance. Yoda channels that exact energy right before igniting his saber, a moment that sent shockwaves through audiences in theaters and it signaled that this wasn’t going to be your typical Jedi duel.In the end, what started as an concept with a vauge description of a duel that "defies description" became a standout moment in Star Wars history. It all happened because someone who was often the target of criticism (Best) stepped in behind the scenes and helped reshape one of the saga’s most surprising and most awesome sequences.That wild, glorious moment exists because George Lucas embraced chaos, ILM got creative, and Ahmed Best had the perfect film and anime collection.
If there’s one scene in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones that caused every fan in the theater to cheer in excitement, it’s the moment Jedi Master Yoda ignites his lightsaber and goes full acrobatic fury against Count Dooku.
It was unexpected, insane, and it was unlike anything we had seen from the character who once poked at Luke Skywalker with a stick. But what many fans don’t know is that this unforgettable lightsaber duel was born out of panic, improvisation, anime, martial arts movies… and a whole lot of help from Ahmed Best.
Yes, the actor behind Jar Jar Binks helped crack one of the most pivotal action scenes in the Star Wars prequel trilogy.
This story was revealed in Season 2 of the Lucasfilm docuseries Light & Magic, now streaming on Disney+. In one episode, Animation Supervisor Rob Coleman recalled how George Lucas handed him a script that casually described Yoda’s climactic duel as “a fight that defies description.” Naturally, Coleman had questions.
So he went to Lucas and asked what the fight should actually look like, and Lucas laughed and told him: “Yeah, you gotta figure that out.”
As for what Yoda’s fighting style should resemble, Lucas offered this bit of maddening insight: “Think of him as the Tasmanian Devil.”
Then, when reviewing early test footage, Lucas gave even more colorful direction: “I would like him more like a frog. He would spring around. Big thighs. The illegitimate child of Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy.”
Rob Coleman, understandably, was losing his mind.
That’s when Ahmed Best noticed him looking stressed on set. Best asked what he was going to do with the Yoda fight. That’s when Best made an unexpected offer.
A lifelong student of martial arts and a huge fan of anime and martial arts action cinema, Best invited Coleman to his home to help him visualize the sequence. There, he fired up a series of films and anime action sequences that changed everything.
He showed Coleman films from Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and one film that stood out was Jet Li’s Swordsman II.
Rob explained his thinking: “These ninjas, they start flying, and it just went ‘boop’, now I can see Yoda.” And that is the inspiration behind how that fight scene was created.
With that spark, the team at ILM reimagined Yoda’s movements using the principles of classic martial arts cinema and stylized anime combat emphasizing speed, verticality, and unpredictability.
It wasn't just about making Yoda fast or flashy; it was about translating a philosophical, wise Jedi into a kinetic, agile force of nature that could believably take on someone like Count Dooku.
One of the key visual inspirations was Bruce Lee’s iconic fighting stance. Yoda channels that exact energy right before igniting his saber, a moment that sent shockwaves through audiences in theaters and it signaled that this wasn’t going to be your typical Jedi duel.
In the end, what started as an concept with a vauge description of a duel that "defies description" became a standout moment in Star Wars history. It all happened because someone who was often the target of criticism (Best) stepped in behind the scenes and helped reshape one of the saga’s most surprising and most awesome sequences.
That wild, glorious moment exists because George Lucas embraced chaos, ILM got creative, and Ahmed Best had the perfect film and anime collection.
