A Closer Look at "The Mandalorian," A Disney+ Original and Star Wars Story

Season 1 of “The Mandalorian” ends on a thrilling note, while setting up an exciting start for Season 2’s premiere

Disney’s streaming show, “The Mandalorian,” an original spin-off from the Star Wars franchise, written and produced by Jon Favreau, known for “Ironman” and “The Lion King,” is action-packed while still offering strong characters. The series also has helped Disney position itself, along with its library of popular favorites, in the competitive world of streaming video today. The show ranked number one in online streaming in the United States in 2019, dethroning Netflix’s popular series “Stranger Things” and competing neck to neck with “The Witcher,” which ranks number one worldwide in streaming video. The last episode and season finale maintained the momentum from the prior week’s episode to end on a high note.

star-wars_the-mandalorian_4c_one_sheet_27x40_art_layers_15f7f244.jpeg — The Mandalorian

“The Mandalorian” is set after the fall of the Empire and before the emergence of the First Order and follows the life of a lone gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy.

Strong Characters, Compelling Story Line, Live Action and Unexpected Moments

Notable for its distinct style, with a different director for each episode, “The Mandalorian” is a story about a lone gunfighter, nicknamed “Mando” in a lawless galaxy. Mando wears a metal mask that he does not take off — part of the Mandalorian tradition that Mando defends by saying, “This is the way.” The series is full of heroism, sacrifice, excitement and humor with enough adventure and surprise moments to keep your eyes glued to the screen.

The show introduced a baby Yoda character at the end of the first episode. Soon after the surprising reveal, Baby Yoda quickly stole hearts all over the Internet — attracting both diehard fans of the original Star Wars franchise as well as new audiences drawn to the charming and quirky character.

Disney is also in the process of building out a Mando costumed character meet and greet at Disney Parks, according to In The Know.

“So, the reality is that we feel it’s really important for our guests at the parks to be able to meet all of our key characters on a first-hand, personal basis. And so it’s something we’re working on. We think it’s appropriate, and I think it’s something the guests at the parks can look forward to in the very near future.”

— Paul Southern, VP of Licensing, LucasFilm

The first season of “The Mandalorian” builds upon the Star Wars mythology, but offers its own take with new characters and new worlds to explore. Instead of rehashing existing stories, the new series has its own refreshing perspective. One of the references to prior series and spinoffs is the dark saber, a favorite of executive producer Dave Filoni, known for his production of “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” series. Revealed in the last episode, the dark saber is a unique black-bladed lightsaber that belonged to the first Mandalorian Jedi and well known to aficionados of that Star Wars series. The character of Moff Gideon played by Giancarlo Esposito, appears out of the fiery wreckage of a spaceship carrying the black-bladed lightsaber in his hand at the end of the episode, leaving some mystery and questions behind. What are his intentions towards Baby Yoda, whom he has been pursuing at all costs? The answer may be Machiavellian, but his uncanny knowledge of the Mandalorian creed leaves questions for audiences to think about before the next season. The ending hints at an impending struggle and suggests that Gideon’s mysterious relationship to the Jedi will also be revealed in Season 2.

Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) in “The Mandalorian.” Image via Disney

The series introduces new characters in memorable scenes from the Child or Baby Yoda who uses the Force to stop a flamethrower to the droid IG-II who sacrifices himself to stop Stormtroopers and to protect the Child and of course, the Mandalorian, played by Pedro Pascal, whose face is obscured by his metal knight-like mask throughout the season until the very end, where both his face and name are revealed. He also gets to fly a jetpack, revealing director Jon Favreau’s skills in storytelling and entertainment, similar to his creation of “Ironman” in the Marvel cinematic universe. Just as Mando cuts down the TIE Fighter spaceship flown by Moff Gideon and flies away with his jet pack, Moff Gideon fights his way through out of the debris, holding the dark saber in hand. The last episode of the “The Mandalorian,” titled “Chapter 8: Redemption,” offers thrills and adventures, ending with drama and emotional rewards that leave you both curious and eager for the next episodes.

“The Mandalorian” offers a big budget, high adventure and live action streaming Star Wars series that is hard to match. Each character gets his or her time in the spotlight — enough to discover what makes the character tick and stand out. The series has a variety of diverse locations and battle scenes occurring outside, inside cramped locations and in the sky. From bounty hunters to droids, Storm Troopers, Baby Yoda and Mando’s Lone Ranger appeal, “The Mandalorian” entices with its range of compelling characters. The series had a few slow moments midseason, but recovered its momentum in the last few episodes to end with a spectacular finish. With a superb storyline and dramatic finish, “The Mandalorian” sets up high anticipation for Season 2 and enthusiasm for next installments.

