Why did George Lucas allow the Star Wars Holiday Special to take place? A Disturbance in the Force does a deep dive into the 1978 special watched by millions and then locked away in a vault, never to be screened again.
“After almost 45 years of being the butt of jokes, we had to unlock all the secrets behind the Holiday Special. Its influence on pop culture has only increased over the last two decades and, also, add the fact that it is a part of the Star Wars filmography – and a hidden one at that – only adds to its mystique. Now is finally the time after all these years to get answers about how the Holiday Special happened,” explained co-directors and producers Jeremy Coon and Steve Kozak.
A Disturbance in the Force features interviews with Seth Green, Weird Al Yankovic, Paul Scheer, Taran Killam, Patton Oswalt, and Donny Osmond. Plus, Gilbert Gottfried, Bonnie Burton, Bruce Vilanch, and Steve Binder.
“No one can deny its strange existence within today’s fan culture, but if we take some time to reflect on what was happening in the late 70s when this unique piece aired — only then would you start to understand why it exists,” stated Coon and Kozak. “Context is key and regardless of your opinion of the Holiday Special, much worse shows aired around the same time. Take a step back in time to the pre-Empire Strikes Back era when variety television was still king and Star Wars hadn’t yet become the force it is today. That is the journey we took with our documentary and, oh boy, were there some hilarious discoveries along the way.”
September Club and Giant Pictures are releasing A Disturbance in the Force on digital on December 5, 2023.
The Plot:
From the filmmakers behind Napoleon Dynamite and Raiders! The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made, comes A Disturbance in the Force, the documentary about the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special. In 1977, Star Wars became a cultural phenomenon that single-handedly revitalized a stagnant film industry, and forever changed how films were sold, made, and marketed. In 1978, filmmaker George Lucas was talked into cashing in on the Star Wars craze by producing a holiday variety TV special. What could possibly go wrong? ANSWER: Everything…
CBS aired the two-hour Star Wars Holiday Special during the week of Thanksgiving and it was watched by 13 million people. It never re-aired. While some fans of the franchise are aware of this dark secret, this bizarre two hours of television still remains relatively unknown among the general public. Simply put, the documentary will answer how and why the Holiday Special got made.
