Studio Ghibli, the legendary Japanese animation studio behind films like "Howl's Moving Castle" and "Spirited Away," partnered with "Star Wars" studio Lucasfilm to bring to the viewers "Zen - Grogu and Dust Bunnies."
"Zen - Grogu and Dust Bunnies" is a new hand-drawn animated original short that will premiere on Disney+ tomorrow, November 12, according to CNET.
Baby Yoda Short is Part of 'The Mandalorian's' Third Anniversary
The Baby Yoda short, directed by Katsuya Kondo, will debut in the streaming platform in celebration of the third anniversary of "The Mandalorian."
The film is centered on Grogu. He's a breakout "The Mandalorian" character who was known to many as Baby Yoda.
Grogu was joined by the coal dust bunnies from Oscar-winning masterpiece of Hayao Miyazaki, "Spirited Away," Variety reports.
The original short will feature music by the Oscar- and Emmy-winning composer, Ludwig Göransson. He most recently created the score for Marvel's "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," as per Deadline.
The announcement of the project appears to be the culmination of an earlier news that Studio Ghibli is collaborating with Lucasfilm on some project.
On Thursday, Studio Ghibli teased about the animation studio's collaboration with Lucasfilm via Twitter. It posted a 15-second video showing Lucasfilm and Studio Ghibli logos. The video has no other images, characters, music or even sound.
Afterwards, a photo of a Grogu figurine on the foreground with a Miyazaki sitting out of focus in the background was also posted. On Friday, the collaboration was cemented with a follow up tweet.
Prior to the reveal of Baby Yoda original short, there are people online who are expressing their hope for an animated "Star Wars" film in the future.
Read Also: Studio Ghibli's Hayao Miyazaki Finally Speaks Up About Makoto Shinkai's 'Your Name'
Lucasfilm Partners with Other Anime Studio
Lucasfilm has already partnered with other anime studio previously so this is not the company's first time to work with a studio that makes anime.
Beginning 2020, Lucasfilm collaborated with animation studios in Japan to make nine short films for its "Star Wars: Visions" anthology series for Disney+. The partnership lets each studio create any narrative it preferred within the "Star Wars" universe.
In September 2021, Season 1 premiered. On the other hand, Season 2, which branches out beyond Japan to studios in Africa, Europe and India, is expected to arrive next spring.
The partnership of Studio Ghibli with Lucasfilm happens on the same month the company opened a theme park in central Japan. The theme part is dedicated to the works of Miyazaki, the studio's co-founder.
The theme park is unique because it allows visitors to explore locations designed to evoke Miyazaki's animated features. Visitors will find the Catbus from 1988's "My Neighbor Totoro." Currently, tickets are available by reservation for domestic visitors only.
Studio Ghibli was founded in 1985 by Miyazaki, Toshio Suzuki, and Isao Takahata. It is behind the beloved animated films such as "Princess Mononoke," and "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind."
Meanwhile, Lucasfilm was founded by George Lucas in 1971. Disney now owns the company. It is behind successful franchises such as "Star Wars," "Indian Jones," "Willow," and more.
Related Article: Studio Ghibli's Film Catalog is Available to Rent on Apple TV, Amazon, and More
