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If you find your lack of summer shenanigans disturbing, Disney+ has you covered this August with Lego Star Wars Summer Vacation, the latest installment in a series of Lego Star Wars TV specials that includes Lego Star Wars Holiday Special and Lego Star Wars Terrifying Tales. Featuring vocal talent from both the original films and the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, as well as an appearance from Galactic Emperor of the Nerds ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic, this cheerfully irreverent yet surprisingly heartwarming take on the beloved franchise is sure to delight kids and adults alike.
Whether you’re a Star Wars nerd, a fan of the Lego game series, or just craving some silly cartoon fun in between trips to the beach and chasing the ice cream van, this summertime comedy is a Force to be reckoned with. Watch this show, you must.
When and Where Is Lego Star Wars Summer Vacation Releasing?
Lego Star Wars Summer Vacation comes out on August 5, 2022, only on Disney+. There’s no news as of yet for a physical release, but since previous installments of the same series have been released on DVD and Blu-Ray, it seems likely Summer Vacation will be no exception. Always in motion, is the future.
Watch the Lego Star Wars Summer Vacation Trailer
The scene opens with a starship flying to an unnamed world, with Finn, Rey, Poe, and C-3PO aboard. This appears to be a very serious mission, with Finn in command - until they land and Finn announces the purpose of the mission is to have some fun! From there we get several shots of the crew dancing, having fun and kicking back… and is that Darth Vader with a stack of beach chairs? It sure is, and Palpatine and Ben Solo are here too! So series continuity lasted less than thirty seconds in this trailer before exploding like the Death Star, but that’s Lego Star Wars for you.
Meanwhile, Finn is feeling a bit blue about the oncoming end of summer and the good times with his family. He makes a new friend, Force ghost Obi-Wan Kenobi, proceeds to question his reality, and begins to learn how to enjoy summer while it lasts. Meanwhile, C-3PO struggles to get into the summer holiday spirit and Darth Vader struggles with being stuck with his persnickety Emperor. Palpatine perks up, though, when a strangely familiar beach performer announces a contest whose winner will be declared ruler of the beach! We’re left with shots of Ben Solo flying his father’s beloved Millenium Falcon and Admiral Ackbar getting ribbed over his single memorable line.
Who Is Making Lego Star Wars Summer Vacation?
Lego Star Wars Summer Vacation is being directed by Ken Cunningham, veteran of the Lego film franchise with titles such as Lego Star Wars Holiday Special and the miniseries Lego Marvel Avengers: Climate Conundrum under his belt. His non-Lego work includes ZEN and the Art of Distraction.
He’s joined by David Shayne as writer and producer, who’s worked with him before on Lego Star Wars Holiday Special as well as lending his talents to Lego Jurassic World: Legend of Isla Nublar and Lego Star Wars: The Freemaker Aventures.
Who Is in the Cast of Lego Star Wars Summer Vacation?
Lego Star Wars Summer Vacation has managed to snag three members of the original franchise cast as part of its stable of vocal talent. First up is the iconic Billy Dee Williams reprising his role as Lando Calrissian from the original and sequel Star Wars trilogies. He’s also a Lego movie veteran, voicing Two-Face in the well-received The Lego Batman Movie. Joining him is fan favorite Anthony Daniels, who played C-3PO in all three trilogies as well as nearly every other Star Wars property to date. His non-Star Wars credits include doing the narration for TV series Dirigible Days. Last but not least is the supremely talented Kelly Marie Tran, lending her voice to her starmaking role of Rose Tico. Aside from playing Rose in the sequel trilogy, Tran is best known as the voice of Raya in Raya and the Last Dragon.
These aren’t the only Star Wars veterans brought to the show. Star Wars: The Clone Wars voice actors James Arnold Taylor, Dee Bradley Baker, and Matt Lanter reunite for this project. Baker played Captain Rex in The Clone Wars and will be taking the role of Boba Fett in Summer Vacation; he’s also the voice of Klaus in American Dad! Lanter is reprising his Clone Wars role as Anakin Skywalker, and has also lent his vocal prowess to DC Showcase: Blue Beetle as the titular hero. Taylor, likewise reprising his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi, has appeared in the DC TV series Young Justice as multiple characters including The Flash.
Additional cast includes Yvette Nicole Brown (Community), Helen Sadler (Love, Death & Robots), Jake Green (Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts), and Paul F. Thompkins (Star Trek: Lower Decks). Rounding out the cast is ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic, whose cameo appearances range from Robot Chicken to Bill & Ted Face the Music.
What Is Lego Star Wars Summer Vacation About?
At its heart, Lego Star Wars Summer Vacation is a family comedy, all about how vacations don’t always go the way we expect. As writer and producer David Shayne explains:
“I don’t know how all your vacations went, but my family vacations have often gone a little awry. That’s going to happen to them, maybe.”
This is going to be the core of Finn’s arc; he’s emotionally invested in this summer vacation, as his friends are all going their separate ways soon. Hopefully with the guidance of certain Force ghosts, however, he’ll learn to let go of what he fears losing. The secondary arc with Palpatine’s inability to let go of being the ruler of something looks like it will be mostly comic relief, but who knows? Maybe the Emperor will learn some heartwarming lessons too.
More Shows Like Lego Star Wars Summer Vacation to Watch Next
If you like what you see in Summer Vacation, then The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special is ready to become your new holiday tradition. This one centers on Rey, who takes a time-traveling tour through the highlights of the series on her quest to understand the Force on a deeper level. Plenty of adventure, laughs, and meetings with old friends await her as she races to make it back to her own time in time for Life Day. (Yes, the legacy of the Star Wars Christmas Special will forever dominate our destiny.) The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special is available on Disney+ and Hulu.
The Lego Star Wars series has no shortage of fun-filled titles to its name, and comedy action series Lego Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures is one of the best. Pulling in the vocal talents of Nicolas Cantu as young Force user Rowan Freemaker, this story exists at the edges of the original trilogy and takes us into the world of the Freemaker family as they struggle, survive, and ultimately grow closer together as a family. Newcomers to the series will find enough madcap action and Lego comedy to keep them coming back for more; longtime fans will enjoy the avalanche of Easter eggs and cameos from characters such as Darth Vader himself. Lego Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures is available on Disney+ and Hulu.
If you’re looking for more adventure in a more mainline series, Star Wars: Rebels is one of the best of the post-Disney-acquisition Star Wars titles. Centering on another young Force-sensitive individual, Ezra, Rebels takes place in the stretch of time between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope and centers on the ragtag crew of the starship Ghost as they roam about the galaxy conducting covert missions against the Empire while staying one step ahead of Darth Vader. It’s currently got all four seasons on Disney+ and Hulu.