The next Star Wars film will eschew CGI in favour of real locations and models wherever possible, according to Kathleen Kennedy, the film executive in charge of the sci-fi adventure.

The LucasFilm boss made the comments at a Star Wars convention, where she also revealed that composer John Williams would return for the upcoming JJ Abrams-directed Episode VII.

"The conversation we're having all the time now about Episode VII is how much CGI," Kennedy told fans at the Star Wars Celebration Europe convention in Essen, Germany. "We're looking at what the early Star Wars films did; they used real locations with special effects. So [for Episode VII] we're going to find some very cool locations, [and] we're going to end up using every single tool in the toolbox."

Kennedy revealed that the DIY approach adopted by Star Wars fans when designing home-made costumes helped inspire the move. "I was amazed yesterday, looking at what the fans are doing," she said. "Using model makers, using real droids, taking advantage of the artwork that you can touch and feel – we want to do that in combination with CG effects."

Kennedy's comments were well-received by fans at the convention. George Lucas's trilogy of prequel films between 1999 and 2005 were heavily criticised for over-relying on CGI.

Kennedy also revealed that the iconic composer Williams would return to oversee Star Wars: Episode VII. In a clip posted on the Star Wars website, Williams said he expected to weave familiar themes and motifs into the new score. "Of course, I haven't seen the script," the composer told The Hollywood Reporter. "The story is still unknown to me, the new story. But I can't imagine that there will not be some references to the existing stories [which] we know would necessitate … the use of some of the earlier themes."

Kennedy said Abrams and screenwriter Michael Arndt are currently working on "story and character" for the new film. After buying all rights to the series through its acquisition of LucasFilm for $4.05bn, Disney announced a trilogy of new Star Wars films in October, with Lucas agreeing to step aside after more than 35 years in charge. The stars of the original trilogy, Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia) and Harrison Ford (Han Solo), have been tipped to return in Star Wars: Episode VII, which is being shot in the UK next year for a 2015 release date.