Star Wars: The Force Awakens will be the first film in the long-running space opera franchise to be produced under the aegis of the powerful and much-feared Walt Disney Company, an organization so mighty as to put the mere Galactic Empire to shame. How will the House Of Mouse affect the beloved sci-fi franchise? A little? A lot? Somewhere in between? A new mashup by YouTube comedy collective PistolShrimps (not to be confused with Aubrey Plaza’s pickup basketball team) provides some possible answers. In the mock trailer for Star Wars: Where Dreams Come True, changes have been made, sure, but they’re strictly cosmetic. No cause for alarm here. It is true, yes, that some of the action will apparently be taking place in the fictional sultanate of Agrabah from 1992’s Aladdin and that Jafar from that film has been installed as one of the villains. And, naturally, this has paved the way for appearances by such other classic Disney characters as Belle, Pinocchio, Hercules, and the dragon from Sleeping Beauty. Hey, somebody had to play these parts. Why not throw some work to a few cartoon icons who are between opportunities right now?
The corporate synergy is strong with this one. Hey, James Earl Jones provided the voice of a powerful father in both the Star Wars films and in Disney’s The Lion King. It would be a huge missed opportunity not to take advantage of that fact. And there isn’t a parent alive who won’t enjoy seeing Josh Gad’s irrepressible Olaf from Frozen finally get what’s coming to him at the hands of new Force Awakens character Captain Phasma. Hardcore Star Wars nerds may bristle at the sheer amount of singing in the Disney-produced film, including a heartfelt rendition of “A Whole New World,” but perhaps they are forgetting about that Ewok celebration anthem from Return Of The Jedi. (Sample lyrics: “Yub nub / Eee chop yub nub.” Not a far cry from “Chim Chim Cher-ee.”) In fact, when it comes to padding out a film’s cast with half-cute, half-annoying sidekick characters who can easily be turned into action figures, stuffed toys, and other merchandise, Star Wars has actually been copying from the Disney playbook for decades. Maybe this marriage will work out after all.
