Disney and Lucasfilm have unveiled their new line of toys for the upcoming Rogue One: A Star Wars Story via a fan-made “Go Rogue” stop-motion short film featuring toys from Hasbro, LEGO, FUNKO, JAKKS Pacific, Mattel, and Disney Store.
A team of Star Wars superfans were brought in to create the short, which is the first in a series launching on the Star Wars YouTube channel, each one written, directed, and produced by fans.
In addition to the toy reveal, the short kicks off a global contest in which fans are invited to share their own short stories or skits set in a galaxy far, far away. Winning entries from around the globe will be chosen by a panel including Rogue One: A Star Wars Story director Gareth Edwards.
“The Go Rogue campaign was designed with Star Wars fans in mind – we want them to be front and center in the run-up to Rogue One’ by imagining and creating their own Rogue Stories,” said Jimmy Pitaro, Chairman, Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media.
The fan-created shorts begin rolling out on the Star Wars YouTube channel today, with new installments dropping through the month of September. The team was led by James DeJulio at crowdsourced studio Tongal, and the series was written by Kevin Ulrich and brought to life by stop-motion animators and directors Dan MacKenzie and Tucker Barrie.
The stories follow the adventures of Jyn Erso and friends as they try to track down the building instructions to the LEGO Star Wars Death Star set which have been misplaced by the Empire.
Fans will be able to pre-order many of the Rogue One toys beginning Friday, September 2, but you’ll have to wait until September 30, when the full line of new toys releases globally, to get your hands on them.
Here’s a look at more of the Rogue One: A Star Wars Story toy line…