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 (NYSE: 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 (NASDAQ: 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 (NASDAQ: 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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