Gremlins filmmaker Joe Dante claims The Mandalorian‘s Baby Yoda was “completely stolen” and “copied” from the design of the Gremlin creatures, in particular their leader Gizmo.
In an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle (via IndieWire), Dante said that the “baby”-like nature of Gizmo was key to the 1984 film’s longevity.
“I think the longevity of [the film] is really key to this one character [Gizmo], who is essentially like a baby,” Dante told the publication.
“Which brings me, of course, to the subject of Baby Yoda, who is completely stolen and is just out-and-out copied. Shamelessly, I would think.”
RadioTimes.com has reached out to Disney Plus representatives for comment.
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Dante worked on both the 1984 film and its 1990 sequel, and more recently served as a consultant on the upcoming HBO Max animated series, Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai.
Baby Yoda (or rather ‘Grogu’), an adorable child-like alien with huge eyes and protruding ears, was key to the success of The Mandalorian, leading to the creation of Baby Yoda merchandise and a sketch about the character on Saturday Night Live.
A spin-off series set in the Star Wars universe, The Mandalorian has been a major success-story for streamer Disney Plus, with a third season due to air next year in February 2023.
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