Star Wars Fans Divided Over Wes Anderson-Inspired AI Movie Trailer

A Star Wars trailer in the style of director Wes Anderson has fueled debate among fans of the sci-fi franchise and the filmmaker himself.

In recent weeks, content creators have jumped on the trend of creating videos that resemble Anderson’s directing style.

Elements of an Anderson-esque video include symmetrical compositions, people looking directly at the camera, pastel color palettes, and the use of offbeat humor.

A fan-made trailer posted on the Curious Refuge YouTube channel shows Star Wars as part of this trend, in a video for a fictional project called The Galactic Menagerie.

The minute-long clip features familiar characters such as Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader.

Thanks to AI-generated animation, the likenesses of actors such as Scarlett Johansson, Owen Wilson, and Jeff Goldblum are included in the trailer.

“Watch them navigate the galactic menagerie, a universe filled with eccentric creatures, charming droids and special locations reminiscent of Anderson’s beloved films such as Moonrise Kingdom And The Grand Budapest Hotel”, explains the description of the video.

Since the video was posted Friday, April 28, it has racked up over 285,000 views on YouTube and over two million views on Twitter.

Many responded enthusiastically to the combination of such distinct entities in the trailer.

“Totally awesome,” wrote one fan, while another added, “Wow, I need this in my life – that would be really fun to watch.”

“The detail is staggering,” reads another glowing response. “I actually thought it was a Wes Anderson short. Very, very well done!

Still, there are some who aren’t so sold on the clip.

“Yeah, I’ve never seen this side of Star Wars before! Hope it stays that way,” wrote one critical viewer.

Another claimed that “the lack of humanity, artistry and soul is almost tangible” in the video, while another Twitter user took issue with how this trend can be seen as reducing the practice of Anderson.

“Love that the entirety of Wes Anderson movies can seemingly be summed up in pastel colors, symmetrical framing and Futura font,” the reviewer wrote. “It must be wonderful to have your whole career become a meme.”