Summary
The Mandalorian & Groguis sure to excite fans of the Disney+ show, but a recently revealed addition will likely also excite a different group of Disney fans, as they’ll be seeing a familiar sight when the film hits theaters next year.
When it was revealed thatThe Mandalorian’sthree-season run on Disney+ would be followed up by a feature film in place of a fourth season, fans were skeptical at first but soon began to see the vision. While the show had the sort of unfocused feel of a Western week-to-week, a return to the big screen would certainly be a better way to tell one well-paced, singularly focused adventure story featuring the show’s two main characters. In addition toThe Mandalorian & Grogubringing back characters from the show for the movie, a bunch of debuts were set up for new characters, includingbringing back an obscureStar Warsvillainthat longtime fans of the franchise will certainly look forward to seeing in live action.
As the big-screen return of the franchise following years of only releasing Disney+ projects,The Mandalorian & Groguwill see a lot of additions to the lore and world-building ofStar Wars,including new technological marvels befitting the science fiction juggernaut. Whilethe titular Mandalorian himself is no fan of droids, Din Djarin and Grogu will be joined on their upcoming theatrical adventure by the live-action debut of one of the franchise’s most adorable mechanical creations. As revealed duringThe Walt Disney Company’s2025 Annual Meeting of Shareholders Webcast,the BDX droids that the company created for theStar Wars: Galaxy’s Edgepark exhibitions will be making an appearance in the upcomingThe Mandalorian & Groguwhen it hits theaters next year.
You Know You Just Want To Cuddle Up With A BDX Droid
The BDX droids are an interesting addition to live-action as they’ve appeared in one majorStar Warsproject already. While made for the park, the droids are related to Cal Cestis’ BD-1 droid companion from theStar Wars Jedigames. Fans of the game series will already know thatBD-1 is one of the franchise’s most intelligent droids, but the BDX animatronic units at Galaxy’s Edge are made with the utmost focus on cuteness. While the droids are remote-controlled, their motions and habits in response to control inputs were modeled on ducklings in the real world, training the droids on how to walk, jump, dance, and more, just like those real-world baby animals do. The end result has been a small army of the most adorable, lifelike little machines thatStar Warsfans have ever seen. The remote control capabilities also make them a real standout choice for a movie, as having pre-made droids to add to the movie is much more workable than CGI or having to create RC droids from scratch.
Fans are sure to enjoy the addition, and it might just be more fitting than other options considering the film’s position. It’s recently been reported thatThe Mandalorian & Groguhit a worrying snagconcerning its budget, which is rumored to be worryingly small for a theatricalStar Warsproject. While there’s something to be said about the show’s grounded tone playing a part in that by potentially sparing the production some post-processing costs, the BDX droids being practical and remote-controlled now seems even more of a heaven-send in light of the constraints.
The Mandalorianis available to stream on Disney+, withThe Mandalorian & Groguset for theatrical release on June 23, 2025.
