In honour of Disney+‘s third birthday, ‘My Neighbour Totoro’ makers Studio Ghibli created the cutest present: a short film starring Baby Yoda. Three years ago, on November 12, 2019, Disney+ launched Baby Yoda. In the Star Wars TV series spin-off ‘The Mandalorian’ a pint-sized version of Yoda appeared.
After its appearance, the show became all about that adorable little Yoda. To celebrate that auspicious day, Lucasfilm has released a special short all about Baby Yoda, exclusively on Disney+. ‘Zen — Grogu and Dust Bunnies’ was produced in collaboration with one of the most creatively successful studios in film: Studio Ghibli.
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What Was The Present Studio Ghibli Gave To Disney+?
The hand-drawn short film, ‘Zen – Grogu and Dust Bunnies’, debuted on November 12 on Disney+. It brings together the adorable alien child Grogu from ‘The Mandalorian’ and the anthropomorphized coal dust bunnies from Hayao Miyazaki’s Oscar-winning masterpiece ‘Spirited Away‘.
The short is the directorial debut of Katsuya Kondo, a veteran Studio Ghibli animator. He has served as the animation director on Miyazaki’s features ‘Kiki’s Delivery Service’ and ‘Ponyo’. The simple, three-minute film begins with Grogu in a state of meditation, until a pack of dust bunnies see and gently pursue him. The short also features music from ‘The Mandalorian’ composer Ludwig Göransson.
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What Are The Other Partnerships Disney Has Made?
This isn’t the first time Lucasfilm has partnered with an anime studio. Starting in 2020, Lucasfilm recruited animation studios in Japan to create nine short films for its ‘Star Wars: Visions’ anthology series for Disney+. This allowed each studio to craft any narrative it wanted within the ‘Star Wars‘ universe.
Season 1 premiered in September 2021, and Season 2 — which branches out beyond Japan to studios in Africa, Europe, and India — is expected to debut next spring. Studio Ghibli’s partnership with Lucasfilms comes the same month, the company opened a theme park in central Japan, dedicated to the works of Miyazaki, the studio’s co-founder.
