Almost 50 Years On, New Star Wars Release Retells The Death Star Destruction In the Weirdest Way

This holiday season, there isn’t a new Star Wars movie to check out in theaters, but fans will probably still find some way to make the galaxy far, far away part of their festivities in one way or another. Whether it’s rewatching all of the movies for a marathon while school is out for winter break, unwrapping some new Star Wars merchandise that’s sitting under the tree, or sitting down with the latest Star Wars book, there are plenty of ways to showcase your love for the franchise over the next couple of weeks. Lucasfilm itself is getting in on the action with a festive-themed retelling of one of Star Wars’ most iconic moments, kicking off a whole new series.

On the official Star Wars Kids YouTube channel, Lucasfilm posted a video titled “The Gingerbread Death Star Crumbles.” It’s a remake of the classic Death Star trench run sequence from Star Wars: A New Hope that blends the original film audio with an animated short that reimagines all of the ships and characters as gingerbread cookies. It’s the first installment of a new “Star Wars Minis” series from Industrial Light & Magic where company employees created stylized animated shorts to demonstrate their love for all things Star Wars.

According to a post on the official Star Wars website, more of these Star Wars Minis animations will be released in 2026. A behind-the-scenes featurette teased some that are on the way, including one featuring Din Djarin and Grogu dolls made out of yarn. Check out “The Gingerbread Death Star Crumbles” in the space below:

Play video

Star Wars Minis Is a Creative Way to Get Kids Interested in the Franchise

By posting this video on the Star Wars Kids YouTube channel, Lucasfilm is clearly communicating that youngsters are the target audience for the Star Wars Minis initiative. While the shorts aren’t the same as cueing up the movies and series on Disney+ and taking it all in, these bite-sized recreations of classic Star Wars moments should still serve as a great way to get children interested in the franchise as a whole. They stylized animation formats are definitely eye-catching and should capture kids’ imaginations. This is a fun project ILM is undertaking, and it should be exciting to see more of these shorts next year.

In addition to providing kids with an entertaining gateway into Star Wars, the Minis videos also give ILM employees an opportunity to combine their personal passions into something unique. Landis Fields is the one who spearheaded the Gingerbread Death Star short, and he was inspired by “his love of baking reality shows” according to the article on StarWars.com. Leaning into that, Fields was able to create something that captured the spirit and wonder of the original trench run in an entertaining package. Assuming the other Minis shorts were conceived in this vein, each one should serve as an extension of ILM’s visual effects artists, giving them a unique personality.

Read Next

All 3 New Star Wars Projects That Have Just Been Announced

Lucasfilm is smart to do something like this now. Next year sees the release of The Mandalorian & Grogu, the first new Star Wars film to hit theaters in seven years. Much like how when Star Wars: The Force Awakens brought the franchise back a decade ago, Lucasfilm will be trying to appeal to multiple generations when it comes time to promote The Mandalorian & Grogu. If these Minis click with the younger audience, they could encourage kids to want to check out the movies and TV shows in the months leading up to the new film. Seeing what’s possible with animation might also inspire kids to want to make their own projects — just like how seeing Star Wars in the theater touched the ILM employees of today.

It may seem strange for some to see Darth Vader and the Millennium Falcon rendered as tasty gingerbread treats for an animated short, but this project illustrates the creativity of the talented artists at ILM and the impact Star Wars has made on entertainment. There aren’t many pop culture properties where something like this would be viable, though Star Wars definitely fits the bill. And while the older fans aren’t the main target here, they might be able to get something out of this as well. After seeing the movies so many times, it could feel fresh watching iconic moments in a completely different style.

What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!