VOTD: Summer ‘78, A Short Film About A Boy And His ‘Star Wars’ Toys
Summer ‘78is a short film that played at Disney’s Star Wars Weekends 2015. The filmmaker says the short film is “about the power of imagination.” At its core, the Summer 78 short film is about a young boy growing up in the late 1970s, playing with his favoriteStar Warstoys, creating short 8mm movies with elaborate recreations in his backyard. Hit the jump to watch the Summer 78 short film now.
I wasn’t alive in 1978, but I relate to the story at the core of this short film. I think anyone who has grown up with Star Wars toys can somewhat relate, maybe not to the 8mm filmmaking component, but to the magic of play and the imagination of childhood. I grew up during there VHS revolution, and even then not everything was available in your living room and recreating your favorite moments from films you saw on the big screen in your backyard was as good as it got.
Yes, Summer 78 is very nostalgic and cheesy and I’m not going to try to make excuses for it, but if you’re a Star Wars fan, its definitely worth watching. And if you start watching, ensure you make it all the way to the ending to find out how the story turns out — I don’t want to spoil it for you as its a fun homage.
The short film is directed byJ.C. Reifenberg, who is a director/producer on the Star Wars news update webseriesThe Comlinkand has directed and produced a bunch of Kevin Smith projects likeJay & Silent Bob Get OldandYoga Hosers. The short is produced byJames Arnold Taylor, a prolific voice actor who you might know as the voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi and others inStar Wars: The Clone WarsandStar Wars: Rebels. And I also love the Summer ‘78 poster illustrated byChris Dee. The voice of the mom in the short is provided byCatherine Taber, the voice of Padme Amidala in the animated series. =
Okay lets talk spoilers….
Yes, the boy at the center of this short film’s story is supposed to beJ.J. Abrams, the director of the highly anticipated next installment of the Star Wars sagaStar Wars: The Force Awakens. Reifenberg debuted the short online onMashableand revealed that he grew up in the same part of Los Angeles as Abrams and shot the short in that area. Some of the short’s fun easter eggs include:
