posted on by Ken Iikura-Gross
Actor Hideaki Itō narrates short that spans 48 years
TM & © Lucasfilm Ltd.
The Star Wars franchise released a new animated “Okaeri, Star Wars” (Welcome Back, Star Wars) short on Friday, one week before the saga returns to theaters with The Mandalorian and Grogu film. Japanese actor Hideaki Itō (live-action Umizaru, Sukiyaki Western Django, Terraformars) narrates this story of passing Star Wars from parent to child.
The short opens with a boy catching the first Star Wars film at the Nichigeki — the real-life Tokyo theater (as seen and destroyed in several Godzilla films) that gave Star Wars its splashy Japanese premiere in 1978. The boy then starts collecting the theatrical pamphlets, Kenner action figures, and even bottle caps before watching Return of the Jedi on his first date in 1983. He takes his son to see his first film, The Phanom Menace, in 1999, and his son becomes a huge fan with The Force Awakens in 2015. In 2026, three generations of fans watch Star Wars‘ return to theaters.
The Mandalorian and Grogu is set to open in Japan and the United States on May 22. It is the first Star Wars film to open in theaters since 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker. Jon Favreau directs this film starring Pedro Pascal as Din Djarin/The Mandalorian, Jeremy Allen White as Rotta the Hutt, and Sigourney Weaver as Ward.
