With a new holiday special, Star Wars is tapping into its kitschy yuletide past with irreverence and A Christmas Carol style.
Premiering Nov. 17 on the Disney+ streaming service, The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special brings Rey, Finn and Poe Dameron back together to celebrate Life Day, the Star Wars-y holiday introduced way back in the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special that first aired on CBS Nov. 17, 1978.
The new project features animated building-block versions of characters throughout “Star Wars” history and pays homage to the special’s disco-era predecessor, which has become a so-bad-it’s-good cult favorite as fans have found it via video-sharing sites and bootleg videos.
“We wanted to give a wink and a nod to the original,” executive producer Josh Rimes says, adding the new 45-minute holiday special was inspired by It’s a Wonderful Life, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Christmas Vacation and old Burl Ives musical cheer.
The Lego holiday special, which Rimes teases will feature a few Star Wars movie actors reprising their roles, catches up with the cast after the events of last year’s saga-closing Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Rey and droid pal BB-8 head off on a quest to gain a deeper knowledge of the Force, but their visit to a mysterious Jedi Temple sends them careening through time and space. Rey interacts with Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda and other characters in some of the franchise’s most beloved moments, as they try to return in time for a Life Day feast with her friends on Chewbacca’s Wookiee home world of Kashyyyk.
via USA Today