An Animated Star Wars Short From Lucasfilm And Studio Ghibli Is Coming To Disney+ For The Mandalorian's Third Anniversary

The Disney+ streaming service officially launched on November 12, 2019, providing fans with a massive library of beloved movies and television shows to enjoy at their leisure. Additionally, it offered subscribers some brand new original productions as well — easily the most prominent among them being "The Mandalorian." This exciting "Star Wars" franchise entry became a hit with fans almost instantaneously, entertaining audiences with its interesting glimpses into Mandalorian culture, thrilling action, and, of course, the little green merchandising juggernaut himself, Grogu. Simply put, if you were a "Star Wars" fan that didn't subscribe on day one, you almost certainly did on day two.

The popularity of "The Mandalorian" has benefitted pretty much all involved. Not only has it expanded to two going on three seasons, giving fans even more blaster-toting, space-dogfighting action to enjoy, but it has helped Disney+ grow exponentially. As 2022 draws to a close, it's among the most widely-used streaming services in the game, rivaling the likes of Netflix and Hulu with ease. Unsurprisingly, the minds behind the streamer and "The Mandalorian" have kept a close eye on the success of each endeavor, and to commemorate their shared third birthday, they have something special in store.

In honor of three years of Disney+ and "The Mandalorian," Lucasfilm is teaming up with world-renowned animation house Studio Ghibli to create a fun animated "Star Wars" short.

In an official press release from Lucasfilm and Studio Ghibli, it came to light that the two entities are collaborating on an all-new animated "Star Wars" short. The hand-drawn project is called "Zen – Grogu and Dust Bunnies" and is directed by Katsuya Kondo with music from Ludwig Göransson — the talented composer behind the scores of "The Mandalorian" and "The Book of Boba Fett." It will premiere exclusively on Disney+ on November 12, 2022, so if you're interested in getting zen with Grogu, now is as good a time as any to make sure your Disney+ subscription is up to date.

Given that it's labeled as a short, it stands to reason that "Zen – Grogu and Dust Bunnies" won't have a very long runtime. Thankfully, if you're interested in more animated "Star Wars" entertainment, Disney+ certainly has you covered. For instance, there's the recently released "Tales of the Jedi," which charts Count Dooku (Corey Burton) and Ahsoka Tano's (Ashley Eckstein) complicated timelines with the Jedi Order. There's also the anthology series "Star Wars: Visions" from 2021 that came together thanks to Lucasfilm's collaboration with several well-known Japanese animation studios. 

Those titles are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the animated "Star Wars" offerings on Disney+, but before you check them out either for the first time or once again, why not first give "Zen – Grogu and Dust Bunnies" a try once it premieres?