Disney+ Surprise Release: THE FORCE AWAKENS FROM ITS NAP
Marvel Blog True Believers, Happy May the Fourth! Today, let’s take a short sojourn to a galaxy far, far away to celebrate some of the marvelous heroes at Star Wars, namely Luke Skywalker actor, Mark Hamill; Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge character, Vi Moradi; and The Simpsons journey to the other side of the galaxy.
I'm beginning to accept the fact that I'll probably never do another movie that gets its own day.#MayTheFourthBeWithYou_Once_In_A_Lifetime pic.twitter.com/R6CrudU2Qo
— Mark Hamill (@MarkHamill) May 4, 2021
As you celebrate May the Fourth, the once-unofficial but increasingly-official Star Wars holiday, you may want to consider checking out an exciting new short that was just added to Disney+: The Force Awakens From Its Nap! The short stars the most adorable version of The Punisher, Maggie Simpson, the youngest member of the family at 742 Evergreen Terrace on The Simpsons, this new cartoon is just what the Jedi Master ordered!
The Force Awakens From Its Nap. Photo: Disney+
The Force Awakens From Its Nap
Maggie Simpson was first introduced in cartoonist Matt Greoning’s animated segments for The Tracey Ullman Show, in a segment called “Good Night,” which first aired in 1987. However, when that segment ended, it was goodnight, but not goodbye for America’s favorite baby.
On December 17th, 1989, “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire,” the first episode of the half-hour The Simpsons we all know and love aired on FOX.
Photo: The Simpsons: Good Night (1987)
The show has been on the air ever since, and its current thirty-second season, which has included some marvelous cameos from some truly exciting guest stars, including Dr. Strange himself, Benedict Cumberbatch (as well as many, many Jedi-in-training).
Photo: Fox
In addition to the first thirty-one seasons of the series, two shorts starring Maggie have previously been posted to Disney+. Today, those 3-minute shorts are joined by a third, Star Wars-themed episode, in honor of May the Fourth! Every minute of this short was hilarious, but here at Marvel Blog, we especially appreciated The Mandalorian-style “concept art” that appeared over the closing credits.
Showrunner and executive producer Al Jean spoke to Josh Weiss at SyFy Wire about bringing the short to Disney+ for May the Fourth! Jean said that he hoped to capture “the whole history of the movies and the TV shows” in the short, with one of the producer’s favorite elements being the end The Mandalorian-inspired credits.
The Force Awakens From Its Nap. Photo: Disney+
“We pay a lot of tribute to The Mandalorian, which I think was just an incredible reimagining of the franchise and being able to see all these possibilities for what’s gonna happen in the future,” Jean says.
A Galaxy Not-So-Far Away
The connection between Marvel Comics and Star Wars may be more significant than you think!
Star Wars creator George Lucas worked closely with Marvel Comics to ensure that his 1977 space opera had a comic book tie-in, with the first issues being published in April, before Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) appeared on the big screen in May.
Photo: Marvel Star Wars
If you’d like to read some Star Wars comics today, there are many, many, many issues available and waiting for you on the Marvel Unlimited App! While there are no real bad Star Wars comics, we strongly recommend Doctor Aphra, who was first introduced in Darth Vader – read more about how to find her origins here.
May The Fourth Be With You!
How are you celebrating May the Fourth, Marvel Blog True Believers? If you couldn’t head to the Disney Resort yourself our good friends at MagicalNewsLive are streaming from Galaxy’s Edge today for May the Fourth! We’re waiting to hear from you! Give us a shout in the comments section.
TIME CHANGE!
Our stream will now start one hour earlier at 4pm ET!
Use this link to join us live for a fun evening of lightsaber and droid fun! https://t.co/KuZXaBhoVo pic.twitter.com/QQ1fEhwB3H
— Nick (@MagicalNewsLIVE) May 4, 2021