Finally, it would be hard to not acknowledge the gorgeously designed credits for the series — works of art in and of themselves. Take a look!

Grade: A-

A Month Into Its Launch, Disney Reveals Its Long Range Prowess as Disney+ Ties Into Theme Parks and More

With 10 million downloads on launch day Nov 12th, Disney+ offers a sweeping challenge to its primary competitor, Netflix

Disney+ Ties into the Company’s Rich History of Storytelling, its Theme Parks, Live Entertainment and More

Disney stands apart from other streaming services in offering theme parks and live entertainment for consumers directly that tie into its new video streaming service, Disney+. Guests who visit Walt Disney World Resort in Florida can enjoy live shows and entertainment from DJ dance parties to kid parties, costumes, photo ops, themed food and beverage, and unique merchandising for original shows such as The Mandalorian at Keystone Clothiers, Star Wars Launch Bay and Tatooine Traders at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. New guests and existing fans of Disney can also sign up for Disney+ at any of its theme parks or stores. www.disneyplus.com

“Disney Plus is the future of our company.”

— Disney

Disney also offers new videos sharing the company’s history of original storytelling and its founder, Walt Disney’s vision.

“There’s no real secret about our approach. We keep moving forward.”

— Walt Disney, founder of Disney

Ad-Free and Affordable with 10 Million Downloads on Launch Day

Unlike the video streaming platforms Hulu and ESPN+, both of which Disney has a stake in, Disney+ is completely ad-free. Back in April of this year, Disney CEO Bob Iger shared more specifics about Disney+, the company’s new online video streaming service at the end of the investor call.

Disney+ is not the company’s first streaming platform as the company already successfully launched ESPN+, the sports-centric video streaming service earlier this year in April, built on technology developed by BAMTech, an arm of the Major League Baseball Advanced Media www.mlb.com that develops direct-to-consumer streaming technology.

Hot on the heels of Apple TV+ launch on November 1st and premiering at $7/month on November 12th of this year, Disney+ secured over ten million downloads on launch day — an unparalleled feat for any online video streaming service and outperforming analyst expectations by over two million, according to The Wall Street Journal. Disney+ offers a seven-day free trial before payment commences. The service is a discount compared to Netflix’s lowest tier that starts at $9/month.

After demand exceeded expectations, Disney+ suffered some launch problems such as slowed streaming and users being pushed out of the app for several hours — something that did not go unnoticed by rivals in the increasingly competitive online video streaming direct to consumer space. Nonetheless, this is expected to be remedied and managed well as the company’s new service continues to expand to households worldwide. HBO Max from AT&T and Peacock from Comcast also debuted soon after Disney+, showing how eager companies are to offer consumers direct entertainment online. Despite its technical glitches and its entry into an increasingly crowded space of entertainment options, Disney+ stands apart because of its large content library of original content, existing popularity, global reach and scale. To put it in perspective, HBO Now took three years to reach 5 million subscribers — something Disney+ achieved in half a day on launch.

Verizon has also offered a full year of free Disney+ service to all subscribers on its unlimited plan. Ronan Dunne, CEO of Verizon Consumer Group, reported that Verizon has approximately 100 million total wireless subscribers, of which half — 50 million — are on unlimited plans, according to Variety.

Impressive Lineup of Content: Exclusive Home of Disney Favorites, New Movies and Shows, Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars and National Geographic

With almost 500 movies and 7,500 original shows, Disney+ comes in strong with a massive content library that includes both new and old Disney favorites previously not available on streaming networks, new movies and original shows in development and the full catalog of original content from its acquisitions of Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic.

While the entire catalog of each entertainment brand in the Disney portfolio is not available immediately as some still have existing contracts with Netflix that will expire in three years, Disney+ does include popular favorites like the entire first two Star Wars trilogies and the newer movies “Force Awakens” and “Rogue One” as well as Marvel’s “Captain Marvel” and “Avengers: Endgame.” Also with its acquisition of Fox, Disney now is the sole distributor of “The Simpsons” series.

Disney+ Worldwide Rollout In Stages

Disney+ will roll out worldwide in stages, as revealed during its investor call over the next two years.

Currently, Disney+ is available in the United States, Canada and the Netherlands. Disney+ will launch in Western Europe on March 31st. This includes the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and other areas. The service is slated to roll out in Eastern Europe and Latin America starting in October 2020 and in Asia Pacific in progressive stages over the next two years.

