Over the past few years, we’ve seen Star Wars take some welcome steps forward with more female characters, merchandise, and collectibles. Now, they’re taking the galaxy far, far away a step further with Star Wars Forces of Destiny, a new initiative from Lucasfilm, Disney, and Hasbro that puts the badass ladies front and center in an exciting way. Ooh. Aah.
Star Wars Forces of Destiny is a multifaceted program centered around original, animated shorts. They’ll focus on acts of everyday heroism from characters such as Rey, Jyn Erso, Sabine Wren, Princess Leia, Ahsoka Tano, and more. And yes, all those characters will be voiced by actors you already know and love. That means Daisy Ridley as Rey, Felicity Jones as Jyn, and even Lupita Nyong’o as Maz Kanata, and of course Tiya Sircar and Ashley Eckstein will voice Sabine and Ahsoka. Take a look behind the scenes of the animated shorts:
The Forces of Destiny animated micro-series will air on Disney’s YouTube channel in July, and the shorts will be followed by a two-part TV special on Disney Channel in the fall, as well as book releases (you can see the book covers in the gallery below).
I like the focus on everyday acts of heroism. I think it’s important to see how even small decisions or actions can make a difference in shaping a character’s destiny.
But where does Hasbro fit in, you ask? They’re making 11 inch “adventure figures” featuring the characters seen in the animated shorts. They’ll be offering Rey, Jyn, Sabine, Leia, and some sidekicks (little BB-8!) and villains, oh my. The toys are getting a different name because they aren’t the traditional action figures or dolls you’re thinking of. They’re highly poseable with many points of articulation and have soft clothes and rooted hair. Oh, and they’re going to have some role play gear, including Rey’s staff!
The whole toy line sort of reminds me of what DC did with DC Super Hero Girls, and frankly, I’m glad the trend is catching on. I’m also glad to see Hasbro marketing these toys to everyone, because hey, Star Wars is for everyone.
What do you think about the look of the adventure figures? Are you intrigued by Forces of Destiny? Sound off in the comments.
Images: Hasbro
