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The Force Awakens from Its Nap
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Wikipedia article
'Maggie Simpson in "The Force Awakens from Its Nap"', known simply as 'The Force Awakens from Its Nap' is an animated short film based on the television series 'The Simpsons'. The short was released on May 4, 2021, on Disney+ in celebration of 'Star Wars' Day.
It is the third short film featuring Maggie Simpson, following 'The Longest Daycare' (2012) and 'Playdate with Destiny' (2020). This promotional short is the first of several from 'The Simpsons' that Disney+ released throughout 2021, to tie in with the service's marquee brands and titles.
Plot
Maggie Simpson goes on a quest for her stolen pacifier, but her adventure brings her face-to-face with young Padawans, Sith Lords, familiar droids, Rebel scum, and an ultimate battle against the Dark Side.
Production
The idea behind a 'Star Wars' short starring Maggie Simpson came up in January 2021. As the Disney+ 'Simpsons' library was well received, executive producer James L. Brooks proposed to do a series of shorts where the show interacted with other franchises available in the streaming service. Showrunner Al Jean, a long-time 'Star Wars' fan, pitched the idea of making a 'Star Wars'-centric short in which Maggie is sent to a Jedi preschool. Two shorts starring Maggie, 'The Longest Daycare' and 'Playdate with Destiny', had been previously produced in 2012 and 2020. Both Lucasfilm Ltd. and Disney+ showed enthusiasm for the idea, and asked the 'Simpsons' crew to have the short ready for May 4, 2021, given how "'Star Wars' Day" is celebrated on that date.
Jean wrote the script along with Joel Cohen and Mike Price and the 'Simpsons' director David Silverman directed the short. The first draft for the short was ready by January 18. They worked closely with Lucasfilm throughout the short's development, providing suggestions and making sure that the 'Simpsons' crew used the full universe of their characters. Among the characters included in the short as a "Darth Maul Baby" and BB-8, but Grogu (better known as "Baby Yoda") was only referenced yet not included, as Jean felt that the character is probably the most sought-after of Disney, so they did not want him to be overexposed. The Lucasfilm team also helped them to transliterate the chalkboard writing to Aurebesh. The short was finished on April 30, four days before its release date.
Reception
Critical reception
Rich Knight of 'Cinema Blend' ranked 'Maggie Simpson in "The Force Awakens from Its Nap"' third in their top of The Simpsons Short, acknowledged the references to the 'Star Wars' franchise, and praised the humor and the gags of the animated short film, despite stating that 'The Force Awakens from Its Nap' does not offer much of a story. Eden Arnold of 'Bleeding Cool' found the short film to be an endearing celebration of 'Star Wars' Day, while saying it shows off Disney's properties. Raul Velasquez of 'TheGamer.com' complimented the humor of the short film, stating it manages to be a cheerful and carefree short that is funny enough to entertain 'Star Wars' fans, and claimed that the crossover manages to capture the humor of 'The Simpsons' franchise at the same time.John Schwarz of 'Bubbleblabber' gave 'The Force Awakens from Its Nap' an nine out of ten stating "The David Silverman-directed short was partly written by Michael Price which is a perfect choice given that the longtime producer for 'The Simpsons' is also a 'Star Wars' encyclopedia having done other parodies for different networks. With Marvels 'What If?' coming in August, theres already talk of there being a Marvel crossover with 'The Simpsons' similar to this, and with this being very well done, fans should be excited about the limitless opportunities the co-productions can bring to the table'.'"
Accolades
References
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