Gremlins director accuses Star Wars of stealing Grogu’s design

The director of 80s movie Gremlins says Star Wars stole the design of Baby Yoda.

The new era of Star Wars movies and televisions shows has been divisive to fans. From the new sequel trilogy to underwhelming spinoff movies like Solo to the Disney Plus shows like The Book of Boba Fett, Star Wars has had an up and down revival.

However, one new character has undoubtedly crossed the threshold and made the franchise relevant again: Grogu, also known as Baby Yoda.

First introduced in the Disney Plus series The Mandalorian, Grogu became an instant icon and fan-favorite for his adorable design and similarity to another beloved character, the Jedi master Yoda.

But Grogu’s origin story is now the subject of controversy.

According to a report by the San Francisco Chronicle, director of Gremlins and Gremlins 2 Joe Dante believes that the design of Grogu was heavily borrowed from the character from his movies, Gizmo.

When talking about the Star Wars character, Dante said the character “is completely stolen and is just out-and-out copied. Shamelessly, I would think.”

Looking at the two characters, though, it’s hard to see the resemblance other than their diminutive stature and adorable appearance.

Whereas Gizmo is furry, Baby Yoda is nearly hairless and green. The Gremlin’s eyes are also far more expressive than the black eyes of little Grogu.

In fact, given the fact that Grogu is based on the appearance of the original Yoda, it’s actually impossible for the look to have been stolen.

Yoda first appeared in Empire Strikes Back, which was released in 1980, while Gremlins first came out in 1984.