Star Wars will give the holiday special another try on Disney+ with Legos

By Rick Marshall Published August 13, 2020

Just when Star Wars fans were starting to successfully repress the shame of 1978’s Star Wars Holiday Special, the franchise will return to Wookiee homeworld Kashyyyk for another attempt at celebrating Life Day.

This time it’s going to be different, though, because The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special has, well, Legos.

Disney made the announcement of The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special on Thursday, August 13, via StarWars.com, where the franchise’s official site offered up a few details about the impending special that will debut on Disney+ in November.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

The special will be set after the events of Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker, and will have Rey, Finn, Poe Dameron, Rose, and Chewbacca travel to Kashyyyk to learn about — and celebrate — the Wookiee holiday known as Life Day. Along the way, Rey will find herself visiting a mysterious Jedi temple that sends her on a journey through time and allows her to learn from Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and various other figures from Jedi history.

Oh, and R2-D2, BB-8, and the rest of the droids will be there, too. There’s no word on whether Baby Yoda will make an appearance, however.

The announcement of The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special indicates that the special will cover a lot of ground, bringing in characters and events from all nine of the Skywalker Saga films in Lego form.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

The celebration of Life Day was first introduced in George Lucas’ much-maligned Star Wars Holiday Special, which has become the focus of ridicule over the years but holds the distinction of bringing one of the franchise’s most iconic bounty hunters to the screen for the first time: Boba Fett. The 1978 special was the subject of so much negative buzz, in fact, that Lucas had it banished from TV and the home entertainment marketplace in the years that followed — making it a difficult-to-find chapter in the Star Wars timeline.

Directed by Ken Cunningham from a script by David Shayne, The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special will premiere November 17 on Disney’s streaming service Disney+.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

A veteran journalist with more than two decades of experience covering local and national news, arts and entertainment, and…

Entertainment

The Acolyte’s first trailer embraces the Dark Side of Star Wars

Amandla Stenberg in The Acolyte.

Since the launch of Disney+ in 2019, there have been four live-action Star Wars series, including The Mandalorian and Andor. But the one thing that each of those shows had in common was that they followed the hero of the story. This summer, The Acolyte is flipping the switch on that by putting the spotlight on Mae (Amandla Stenberg), a former Padawan in the Jedi Order who seems to have quite a grudge against her onetime masters. That may be why Mae is attacking and apparently killing Jedi with knives in the first trailer for The Acolyte.

The Acolyte | Official Trailer | Disney+

Entertainment

Star Wars could’ve had Christopher Walken as Han Solo and Jodie Foster as Princess Leia

An old man talks in Dune: Part Two.

The great thing about a hit movie is that you tend to find out things during interviews, premieres, and press conferences that would have never surfaced otherwise. Dune: Part Two is one such movie. In the lead-up to the movie's blockbuster opening weekend, we've discovered Josh Brolin's hidden talents as a poet and photographer, Javier Bardem's dedication to his children, Zendaya's love for the sci-fi classic Metropolis, and Austin Butler's appreciation for The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

The most recent revelation, however, tops all of those. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Christopher Walken, who plays Shaddam IV, the film's fearsome Emperor, explains why he came out of a four-year break from acting in films and joined Dune: Part Two. One reason was due to his admiration for the first film, which cemented Denis Villeneuve's status as one of the best sci-fi directors ever, and his appreciation of the sequel's impressive cast, which also includes Florence Pugh, Rebecca Ferguson, and Dave Bautista.

Entertainment

3 underrated (HBO) Max movies you should watch this weekend (June 28-30)

A girl looks at a boy in House at the End of the Street.

June is surprisingly over, and with it, a great month for movies comes to a satisfactory close. You've probably watched Inside Out 2 or Bad Boys: Ride or Die or maybe even The Bikeriders. From blockbusters to indie fare, the theatrical movie business has been robust and healthy.

The same goes for streaming. Netflix had a big hit with Richard Linklater's Hit Man, while Amazon Prime Video recently premiered the latest bonkers season of The Boys. HBO and Max have been quieter, but their robust library speaks volumes to the streamer's high quality. The following three films are older, but are just as worth your time as new hits like House of the Dragon season 2.
The Skin I Live In (2011)