Star Wars teams up with Studio Ghibli for new Disney+ short

Two of the biggest, most influential groups have dropped their unexpected collaboration this week on the Disney+ streaming platform. Lucasfilm (the team behind Star Wars) worked with the incredible illustrators of the Japanese Studio Ghibli production company for a 3-minute short released on Nov. 12. But what is the short about, and which characters are featured?

Star Wars and Studio Ghibli collaborate for a new short film

The animation came as a complete surprise to fans of both Lucasfilm and Studio Ghibli. The piece features the iconic Jedi youngling Grogu (who made his way into people’s hearts in the show The Mandalorian as ‘Baby Yoda’/’The Child’ initially) and the characters of the soot sprites. These creatures have been spotted in a handful of Studio Ghibli movies, most famously the award-winning Spirited Away and My Neighbour Totoro. Their playful, mischievous nature makes them the perfect parallel to Star Wars’ Grogu.

What is the Star Wars x Studio Ghibli short about?

At just 3 minutes long, the short film — entitled ‘Zen – Grogu and Dust Bunnies‘ — doesn’t have a real storyline. It is instead a sweet celebration of the characters, playing about with one another in the stunning hand-drawn style of the Ghibli animators. Grogu seems to fit this style to a T; its stilted, almost clumsy nature lends itself perfectly to the Jedi youngling’s childlike movements, whilst replicating the iconic way that many other young Ghibli characters move.

What is Zen – Grogu and Dust Bunnies for?

After some previous teasing and then official announcements the day prior across social media, the collaboration was released to coincide with the third anniversary of the debut of The Mandalorian on Disney+. The short features scoring from composer Ludwig Göransson, the artist behind numerous scores and song productions including The Mandalorian itself, as well as Marvel’s Black Panther & Wakanda Forever, TV’s New Girl, and singer/rapper Childish Gambino.

Whilst a short in every sense of the word, the animation is a heart-warming combination of some beloved characters. It also represents an appreciation for hand-drawn work, often overshadowed by the million-dollar computer generated effects we so often see on our screens.

Zen – Grogu and Dust Bunnies is available to stream now on Disney+.