UPDATE:
Fans actually didn’t have to wait long to see what Studio Ghibli and Lucasfilm were cooking up together, after all.
Friday evening, the official Disney Plus Twitter account shared that a new hand drawn animated short Zen – Grogu and Dust Bunnies will be debuting on the streaming platform on November 12. That’s tomorrow!
The animation comes on the three year anniversary of Disney Plus, as well as the hit Star Wars show The Mandalorian. Previously called “Baby Yoda” by adoring fans, “Grogu” is a central character in the show, which is gearing up for a third season which will air in February 2023. The “dust bunnies,” or “susuwatari” as they are officially known, are small, black sprites that have appeared in the Studio Ghibli films My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away.
While it may be slightly disappointing that this collaboration is only a short film, it’s incredible that we are getting a joint work at all. Plus, now that the door is open, we may see cooperation from the two studios sometime in the future.
ORIGINAL STORY BELOW
The official Twitter account of Japanese animation company Studio Ghibli posted a short video on Thursday that may be hinting at a collaboration with Lucasfilm.
The 14 second video first shows the Lucasfilm logo fading in and out, followed by the Studio Ghibli logo doing the same thing.
It’s unknown exactly what the project is, but the prospect of the two legendary film companies teaming up has fans bursting with excitement.
Lucasfilm, named after it’s founder George Lucas, began in 1971 with the pre-production of American Graffiti, but is perhaps best known for producing the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises. In 2011, The Walt Disney Company began talks to acquire the company, a deal which was finalized the following year.
While the two previously mentioned franchises are what most often come to mind when thinking of Lucasfilm, the film franchise Willow is also owned by the company.
Video game developer/publisher Lucasarts also has a selection of potential franchises for Studio Ghibli to adapt, such as Maniac Mansion, Monkey Island, and Zombies Ate My Neighbors.
Studio Ghibli, on the other hand, was founded in 1985 by renowned animator Hayao Miyazaki, and has produced some of the most acclaimed animated films of all time, such as My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and Howl’s Moving Castle.
A collaboration between Studio Ghibli and Lucasfilm isn’t as big of a leap as one may initially think; in 1996, The Walt Disney Company became the sole international distributor for Studio Ghibli’s animated films, and as part of this agreement Disney finances 10% of the production costs of each movie. Disney, of course, now owns Lucasfilm.
No further information was given by either studio, so fans will likely be speculating for quite awhile before finding out what manifests from this deal.
What are your hopes for this collaboration between these two celebrated studios? Would you rather see Star Wars, Indiana Jones, or something else be made by Studio Ghibli? What if, on the flip side, Lucasfilm is doing an adaptation of a classic Studio Ghibli property? We want to know your thoughts in the comments below and on our social media pages!
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Source: JP_GHIBLI
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