When the character Yoda first appeared on the silver screen, his movements were due to the efforts of famed muppeteer Frank Oz. In "Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones," Yoda returned to the movies but this time the character was not a puppet but a digital image within a computer. This paper discusses the role, or, more aptly, the force, of mathematics behind a few aspects of movie special effects. Armed with topics from calculus, linear algebra, differential equations, mathematical modeling, and numerical analysis, animators can create a believable flow to Yoda's robe or convincing digital smoke. (Contains 11 figures and 1 footnote.)