REVIEW: Disney+’s LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special is a Fun Holiday Special to Watch this Season
Disney+’s LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special may be the closest thing we find to a sequel to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, while, at the same time, it may actually be better than Rise of Skywalker. The special picks up after the events in Rise of Skywalker, where we find Rey preparing for Life Day. To get herself ready for the big day, Rey leaves her friends behind and sets off on an adventure with BB-8. During her adventure, she comes across some of our favorite Star Wars characters, who aren’t just there for appearances, but are there to help teach Rey a lesson. Now, Rey must find a way to use these lessons to make it home in time for the Life Day feast.
The Holiday special is nice, fast and to the point. It’s majority about Rey learning the meaning of the Holiday spirit. There is no chance for fillers or unnecessary character development, looking at you Rise of Skywalker, it gets directly to the point. There is a minor secondary storyline going on with Poe that provides a number of comedic moments, but it is not the focus of the special. The special also seemed to have been inspired by a number of other Holiday specials including The Christmas Carol and Rudolph (i.e. the Yoda narration), but instead of making it feel unoriginal, Director Ken Cunningham and Writer David Shayne, have found a fresh, fun, new take on some of the classics.
Many of our Star Wars franchise favorites return for the Holiday special including Kelly Marie Tran, Billy Dee Williams and Anthony Daniels, but Daisy Ridley does not and that is my only real negative with the special. Ridley’s voice is so distinctive as Rey and I couldn’t help but think every time the character talked that it was not Ridley’s voice. However, the fact that she is not voicing the character does not ruin the special.
Hardcore Star Wars fans are really going to get a kick out of how many Easter Eggs are featured throughout, while new fans will just enjoy watching their favorite characters return to the small screen. I would like to hope that this is not the last Holiday special we get from the Star Wars gang, but, if it is, this one will be watched for years to come.
Grade: A