The Story of the Faithful Wookiee is an animated short featured in the Star Wars Holiday Special, and it’s known for having the first appearance of Boba Fett. The variety show, which premiered in 1978 on TV, was controversial for its time because of how it handled the Star Wars property. George Lucas was even disappointed by it, and the show never aired again or was released on home video. However, fans who want to watch the animated short can now watch it on Disney+.

Nerd Reactor had the chance to chat with producers Clive A. Smith and Michael Hirsh of Nelvana, a Canadian animation studio that worked on The Story of the Faithful Wookiee and the Star Wars animated series, Ewoks and Droids. The two talked about why George Lucas chose them over a bigger animation studio like Hanna-Barbera, how nerve-wracking it was to present in front of Lucas and his team, their favorite actors to work with including Anthony Daniels and Don Francks, and many more.

Michael Hirsh and Clive A. Smith will be at Star Wars Celebration Japan, which will be held at the Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan, from April 18-20, 2025. Their panel will be held on Saturday, April 19, from 10:30 am to 11:30 am at the University Stage. The duo will discuss their experiences working with George Lucas and the animated short, and the Nerd Reactor interview is a taste of things to come.

Special guests to appear at Star Wars Celebration Japan include Diego Luna, Hayden Christensen, Mads Mikkelsen, Anthony Daniels, Oscar Isaac, Rosario Dawson, Ashley Eckstein, Manny Jacinto, Ahmed Best, Sam Witwer, Temuera Morrison and many more.