Almost every space based series has a stab at shape-shifting (Star Trek, Space 1999 etc).

ILM invented morphing to pull off the plot device in Willow.

Almost always it's a beautiful woman turning into an animal.

The logical story place for the idea is Palpatine.

In the PT he is a friendly looking human politician and in ESB he is a prune faced, possibly alien thing with chimp eyes.

It seems they ditched the Mask/Schmoo/Barbapapa form of CGI shape shifting for Jar-Jar but instead went with the tried and true beautiful woman turning into something (here a weird alien) in AOTC.

Neither proposal shows signs of linking the concept to the story.