Plot
Taking place after the events of The Rise of Skywalker, this short film follows Rey as she travels with BB-8 to gain a deeper knowledge of the Force. In doing so, she leaves her friends on the Millennium Falcon to prepare for the Wookie Festival called Life Day. Her journey to Kashyyyk (the Wookie homeland) is changed as she is sent on an adventure across space and time by a key she found at a Jedi temple, whereafter she meets various figures in galactic history as she strives to return home in time for Life Day.
Review
This special was released on Disney+ on November 17th, 2020. If you don’t have a subscription, head on over and check it out!
I’ve always liked the Lego movies. While I don’t rush to watch and rewatch them, there’s always that nostalgic factor when I finally do get to see one. The brand of humor throughout the Lego Movie series is normally very kid-oriented which is not a bad thing. When done right, it can be quite funny even for adults. It reminds me of the kind of humor that made Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs so funny in my eyes. At times it’s like you’re watching a Star Wars movie making fun of Star Wars movies. It’s funny to hear things like Darth Vader voicing his disapproval of the name for the second death star, calling it too derivative.
Being a movie in which Rey travels through time with the help of the key she found in the Jedi temple, it’s hilarious to see her dropped into so many times and places throughout the Star Wars Anthology (keep your eyes open for a little cameo by the one and only Child). The time travel plot is used to great effect, bringing all different characters and having them interact with others throughout the Anthology. The banter back and forth between all of them is one of the best parts of the movie.
Now, we can’t forget that the other plotline of this movie involves Rey trying to get back home in time for the Wookie festival of Life Day. I love that it plays out, in my opinion, kind of like a mash-up of Christmas Vacation and The Muppet Family Christmas in that it gets all of the characters together and lets the craziness fly. It’s not quite as large of a part of what is supposed to be a holiday movie as I would have thought. It does become more front and center towards the final act of the movie, though it does seem like the others are kind of left on the Millennium Falcon to wait. But I can forgive that because they succeeded so well at melding together all of the movies in such a fun, satirical way.
I won’t get much into the voice acting, the comedy is wonderful and the dialog is spot on. However, it is very noticeable that much of the characters aren’t the original actors. A small little nitpick, which is why I won’t get too much into it. Some of the characters sound just like their live-action counterparts, while some are very clearly voice actors who missed the mark on getting the characters right.
The Wrap Up
Overall, the humor and nostalgia of combining a Lego movie with the entire Star Wars Anthology are all that you can hope for. Despite its minor flaws, it really does manage to be a fun, time-traveling, holiday, and family-oriented Christmas special. It makes a great addition to not only all of the Christmas specials throughout the decades but also to all of the Star Wars films throughout the decades.
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