The Mandalorian: A New Era for Star Wars

Disney+ offers an original spin-off from the Star Wars franchise with “The Mandalorian,” written and produced by Jon Favreau, known for “Ironman” and “The Lion King.” Each episode has a different director. “The Mandalorian” is a story about a lone gunfighter in a lawless galaxy. It also introduces a baby Yoda character, who has already stolen hearts all over the Internet, propelling searches for baby Yoda toys right before Christmas. Baby Yoda not only appeals to fans of the adult Yoda created by Daniel Oz in the original Star War series, but has enthralled new audiences in a charming way that only Yoda can.

How to Stream Disney+

Disney offers many ways to stream its new popular video service via smartphones, tablets, computers, connected TVs and also streaming media. The company has agreements in place with numerous tech companies such as Apple, Google and Microsoft as well as TV and streaming media service companies such as Sony and Roku. Disney also has recently expanded Disney+ to Amazon, Samsung and LG. Thus you can watch Disney+ using any of these methods below:

Roku's boxes, sticks and TVs
Apple TV, iPhone and iPad
Smartphones and TVs running on Android operating systems and Chromecast streamers
Xbox One
PlayStation 4
Amazon Fire TV devices
Samsung smart TVs
LG smart TVs

Product Features

Disney + offers features such as:

streaming 4K Ultra HD content in Dolby Vision, HDR10 and Dolby Atmos immersive audio
simultaneous streaming to 4 devices
creation of 7 user profiles for 1 account with over 200 avatars available
unlimited mobile downloads for offline viewing for up to 10 mobile devices
English, Spanish, French and Dutch at launch with audio support and subtitles
support for closed captioning, descriptive audio and navigation assistance for subscribers with disabilities

Every week, we’ll feature an in-depth review of one Disney+ original show, allowing for at least five to five episodes to be live first, before we offer any perspective on it. Enjoy! In the meantime, go ahead and sign up for Disney+ at www.disneyplus.com and try it out for the first week. Share your feedback or ideas you want to share about this post at hello@elf.agency.

Profile: Walt Disney - It All Began With a Mouse

Known for his classic films that brightened everyone’s childhoods, wildly entertaining theme parks and popular movies today that carry his name, Walt Disney undoubtedly altered our culture forever and inspired countless artists and storytellers worldwide. Let’s take a closer look.

“If you can dream it, you can do it. Always remember that this whole thing was started with a dream and a mouse.”

— Walt Disney

There were loud, audible gasps from the audience and then laughs and shrieks as Steamboat Willie, a short black and white animated film kept going on. The audience was transfixed watching a little mouse drive a steamboat and see his various shenanigans along the way. No one got up to leave. “Who created this?” someone from the audience shouted as the short film ended to a loud round of applause.

A man seated in the back of the movie theater, who had created this cartoon character, laughed too. Walter Elias Disney, better known as Walt Disney, would end up winning 22 Academy Awards and being nominated an additional 59 more times for his innovative animations and motion-picture cartoon films. Few individuals have inspired the hearts and minds of so many children and adults alike, creating memorable and beloved characters that outlive their time period and persist in the imagination and popular culture as Walt Disney did.

Born on December 5, 1901, in Hermosa, Illinois, Walt Disney, would later become a world-famous animator and pioneer of cartoon movies. Walt created the cartoon character Mickey Mouse and founded the motion-picture company, Walt Disney Productions with his brother Roy and the founder of the theme parks Disneyland and Walt Disney World. He was both an exceptional leader and innovative artist. Beyond his animations and movies, Disney was also a successful entrepreneur, inspiring leader and excellent communicator. He inspired countless others to follow their hearts and be bold in pursuing their ideas. Here are nine essential lessons we have learned from this world-famous, beloved storyteller, animator, producer and entrepreneur.

1. Do Work You Love

Work consumes a large part of your life. Hence doing work that you have a natural passion for, is advisable.

“Money doesn’t excite me- my ideas excite me.”

— Walt Disney

From an early age, Walt loved to draw. He spent countless hours drawing and doodling as a child, giving his drawings away to neighbors and friends. In between odd jobs, Walt would draw and sell his pictures. He took drawing and photography classes at McKinley High School in Chicago and contributed cartoons for the school paper, while taking night classes at the Chicago Art Institute. He dropped out of school to go to the Army, but was considered underage and was turned down. Walt instead joined the Red Cross, working as an ambulance driver for a year in France. He returned home in 1919, pursuing a career as a newspaper artist. Walt never lost his love for drawing and storytelling through visual mediums despite taking on odd jobs. He was determined to create cartoons and draw for a living and that persistence paid off. Walt was incredibly successful in life, pursuing his passion and his legacy lives on through the production company and theme parks he founded.

