During Super Bowl LX, a new commercial promoting The Mandalorian and Grogu was released – and it has sparked quite the discussion amongst fans online.
The thirty-second spot is narrated by what sounds like Sam Elliott (which was a pleasant surprise), showing Din Djarin and Grogu on a sleigh ride on the snowy planet of Hoth, pulled along by a number of tauntauns. The commercial is very much in the style of classic Super Bowl commercials of old, with Budweiser clydesdales plodding along, or new cars being advertised driving through snowy terrain. It felt very much like the classic Super Bowl commercials, and that’s exactly what Disney and Lucasfilm were going for with it.
The spot was directed by Jon Favreau and developed together with Industrial Light & Magic, creating a wholesome and simple look at the new movie with a brand new spot created just for the Super Bowl. It seems the idea was to pay homage to the commercials of the past, while reminding audiences (or telling them for the first time) that a movie with Grogu is coming.
Because make no mistake: Disney and Lucasfilm really seem to believe that cute little Grogu (and the Mandalorian alongside him) is going to be a big enough pull to get fans in theaters. There has been almost no hype about this movie whatsoever, combining Jon Favreau’s trademark secrecy with Lucasfilm’s puzzling promotional department. Disney knows that the die-hard Star Wars fans (like myself) will be there no matter what, and they seem to think that it’s more important to give casual audiences a few glimpses of Grogu than any semblance of idea about the plot. That might well work, but it’s a curious strategy.
“Our creative and marketing team landed on a unique concept that gave a nod to classic Big Game spots of years past,” Lucasfilm’s marketing brand lead Ryan Stankevich said. “It captured the warmth, humor, and emotional connection between these two beloved characters and was the perfect next step for our campaign as we lead up to their big screen debut this summer.”
It’s safe to say, though, that not everyone would call it “perfect”. SlashFilm called it “the worst Star Wars spot we’ve ever seen”. Yahoo described it as “bizarre”. Polygon called it “one huge disappointment”. Forbes said the movie is really “the hunt for any amount of hype”. ComicBook concluded that, “Disney is in danger of killing the next Star Wars movie”.
The way they’re approaching this movie, Lucasfilm seems extremely confident that this is going to be a big hit, as they’re relying on the Star Wars brand name and the cultural icon Grogu to get people back in theaters after over six years without a film. I’m hopeful it works, but there’s legitimate reason for concern, and only time will tell. All told, this is a brilliant commercial – if Star Wars was in a different place. If it aired and then said “watch the trailer online now”, or something like that, there’s zero issues! If Star Wars was still an annual hit that people counted on going to see, that would be different. If The Mandalorian had a proven track record at the box office, and not just on Disney+, that would be worthwhile. If Star Wars had a better reputation amongst average fans right now, this would make sense. But the Star Wars brand seems to be in a different spot than the company thinks it is. We’ll see if they’re right.
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