20 Things You Somehow Missed In Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
19. An Elephant Was Used For Those Wampa Wails
Throwing poor ol' Luke into a pretty rough spot right out the gate, Episode V sees the Rebel hero being imprisoned by a fierce, Abominable Snowman-like being known as a Wampa.
Viciously taking down Skywalker's Tauntaun before dragging his knocked-out body back to his icy lair, the unsettling shrieks this mountain of white terror unleashed weren't actually as alien as the monster itself.
According to masterful sound designer Ben Burtt, a combination of a lion eating a cow's head, elephants erupting, and a squawking sea lion all helped bring to life the startling wails of the fearsome beast at various points in its showing.
That aforementioned great cat chomping down on some beef is very hard to unhear once you catch it during the wampa's feasting session in its cave.