LEGO 'Star Wars Holiday Special' Coming To Disney Plus

Well, here's something we didn't see coming. The Star Wars Holiday Special is the most notorious part of Star Wars history. Broadcast in 1978, it saw the original cast, alongside celebrity guests,  appear in a 90-minute variety show. The plot was based around 'Life Day', the Star Wars universe's equivalent of Christmas, with everyone gathering with Chewbacca's family to celebrate. It featured musical numbers, skits and in what is considered the special's only redeeming feature, the first Star Wars animated segment. The special was a huge flop and considered such an embarrassment that it was never shown again and George Lucas has tried to bury it. This has, of course, made it something of a cult in fan circles, with bootleg versions being shared and later making their way online. Nobody was expecting Lucasfilm to acknowledge it in the Disney era.

The LEGO Star Wars franchise, through a series of hugely popular video games and specials, has found success by poking playful, light-hearted fun at the main Star Wars franchise. They're not exactly biting satire, and you shouldn't expect them to be in the same vein as the Warner Animation Group movies. Nonetheless, the news that the notorious Holiday Special is getting a LEGO tribute on Disney Plus is surprising.

It's not going to be a full-on remake. For starters, it's only going to run 45 minutes, just half the original running time. Secondly, it's going to feature the Sequel trilogy cast, with Rey, Finn, Poe and Rose making appearances.

The official synopsis has been released:

Set after the events of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Rey leaves her friends to prepare for Life Day as she embarks on a new adventure with BB-8 to gain a deeper knowledge of the Force. At a mysterious Jedi temple, Rey finds herself hurled into a cross-timeline adventure through beloved moments in Star Wars cinematic history, coming into contact with Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi and other iconic heroes and villains from all nine Skywalker saga films. But will she make it back in time for the Life Day feast and learn the true meaning of holiday spirit?  You’ll have to watch to find out!

Variety reports that at least some of the original cast will return to voice their LEGOised versions, but who that includes remains a mystery. The special will apparently return to the Wookie homeworld- so it's a fair guess that Rey's time jumping will take her back to the events of the special. Which means that hopefully the special's true star- Lumpy- will get to rise again.

The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special is co-produced by Atomic Cartoons, The LEGO Group and LucasFilm, written by David Shayne and directed by Ken Cunningham.  The special will stream on Disney Plus from November 17, 2020.

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