Baby Yoda has become the new mascot for the Star Wars franchise since his debut in The Mandalorian three years ago. Despite being so cute and very easy to fall in love with, there are a few people who could care less about him. Surprisingly, one of those people is iconic director Joe Dante.
In a recent interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, the director called the character a “completely stolen” copy. This wasn’t a random outburst though. Speaking on the subject of the upcoming animated HBO Max series Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, the director initially began speaking about the legacy of the first two films. When he began discussing how the legacy is directly connected to Gizmo and comparing Gizmo to a baby, that’s when he felt the need to vent about his frustration with the Star Wars character.
“I think the longevity of [the franchise] is really key to [Gizmo], who is essentially like a baby,” he said. “[That] brings me, of course, to the subject of Baby Yoda, who is completely stolen and is just out-and-out copied. Shamelessly.”
While Baby Yoda, who is now officially known as Grogu, was released nearly 40 years after the release of the first film, and is a totally different character with different origin, the two do admittedly have similar idiosyncrasies. For example, they both don’t talk, but still say so much with their actions. The foods they eat have both historically gotten them in trouble.
Nevertheless, you can’t quite put a copyright on cuteness. At the end of the day, the two both steal the hearts of their respective fanbases, but in different ways.
What do you think about Dante’s comments? Sound off below!
You can currently watch all the episodes of The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett (which Grogu is also featured heavily in) on Disney+. Grogu will return in the third season of The Mandalorian next year too.
Gremlins: The Secrets of the Mogwai will air on both HBO Max and Cartoon Network later this year.
SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle
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