Three years ago, our lives changed forever: We met Baby Yoda. Disney+ premieres November 12, 2019, with a spinoff to the Star Wars TV series Palestinians premiered with it. In theory, the show was about the Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal)—but ever since the pint-sized version of Yoda came out, the show has been all about that adorable little guy.
To celebrate that auspicious day, Lucasfilm has released a special Baby Yoda short, exclusively on Disney+. But this isn’t just Baby Yoda’s prank taken from the series Palestinians. “Zen — Grogu and the dust bunnies” produced in partnership with one of the most talented, story-driven and creatively successful studios in the film industry: Studio Ghibli. The result is a three-minute treasure trove that is stunning, captivating, and utterly endearing.
Admittedly there’s not much to this hand-drawn film. Grogu (Baby Yoda’s real name) is meditating, using the Force to rise above the ground as he merges with his inner soul. Right after that, he was interrupted by a group of big-eyed, bouncing “dust rabbits” or susuwatari, as they are known in Japanese. These characters are iconic characters of Studio Ghibli, appearing in the movies Totoro My Neighbor and won an Oscar Soul land.
What follows is a dramatic, dynamic dance between Grogu and the dust bunnies, as the little Jedi tries to escape these little annoyances. A stunning shot shows Grogu leaping forward, trying to create more distance between him and the next goblins; when he stopped to see if he’d lost them, a dust rabbit swooped straight into his face, knocking him over on his back. It’s a smooth, beautifully illustrated sequence that matches the defined perceptible energy Ghibli’s most famous works.
Another difference of this cute shorts is its unique look. This isn’t simply a hand-drawn anime work; director Katsuya Kondo uses a style reminiscent of Japanese calligraphy, shodo, for “Meditation.” The characters are drawn with thick brush strokes, minimal coloring, and on a background that looks like a traditional rice paper. Kondo borrows from authentic, historic Japanese art convention for Ghibli’s contribution to the Star Wars standard; that’s outstanding stuff.
Perhaps most importantly, this short is his most adorable Grogu. The final scene is where the little green guy makes peace with his new goblin friends, after they give him a gift of peace: a pretty flower. After all, if Ghibli is known the world over for anything, it’s the studio’s ability to intertwine. fantasy with cute. It’s a bit short — movies like Soul land, Princess Mononokeand Castle on the cloud Not just cute. They are some of the sexiest, well-constructed, uniquely satisfying movies ever made, whatever the medium. But they’re also pretty cute, as is my Baby Yoda.
If you have three minutes—and you certainly will if you’ve made it all the way here—it’s your responsibility to watch this peaceful, perfect short. Do it for baby Yoda.