2. Commit: Take Your Work Seriously

Yes, you got to have strong passion for your work to continue to do it year after year. But passion alone is not enough and your love for an idea or creating something, does not mean it is necessarily what anyone else wants. If you blindly pursue your own interests without any attention to what people want, you can have personal satisfaction, but you will find difficulty in making a career out of it. You have to focus that passion and pursue your passion in avenues that people are eager to engage with and want. This thinking is similar to our business model approach , where you find the intersection between what you love to do, what you are good at and what people pay you well to do.

“You don’t build it for yourself. You know what people want and you build it for them.”

— Walt Disney

Walt Disney was committed to his work. He was focused and paid careful attention to details. Disney was very talented, but he did not take that ability for granted. He did not procrastinate for hours on end or avoid pursuing his passion with excuses. He took the initiative to follow his ideas, creating them carefully. He applied himself.

“When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionably.”

— Walt Disney

3. Have Initiative

Disney knew he had a talent for drawing, animation and storytelling. He was eager to use new technologies and already had success winning the loyalties and affections of audiences through his own cartoon series and ideas he had pitched. But to take the plunge of launching your own business and putting your time, money and reputation on the line, is no small feat for anyone, especially when you are pursuing a path that has not been charted out before. Disney was a pioneer and he was unabashedly so. While he was considered a shy, reserved man in private, Disney did not hesitate to pursue commercial opportunities and market his ideas to grow his business. He had strong initiative.

“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.”

— Walt Disney

4. Persist and Overcome Failures

Success did not happen immediately. It took persistence and commitment over a long period of time. Walt got a job at an art studio after he returned from his service with the Red Cross in 1919 and began experimenting with his own animations. He started his own cartoon animation series, Laugh-O-Grams with a friend, Fred Harman, whom he had hired previously. While the series was very popular, the company itself was not financially stable and went bankrupt after just one year. Disney moved to Hollywood, CA, with his brother Roy and started their own Disney Brother Studios.

Upon arrival in California, Disney succeeded in getting his first deal to create a new cartoon character, Alice and a series of shorts at $1,500 each for a New York distributor Margaret Winkler and her husband, Charles Mintz. Disney also created his own character Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, but unfortunately was unable to use the concept as the couple stole the copyright. Despite these setbacks, Disney did not give up. He went to work immediately to create an entirely new character, called Mickey Mouse. He made two short films, Plane Crazy and The Gallopin' Gaucho, with Mickey Mouse, but failed to win distribution. Filmmakers were just starting to experiment with adding sound to film and Disney hopped on the bandwagon, creating a short film with sound, starring Mickey Mouse called Steamboat Willie. Walt became the new voice for Mickey and the cartoon was an instant sensation. Disney’s persistence and hard work had paid off.

In 1929, Disney also created Silly Symphonies, featuring Mickey's new friends Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy and Pluto. The first color cartoon, Flowers and Trees, went on to win an Oscar. In 1933, Disney produced The Three Little Pigs whose title song "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?" would become a theme for the country in the midst of the Great Depression. Disney’s commercial success even though the country was in a depression was remarkable.

Eight years later on December 21, 1937, Disney premiered Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the first full-length animated film, in Los Angeles. The animated color film with sound produced a whopping $1.499 million, despite the Great Depression, winning hearts and minds all over the country and raking in eight Oscars.

5. Embrace New Technology

During the 1920s and 1930s, technology such as Technicolor and sound were considered daring, risky and were even opposed by actors and directors. Despite this resistance in Hollywood, audiences would soon embrace talking pictures or “talkies” as predicted by Wesley Stout of the Saturday Evening Post in 1929. Film innovators like Disney benefited by adopting the new technology.

Walt Disney created the first full full-length animated movie, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which went on to become one of the most popular movies of its time. Disney was also the first Hollywood studio executive who was willing to work with television. He shared the “Mickey Mouse Club” on television, which children loved. The Disney brand grew in popularity through the television show and made an indelible positive impression on children everywhere.

