The plot only thickens as legendary Japanese production company Studio Ghibli doubles down on teasing a mysterious project that they have been working on with Lucasfilm — the birthplace of the Star Wars franchise. After publishing an intriguing video on Twitter with only both studios’ logos being shown, the official Studio Ghibli account posted a slightly more revealing image with iconic elements. The first one is Grogu, who was introduced to us in The Mandalorian series, and reached immense popularity almost instantly. The second one is a Japanese heavyweight: award-winning film director Hayao Miyazaki.Even though we don’t have enough information at this point to confirm exactly what’s going on, the tiny Grogu model ties in with earlier stories that Disney+ was working with Lucasfilm to bring together a series of short films, and one – or more – of them centered around “baby Yoda.” All of that could be part of the ongoing Disney+ series Zenimation, which celebrates the work of visual and sound artists in short films featuring iconic characters such as Pocahontas, Pinocchio, Moana, and others.
Earlier Japanese works in the Star Wars universe
At the same time, we can’t ignore the fact that Disney+ has also brought to life another iteration of the Star Wars universe in the animated series Star Wars: Visions, which celebrates the visual style of Japanese animation through short stories. If that’s the case, Miyazaki would be a high-profile addition to the list of directors and screenwriters who have worked on the series, which includes Masahiko Otsuka (Gurren Lagann) and Hitoshi Haga (Perfect Blue).
The Miyazaki-Lucasfilm Partnership Is Already Legendary
Hayao Miyazaki is an Academy Award winner who helmed instant animation classics like Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, and Princess Mononoke. The director’s work is appreciated throughout the planet, and in the few times in which he announced his potential retirement, the news was met with sadness and cries of “just one more!” by fans and critics. Currently, Miyazaki is working on How do You Live?, a 2D-animated movie that has been in the works for many years and is projected to be released only in 2026 – so the acclaimed filmmaker probably can spare a little time to work on this secret Star Wars project.
Whatever this project is, it certainly has fans from both studios riled up already. If it’s a short film, episode of Star Wars: Visions, or literally anything else, the announcement itself is already a landmark event that joins two of the world’s biggest storytelling titans to a must-watch project. So far, what we know from Star Wars: Visions is that new episodes will hail from different parts of the world including the UK, South Africa, Chile, Spain, France, and India.
Stick with Collider to get new reports from the Studio Ghibli/Lucasfilm partnership as soon as they are announced. You can check out the teasing tweet and image below: