A new Star Wars special titled A Droid Story has been announced to release on Disney+, with the story centering on classic characters R2-D2 and C-3PO. Introduced in George Lucas' original Star Wars movie in 1977, the two droids are mainstays of the franchise, having appeared in all nine films in the Skywalker Saga. Plus in 1985, a Canadian animation studio developed Star Wars: Droids on behalf of Lucasfilm, coming off the success of 1983's Return Of The Jedi. However, the cartoon was badly received and is no longer considered canon.
In recent years, Lucasfilm has made a concerted effort to expand the Star Wars franchise with a wide variety of stories told across all different kinds of media, from the live-action theatrical movies and animated series to comics and video games. As a result, there are a number of properties in development, including more movies as well as live-action and animated TV shows. With Lucasfilm's parent company Disney pushing offer original content for its streaming service Disney+, the Star Wars creatives have quite a few projects lined up. And one of those projects puts the franchise's original droids front and center.
During the Disney Investor Day presentation, Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy announced A Droid Story, which will see the Lucasfilm Animation work with the visual effects team, Industrial Light & Magic. Though little idea of the special's content was given, the studio confirmed that the "epic journey" will "introduce us to a new hero guided by R2-D2 and C-3PO." It is currently unknown when in the Star Wars cannon A Droid Story is set. Founded in 2003, Lucasfilm Animation's notable works include Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels, meanwhile Industrial Light & Magic are currently pioneering new visual effect technology on The Mandalorian.
The news that the galaxy's favorite droid duo will be getting their own animated special, backed by such a talented team, is a very exciting prospect. With Disney's upcoming A Droid Story, the studio have finally opened up a chance for a droid centric title the fans deserve. There is still a lot of space for development with R2-D2 and C-3PO, even though they've appeared in every film of the Skywalker Saga. A Droid Story could be a great way of expanding on the characters that fans think they've known inside and out for years, and bridge the gaps between different parts of the timeline. Additionally, the idea of these cornerstone characters taking a new hero under their guidance makes the possibilities of further discovery within the Star Wars universe feel even more endless. It's a viewpoint of the galaxy seldom seen through thus far, and with how well received the collaborating studio's work has been of late, A Droid Story will no doubt wipe the awful 80s Star Wars: Droids from fans' memory banks.
As with many of the new Disney+ announcements, no definitive release date has been set for the upcoming Star Wars' A Droid Story special. While some have teased the introduction of eras not yet seen on screen, speculation for R2-D2 and C-3PO's latest adventure is wide open, with no detail on its timeline nor new character. Considering this mystery and the creators involved, fans are no doubt in for a wild ride.
Source: Disney