Is That Studio Ghibli/Lucasfilm Collaboration Going To Be About Grogu?
Yesterday, we received the huge news that Studio Ghibli was going to do some sort of collaboration with Lucasfilm, in what could be the biggest Ghibli news since Miyazaki un-retired for the tenth time. Speculation on what shape that collaboration could be was all the rage on the internet, with thoughts of an "Indiana Jones" animated movie, a "Star Wars" movie, a segment on the upcoming second season of "Star Wars: Visions," or the worst possible outcome: anything directed by Goro Miyazaki.
The prospect of any sort of Goro-less Ghibli/Lucasfilm collaboration is very exciting. "Star Wars" is often at its best when it is animated, as the medium is perfectly equipped to capture the full magic and fantasy of the universe created by George Lucas. "The Clone Wars," and "Star Wars: Visions" proved this, which managed to both expand what we thought of the franchise with poignant and thematically complex stories, but also with stunning visuals that go beyond what live-action could even approximate. Even something based on "Willow," or "Indiana Jones," but done through the lens of a Ghibli animated film could be incredibly exciting and visually unique.
Though there is still nothing official just yet, the plot just thickened, with Ghibli teasing that the collaboration will be set in a galaxy far, far away. Not only that, but it may be centered on the 50-year-old baby Jedi that captured the world's heart with a single coo: Grogu.
My Neighbor Grogu!
The official Twitter account for Studio Ghibli shared the news with just a cryptic image showing a tiny figurine of the breakout star from "The Mandalorian" that overtook Baby Groot as the cutest Disney sci-fi creature, with the caption "This is the Way." What is most curious about the image is that, behind Grogu is one of the founding fathers of Studio Ghibli, co-founder and father to Goro, Hayao Miyazaki himself.
Studio Ghibli
Miyazaki is a legend in animation, a man whose career could have easily ended before it began, but went on to revolutionize anime and deliver one classic after another. He is also notorious for his penchant for retiring, then un-retiring every few years. His latest film, "How Do You Live?" has been in the works for years and not nearly completed yet, so it's unlikely he'd work on a Grogu-centric project at the moment. It also feels odd that this would be the movie he decides to stick around for.
That leads us back to the likely answer: "Star Wars: Visions." The anime anthology is a showcase for the best animation studios out there, with the first season seeing the likes of Trigger, Kinema Citrus, Production I.G, and Science SARU exploring all kinds of stories set in various parts and times of the "Star Wars" universe. One thing we didn't see in the first season was an episode set around the time of "The Mandalorian," so it would make sense to have an animated segment centered around Grogu, maybe even exploring his mysterious origin. If that wasn't exciting enough, the idea of Studio Ghibli, the master studio at making cute and atmospheric stories about cute creatures? Now that's podracing.