When thefirst trailerforStar Wars: The Force Awakensarrived in November 2014, fans got their first look at the beloved ball droid BB-8, whose bizarre mechanics had many convinced that this was a character completely created through CGI. DirectorJ.J. Abramssurprised everyone at Star Wars Celebration in April by revealing that BB-8 was a practical creation. As it turns out, there is another aspect of the hit movie that fans thought was a digital effect, but turned out to be real: the “instant bread” that Rey eats on Jakku.
Early on inStar Wars: The Force Awakens, Rey is seen onJakku, where she trades in spare parts for food “portions.” Part of these portions was self-rising instant bread dubbed “polystarch” which many fans found quite intriguing.MTV Newsrecently caught up with special effects supervisor Chris Corbould, who confirmed that this bread was actually a practical effect.
“Surprisingly that was done practically, although so many people have said to me, ‘we thought that was a digital effect!’ You wouldn’t believe how long it took to actually perfect that one, that little tiny gag in the film. It started off with the mechanics of getting the bread to rise and the liquid to disappear, but then there was the ongoing problem of what color should the bread be? What consistency should it be? Should it have cracks in it? Should it not have cracks in it? It took about three months. The actual mechanics of it was fairly simple, but the actual cosmetic side took a lot longer.”
According to theStar Warsvisual dictionary, the bread is part of a dehydration ration pack scavenged from Republic and Imperial military supplies. The idea for this bread came from directorJ.J. Abramshimself, but Chris Corbould added that the bread isn’t actually edible, adding that it tasted terrible. Still, the fact that this effect was achieved practically is just one of the few things that’s so admirable aboutStar Wars: The Force Awakens.
Star Wars: The Force Awakensis most certainly abox officebehemoth, but it is also driving sales of various merchandise items as well. It isn’t known if there are any plans to actually manufacture an edible version of this self-rising bread, but seeing how this simple item has captivated fans, it wouldn’t be surprising. Would you shell out your hard-earned dollars to purchase self-rising bread fromStar Wars: The Force Awakens? Chime in with your thoughts below, and take a look at a photo of the bread below.
