I know as big OT fans we all love practical creature effects but that thing in the JJ video looked horrible.

The creature shop at ILM for Jedi (where 99% of the creatures looked great) knew what to hide and how to make a creature look alive even when it was just some latex plastic thing. Most of it has to do with great design and lighting. Jabba is a masterful example. Some of his close shots didn't look that good but his mediums were stunningly real. All due to lighting and talent.

The reason some CG works well in broad daylight (think Sebulba) is because if done correctly you had a bigger chance of looking real then say a latex creature fully exposed in light where you can see materials, man in suit etc. The practical creature team on the prequels was pretty bad though. Just look at Yoda...

My point is its a mix. If your going to do practical creatures you need insane talent and good lighting to make it work. As it stands, that creature in the video was poorly designed and downright awful. Sorry JJ. Broad daylight today you need CG unless you got Phil Tippet working for you who has some new technique up his sleeve
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