Prepare to check your calendar approximately 159 times in the next few minutes, because this breaking news will definitely sound like an elaborate and very cruel April Fool's joke. Are you ready? You might want to sit down, because it's a big one, bigger than that cruel live-action "The Legend of Zelda" trailer IGN did years ago. Studio Ghibli, yes, the Studio Ghibli behind such classics as, well, almost everything they've ever done, has just announced some sort of partnership with Lucasfilm — you know, the company behind your favorite childhood memories.
This is one of the most unexpected partnerships since Sony and Disney decided to collaborate on bringing Spider-Man to the MCU, one of the weirdest announcements since an animated movie about LEGO was first announced. This is especially strange since Lucasfilm is owned by Disney, a company with a long and very ugly history with Ghibli. After all, Disney managed the North American distribution for Ghibli movies for years and dubbed their movies to English, but failed to properly translate the success of those movies to the American market.
Apparently all that is water under the bridge, as Ghibli has officially announced a mysterious partnership with Lucasfilm. What exactly does that mean, however? We have no idea, but like Kiki losing her magic, or Chihiro trying to turn her parents back into humans, that will not stop us from trying to find out.
My Neighbor Grogu?
The announcement is as cryptic and as Ghibliesque as it could possibly get. It is literally just a soundless video of the Lucasfilm logo immediately followed by the iconic logo of Studio Ghibli. Note that there is no mention of a franchise, and there is no specific "Star Wars" logo, so it is entirely possible it will not be a "Star Wars" project Ghibli is working on. What about "Indiana Jones"? There was that excellent fan-made animated short starring the famous adventurer, so it is possible. But, of course, the most likely scenario is a "Star Wars" project from the house of Totoro, which opens more than a few options.
The first, of course, is a movie. What could a Ghibli movie look like? It could be a cute, slice-of-life story with a dash of fantasy a la "My Neighbor Totoro" set in the galaxy far, far away — which would rule. But it could also be an action-packed epic, maybe set in a remote time period unconnected from the movies, maybe even the Old Republic era? — which would also rule. Artists have already imagined what a Ghibli version of the franchise could look like, and it is incredible.
But what about TV? A big "Star Wars" movie produced by Ghibli sounds like too much, too soon — even if they haven't announced any projects after the long-delayed "final" film by Miyazaki — so maybe this is just a segment of the upcoming second season of "Star Wars: Visions," the fantastic anime anthology that showcased some of the best anime studios in Japan. This would be a great opportunity to bring some of that Ghibli magic, without risking bringing in all the baggage that comes with the franchise.
Whatever the case, the prospect of seeing Totoro's face on the screen right before a Lucasfilm project is very exciting, and I for one, cannot wait to hear more of this project.
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