It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Well, almost. Star Wars is celebrating Christmas early this year with a Holiday Special set in the lovable LEGO universe. All of our favourite characters are gearing up to throw the Galaxy’s biggest party to celebrate Life Day with Chewie and his family. We had the absolute privilege of watching the LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special early and are excited to give you our thoughts.
Before we do, please check out Disney’s official synopsis for the special so you know what you’re in for. Star Wars and LEGO fans alike are going to love this.
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…
Directly following the events of The Rise of Skywalker, Rey leaves her friends to prepare for Life Day. She sets off on a new adventure with BB-8 to gain a deeper knowledge of the Force. At a mysterious Jedi Temple, she is hurled into a cross-timeline adventure through beloved moments in Star Wars cinematic history. Coming into contact with Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Yoda, Obi-Wan and other iconic heroes and villains from the Skywalker saga. But will she make it back in time for the Life Day feast and learn the true meaning of holiday spirit?
The story picks up moments after The Rise of Skywalker and the gang are looking to celebrate Life Day with all of their friends and family. The Holiday Special brings back all of our favourite characters from the Skywalker Saga, as well as a few surprising cameo appearances. As you’d expect, most of the live-action cast didn’t return for this special. However, Kelly Marie Tran, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, returned and we even had some Clone Wars voice actors join in on the fun. It was brilliant to hear their voices again and even better to see them get involved in such a fun project.
Some familiar LEGO faces…
While some of the characters didn’t really sound like themselves, it was still clear who was who and it was nice to see some of the typically tense characters loosen up a bit. They all had a lot of fun with it. Having said that, one particular character really dampened the experience and it was unfortunately a character that I really treasure. It was Rey, which is a real shame because she’s the star of the special. But I found the voice to be quite overpowering. It fluctuated. Sometimes it would sound fine and then it wouldn’t. In terms of a Daisy Ridley impression, it wasn’t the best. But probably not the worst.
By no means did it ruin the Holiday Special, but I found myself being distracted. Constantly acknowledging that something didn’t sound quite right. Take Finn for example, he didn’t sound anything like John Boyega but it didn’t take anything away in terms of his role. Unfortunately the same can’t be said for Rey.
Unlike Disney’s Once Upon A Snowman, This Star Wars LEGO special does not suffer in regards to its length. In fact, I was absolutely shocked by its overall runtime. Fans will be able to sit and enjoy LEGO-goodness for just under 45 minutes. As a result, you get a very simple yet coherent story that is able to pay tribute to our favourite Star Wars moments without shoehorning them in. Fans from all three eras will smile at certain characters appearing, locations, and interactions. This is a time travelling story, after all. What would be the point if we didn’t have some hilarious interactions between characters from the past and present. Have you ever wondered how Kylo would react if he met Vader?
Whenever LEGO do a project surrounding a major franchise, laughter is guaranteed. Look at the games and films. They are absolutely brilliant at being very meta and self aware. It’s part of their charm. Not only that, but they can poke fun completely guilt free. The best example of this is LEGO’s Droid Tales. Without a doubt, Droid Tales is LEGO’s best and funniest show because it acknowledges aspects that weren’t exactly loved and makes fun of them. Unfortunately, that type of humor isn’t fully at the forefront of this Holiday Special.
Happy Life Day!
There are moments that will resonate with a large majority of the fan base but not to the extent of Droid Tales. Is that a loss? absolutely not. There are some brilliant gags in store and if you’ve experienced LEGO at its best then you are going to love this. At the end of the day, this Holiday special is here to make you laugh. It isn’t setting out to establish a new canon or incorporate a deep plot, it’s just a bit of fun and I found myself smiling through a majority of it. There’s something about LEGO that just tickles me.
Unsurprisingly, the Dark Side is very strong in the LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special. LEGO do a fantastic job at turning the villains into comedy geniuses. Palpatine, Kylo Ren and Vader really steal the show. Once the story gets going it centers predominately around Palpatine learning about his demise and Vader’s role. What a shocking betrayal. The trio are brilliant together and they just bounce off of each other. I’ve always loved how LEGO can turn villains that are meant to be despised into highly lovably children.
Without spoiling it, one of the funniest parts for me involved Finn, Rose and a Christmas carol. You’ll know it when you see it.
Make sure you check out the trailer
The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special is a fun adventure for the family. There is something for all types of Star Wars fans whether it is Prequel, Sequel, or the Original Trilogy. Regardless of your thoughts surrounding the sequels, this special does a brilliant job of taking us on a 40 year journey. Even though some of them are rather short, you can’t help but smile at your favourite scenes that have been LEGO-fied. In comparison to the previous Holiday Special, this is an absolute win. Although part of me would have loved a nice in-joke aimed at those who suffered in 1978.
The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special will premiere on Disney+ on the 17th November. Will you be checking out the Holiday Special? Let us know in the comments below.
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