6. Don’t Worry About Naysayers and What Everyone Else Thinks

Taking advice and letting other people make decisions for you are not the same thing. If you let someone else make your decisions for you, it becomes very difficult for you to express your own abilities and ideas. When Disney proposed his idea for the Snow White project, a full-length feature animated movie, animators, producers and directors opposed the idea, saying that it was not commercially viable and would be a disaster among audiences. His wife and brother were also apprehensive and did their best to convince him to drop the project. Half-way through the movie production, Disney ran out of money but he did not quit. He took the raw film with him and showed clips to new producers, seeking out funding. Eventually, he did secure funding, thus saving both his film and his studio. Disney was also advised to not mix human actors with animated characters as he did on television shows and that having a mouse character would scare away women. In addition to his friends, family and colleagues being worried about his ideas for theme parks, Disney faced financial disappointments when he aimed to get funding. Despite his commercial success with numerous movies, Disney was turned down over 300 times about his theme park concept, until he cemented a deal with television studios.

Aren’t you glad that Disney did not take those words too seriously and did not give up even when practically everyone he met, told him that his ideas would not work? His response was, “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.”

“It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.”

— Walt Disney

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs via Disney

When Disney finally premiered Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in Los Angeles, CA, the movie received a standing ovation. The film garnered $1.5 million during the Great Depression, an incredible feat that showed how compelling Disney’s characters were and how audiences loved the movie’s storytelling, use of color and sound. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was also the first film ever to have its own complete merchandising campaign in place when the movie was released.

The tremendous success of the film enabled him to continue his dream and finance new feature films. After all that he had gone through, Disney could have taken his large profits and gone on to other things like numerous artists and entrepreneurs have done. He did not though because his dream was much bigger and he still had a lot that he wanted to achieve.

7. Don’t Rest on Your Laurels, Keep Going

Walt Disney did not settle with his first success of Snow White, but immediately began his next projects - Pinocchio, Fantasia, Bambi and more. After creating his iconic character Mickey Mouse, Disney went on to create additional characters, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Pluto and many more. He also kept refining his characters so they would continually improve.

Walt Disney Studios would go on to make a string of full-length animated films, Pinocchio (1940), Fantasia (1940), Dumbo (1941) and Bambi (1942). The animated movies that Walt Disney Studio produced, stood out for their lovable characters and compassionate storytelling, affecting the perspectives of both children and adults worldwide.

Disney’s growth led to the creation of a new campus for Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, CA by December 1939.

8. Support People

“You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality.”

— Walt Disney

Disney was an inspiring storyteller and his stories extended beyond his films and television shows to the studio with his employees. He would tell his employees stories in a lot of detail and inspire them. Disney was known for being exacting and also very appreciative. He would hire people more talented than himself, pay for their additional education and encourage them to be their best. Disney also gained the support, strong loyalty and affection of his employees.

Video via PBS

9. Keep A Child’s Curiosity and Love of Play

“Too many people grow up. That’s the real trouble with the world, too many people grow up. They forget. They don’t remember what it’s like to be 12 years old. They patronize, they treat children as inferiors. Well I won’t do that.”

— Walt Disney

What would the world be like without Disneyland and Walt Disney World? Stepping on to the grounds of Disneyland reminds you of being a kid immediately and offers a place for both children and adults to relax, have fun and play, enjoy themselves and be inspired. When Disneyland, Walt Disney’s first theme park, opened in Anaheim, CA, actor and future president Ronald Reagan inaugurated the new theme park. Over the years, Disneyland has expanded to Florida with Walt Disney World and overseas in Japan, France and more. The theme park is beloved to children as a place where they can explore Disney stories they love through games, rides, events and meeting Disney characters. While Walt Disney has passed on, his legacy remains and continues to flourish as Walt Disney Studios has grown over the years, expanding its offerings to include the popular Marvel and Star Wars franchises. Today the name Walt Disney is known all over the world and is synonymous with a child’s imagination, colorful animation, storytelling and movie magic.

About Our Profiles and Why We Create Them

We’ve written these profiles about individuals whose innovations or creations offered significant benefit to society. In a few instances, we also have profiles about people who each executed one unique and remarkable act that had a tremendous positive impact on a large community or the world at large. We have created these profile stories to learn more about these individuals and to inspire you, our reader, to take positive action in your own life.

For aspiring entrepreneurs or individuals who wish to create new products and services and bring their ideas to life, it is more important to know the motivations and processes of high achieving individuals than all the specific details of their achievements. By learning more about these processes, environmental influences and their personal lives, you can gain more insight into the qualities, motivations and methods of these highly successful and unique individuals. This in turn, can help you achieve more in your own life. Read more of our Profiles and learn with us! Have an individual in mind that you would like us to profile? Tell us at hello@elf.agency.