Star Wars fans divided over Wes Anderson-inspired AI film trailer

A fan-made clip titled ‘The Galactic Menagerie’ imagines Star Wars through the eyes of Wes Anderson

A Star Wars trailer in the style of director Wes Anderson has stoked debate among fans of both the sci-fi franchise and the filmmaker himself.

In recent weeks, content creators have been taking part in the trend of making videos that resemble Anderson’s directorial style.

Elements of an Anderson-esque video include symmetrical compositions, people staring directly into the camera, pastel colour palettes, and the use of quirky humour.

A fan-made trailer posted on the Curious Refuge YouTube channel shows Star Wars as part of this trend, in a video for a fictional project called The Galactic Menagerie.

The minute-long clip introduces familiar characters such as Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader.

Through AI-generated animation, the likenesses of actors such as Scarlett Johansson, Owen Wilson and Jeff Goldblum are included as part of the trailer.

“Watch as they navigate the Galactic Menagerie, a universe filled with eccentric creatures, charming droids, and peculiar locations reminiscent of Anderson’s beloved films such as Moonrise Kingdom and The Grand Budapest Hotel,” the video description explains.

Since the video was published on Friday (28 April), it has racked up more than 285,000 views on YouTube and upwards of two million views on Twitter.

Many have responded with enthusiasm at the combination of such distinct entities in the trailer.

“Utterly brilliant,” wrote one fan, while another added: “Wow, I need this in my life – this would be actually fun to watch.”

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“The detail in this is astounding,” reads another complimentary response. “I actually thought this was a Wes Anderson short. Very, very well done!”

The Galactic Menagerie (YouTube / Curious Refuge)

Still, there are some who aren’t quite as convinced by the clip.

“Yeah, I’ve never seen this side of Star Wars before! I hope it stays that way,” wrote one critical viewer.

Another claimed that “the lack of humanity, artistry, and soul is almost tangible” in the video, while a different Twitter user took issue with how this trend can be seen as reductive to Anderson’s practice.

“I love that the entirety of Wes Anderson’s films can apparently be boiled down to pastel colours, symmetrical framing and Futura font,” the critic wrote. “Must be wonderful to have your entire career become a meme.”