It’s been about a month since Lucasfilm rolled out the animated mirco-series Star Wars: Galaxy of Adventures. It’s meant to be an introduction to the main characters for kids, but is there more to it?
This is pure speculation on my part. But it feels like Star Wars: Galaxy of Adventures could be a “taste test” of sorts for a larger project. And by larger project, I mean Original Trilogy remakes in animated form.
If you think about it, it makes a lot of sense for Disney. Let’s take a look at a few reasons why this could be true.
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It’s Animated:
Animation has been Disney’s bread and butter since the company started decades ago. And while ancillary companies such as Marvel and Lucasfilm have produced billions of dollars for them, they know appealing to a younger audience is rooted in animation.
Original Elements:
The shorts use dialogue from the original actors, the original score and original sound effects. If they wanted to just appeal to children, Lucasfilm could have easily done that with animated elements and cheap new voice actors. Instead, they chose to take scenes right from A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back and The Return of the Jedi, which include the voices of everyone from James Earl Jones to Mark Hamill to Ian McDiarmid. I’m guessing that cost them something extra in fees and it has the feel of the Original Trilogy just with a shiny new look.
That way, it will appeal to die-had first-generation fans without offending them and offer their children a chance to get into movies that are 40 years old. While the films may still appeal to people like me, they might not be as inviting to a 5- or 6-year-olds today.
Essentially, Disney is choosing to remake the original Star Wars trilogy without the hassle and controversy of recasting it and filming it in live-action. Genius, really.
Photo credit: Hasbro
Toys:
Galaxy of Adventures was released as newly packaged toys were hitting store shelves. This has not happened on a regular basis since Disney took over. While action figures have been out in time for the releases of The Last Jedi and The Force Awakens, other shows like Star Wars Resistance and Rebels have had to wait.
While these figures are re-packs of previously released toys, the packaging introduces characters with very simple verbiage. Describing Chewbacca as a “copilot,” Luke Skywalker as the “Jedi” and Darth Vader as the “Villain.” Wave one was out in December and a second wave already seems to be trickling out.
Time and Effort:
Lucasfilm has promised there are more of these shorts to come as we move further into the new year. Animation is not cheap and takes a long time to complete. Why put in all this effort for what boils down to kind of a throwaway Youtube clip?
Yes, they are easily digestible. Yes, the attention spans of children are short. However, children 3 and up can typically sit through a 25-minute show or even a 90-minute Disney movie. Why make these so short?
I believe they are spending a bit of money and gauging the level of interest before rolling out fully animated remakes. The films as everyone loves them, but with a new look and feel. Much like the action figures that go along with this new series, fresh packaging on an old toy.
What do you think? Are the Galaxy of Adventures shorts as advertised? Or part of a larger remake plan?