Star Wars: A New Hope Gets Anime Overhaul in New Fan Trailer

Screen Rant

By Calvin Barr

Published Sep 23, 2018

An anime-style trailer for George Lucas' Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope is now online, proving that a full feature is very much needed.

A Star Wars fan released an anime-style trailer for A New Hope earlier this week. As the first film in the original trilogy, A New Hope is generally regarded as one of the most loved in the series. However, Disney's additions to the franchise in recent years have been controversial. Rian Johnson's The Last Jedi was met with such mixed reception that a remake was demanded, and Solo: A Star Wars Story had a disappointing box office run compared to Rogue One.

While the possibility of a Solo sequel is still on shaky ground, Star Wars: Episode IX is expected to wrap production later this year (or in early 2019) and get a Christmas release like its predecessors. The ninth installment will mean the permanent end to the involvement of A New Hope's stars. Han Solo was killed off in The Force Awakens, Luke Skywalker faded away at the end of The Last Jedi (although he's returning for the sequel), and footage of Carrie Fisher in Episode IX will mark the final appearance for Princess Leia. While the Skywalker saga will end on the big screen, that doesn't necessarily mean it can't continue on the small screen - and a new fan video reminds fans of what Star Wars animation is capable of.

YouTube user Dmitry Grozov released an anime trailer for A New Hope that looks more official than it does fan-made. It's so good that many viewers are calling for a full version to be produced by Disney and Lucasfilm for release. Check out the trailer:

Harkening back to classic 2D anime aesthetics, the trailer highlights some of the movie's most memorable scenes, such as the Darth Vader vs. Obi Wan Kenobi lightsaber confrontation, the TIE fighter battles, and Luke gazing out at Tatooine's twin sunset. John William's classic score is heard, while the Japanese dialogue mimics the tone of heroes and warriors in some of the most well-known anime epics like Gundam Seed or Saint Seiya.

The trailer's simplicity is perhaps it's most enchanting quality. Anime productions coming out of studios like Toei and Aniplex have seen significant changes in the role of computer-generated modelling over the past few years. But just as Geoge Lucas' prequel trilogy was criticized for its overreliance on CGI, some anime fans feel that prioritizing digital technology over hand-crafting can take away from the impact of characters and stories. Some of North America's most beloved anime feature films, such as Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, and Princess Mononoke are remembered for the love and precision with which they were drawn. A long list of anime series, including Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball Z, and Inuyasha, have had very successful English adaptations. Considering that Star Wars has already been adapted as a manga, a full-length anime reimagining could, in theory, end up being a big hit.