Hollywood Director Says Baby Yoda On Disney's 'Mandalorian' Was 'Completely Stolen' From This 1984 Hit

Baby Yoda of “The Mandalorian” series on Disney+, a unit of Walt Disney Co DIS, is “completely stolen” from Gizmo of the “Gremlins” films, said director Joe Dante.

What Happened: Dante, who directed the 1984 film “Gremlins” and its 1990 sequel “Gremlins 2: The New Batch,” brought up Baby Yoda in a recent interview with The San Francisco Chronicle. 

Dante said that Baby Yoda is “completely stolen and is just out-and-out copied. Shamelessly, I would think.”

The director attributed the longevity of the Gremlins films to Gizmo who he said was “essentially like a baby,” according to the Chronicle. 

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Why It Matters: The Mandalorian premiered on Disney+ when the streaming service was launched in 2019.

The Mandalorian was the second most popular digital series in the United States in 2021 after Netflix Inc’s NFLX “The Stranger Things,” according to data from Statista. 

The Gremlins are also set to leave their mark on streaming. Warner Bros Discovery Inc’s WBD streaming service HBO Max is all set to introduce an animated series called “Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai” this fall, reported the Chronicle.

Dante is reportedly a consultant for the upcoming series and was present at the world premiere of the first episode at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France in June.

Price Action: On Friday, Disney shares closed 3.2% higher at $94.80 in the regular session and rose 0.35% in the after-hours trading, according to data from Benzinga Pro. 
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