New Details Just Dropped For The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special
Even the most steadfast Star Wars fans can agree that, as utterly enthralling as most of the films in the franchise have been over the years, there are definitely a few forgettable additions to George Lucas' operatic sci-fi fable. And of those forgettable additions, none are more rightly maligned than 1978's cash-grabbing, Wookie-centric small-screen debacle The Star Wars Holiday Special.
So utterly embarrassing was that primetime television event, most of Star Wars fandom (and even some of those directly involved) refuse to acknowledge its existence. And the foul taste it left in the mouths of viewers is a big reason Team Lucasfilm has wisely avoided trying to produce another Star Wars special of any kind. Disney is now in control of Lucas' intergalactic realm, however, and the Mouse House creatives are set to deliver a shiny new holiday tome to their Disney+ streaming platform.
It remains to be seen if the upcoming event flick will change the conversation in regards to Star Wars Holiday specials, but there is reason to hope; largely because that special is getting the LEGO movie treatment. More than that, it seems The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special producers James Waugh and Josh Rimes are well aware of the original special's troubling legacy. And even as they're set to revisit certain aspects of the '78 original (yes, Life Day is at the heart of the new special), they seem more than confident the latest holiday celebration will satisfy Star Wars fans of every generation.
That special hits Disney+ on November 17, 2020, with Waugh and Rimes recently dropping a trove of new details about the to the folks at StarWars.com to celebrate the upcoming release. Here's what we found out about The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special.
The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special just got a brilliant new poster
While there are loads of new details dropped in that StarWars.com piece, perhaps the most thrilling drop came in the guise of The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special's first official poster. And holy cow, is that poster an absolute beauty that should speak volumes to Star Wars fans without really saying much at all.
That poster takes a wickedly minimalist approach, relying heavily both on fans awareness of Star Wars lore and the world of LEGO toys themselves, depicting nothing but a single LEGO hand wrapped in a shiny red bow. The only words on the poster (save for the special's title and release details) make for a sort of gift tag, stating simply, "To: Luke, From: Your Father."
That note is obviously a winking jab at the iconic events that unfolded in 1980's The Empire Strikes Back; events that saw Sith Lord Darth Vader lopping off the hand of young Jedi Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) before revealing that he is, in fact, Luke's father. That reveal remains one of the biggest twists in cinema history, and it's brilliantly alluded to here in the LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special poster. As for what the Vader-slash-Luke inclusion might mean for the special's narrative, it's tough to say exactly. But it's nice to think a little Star Wars holiday cheer might bring even the most fractured of families together.
The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special will take a "bucket dump" approach
About all those new LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special details, Waugh and Rimes confirmed the narrative will pick up in the aftermath of events depicted in Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, and find Rey setting off to continue her Jedi training. Said training takes an unexpected turn when an artifact in a Jedi Temple sends her on a time-hopping adventure that will reportedly bring together elements from the entirety of Star Wars canon. Per Waugh, that approach was actually inspired by the creative ways in which kids play with their own LEGO Star Wars toys.
"One thing that helped define how we approached this special was actually looking at how kids are playing with LEGO Star Wars. [In the Story Group], we're in our canonical sense of building stories, which delineates certain characters and vehicles sets across different points of time. And when I'm watching my son play with them, and watching other kids play with them, that's not the case. It's more like, 'I'm dumping all my LEGO Star Wars out, and I'm going to have the AT-AT fight battle droids from the prequels.' We were talking a lot about that, Josh and I, early on. 'How do we craft a story that allows for that?' The fact that we're operating in the LEGO galaxy gave us license to lean into the fun and playfulness that's critical when it came to thinking about exploring a new take on a Star Wars holiday special."
That "bucket dump" approach should provide ample opportunity to explore Star Wars' epic story in exciting, even hilarious new ways, and should make for a marvelously mashed-up Star Wars tale the likes of which we've never seen.
The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special will feature familiar characters and familiar voices
With time traveling shenanigans ahead, Rey will likely spend much of The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special interacting with ghosts of Star Wars past. But as the new adventure is a holiday special, Rimes assures fans that a tender heart and some hard-earned wisdom are inherent to the story, which means the young Jedi will learn valuable lessons about life, family, and friendship along the way.
"We really wanted to anchor this with the idea of, 'What is Rey missing right now?' She is so focused on the burden of being the only Jedi in this new era and the duty of potentially passing on that knowledge. She's missing the point that there still needs to be time to be with your friends and the family you've made. She has a nice It's a Wonderful Life moment as she reflects on her own mistakes, her own teachings, and what it means to be a mentor."
As the special is set in the wake of The Rise of Skywalker, Rey will be desperate to find her way back to her Rebellion buddies in time for Life Day. Yes, that means sequel Star Wars trilogy fans will be spending some time with the likes of Poe, Finn, Rose Tico, and more.
Unfortunately, Daisy Ridley (Rey), Oscar Isaac (Poe), and John Boyega (Finn) are not returning to voice their characters for the special. Kelly Marie Tran (Rose), Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), and a few Star Wars: The Clone Wars standouts are back for the animated action, though, so familiar voices from the galaxy far, far away will abound.
With franchise favorites on board and a heart-warming adventure ahead, Disney's LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special is clearly shaping up to be something special indeed.