Disney's Surprise Mandalorian Film Is A Reminder Of What Made The Show So Good

Disney has dropped a surprise Mandalorian short film that’s a great reminder of what made the hit Star Wars show so good. Disney has various titles among the best movies of all time, in large part due to other catalogs and franchises now being its property. Among them is the Star Wars franchise, which Disney has kept active for years.

Disney has not only worked on new Star Wars movies, but it has also continued to expand this complex universe to TV. The first live-action Star Wars TV show was The Mandalorian, created by Jon Favreau and released on Disney+ in 2019. The Mandalorian was a huge success, so much so that it’s getting a feature film, The Mandalorian and Grogu, in May 2026.

Before properly reuniting with Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu on the big screen, Disney has released a surprise short film that serves as a reminder of what made The Mandalorian so good and why its protagonists are getting their own movie.

The Mandalorian: Knot A Toy Is The Short Film You Didn't Know You Needed

On January 28, 2026, Disney released the short film The Mandalorian: Knot a Toy, and though it doesn’t tell a new, never-before-seen story between Din Djarin and Grogu, it’s worth watching. Running at almost two minutes, Knot a Toy is a unique recreation of a scene from The Mandalorian, in which Grogu explores the Razor Crest and finds his new favorite toy.

What makes Knot a Toy special is that it’s animated, with Din Djarin, Grogu, the ship, and everything made as crochet toys. It’s a creative short film in terms of its animation style, and Disney chose one of the most endearing and memorable scenes from The Mandalorian to be recreated as crochet toys.

How The Mandalorian: Knot A Toy Was Made

The crochet versions of Din Djarin and Grogu in The Mandalorian: Knot a Toy look quite realistic, but they required a lot of work, both practical and digital. In a behind-the-scenes video shared on the official Star Wars YouTube account, Landis Fields explains the process of bringing Knot a Toy to life, and it all started with real crochet toys.

Once they had different crochet models, these were scanned, and a 3D mesh was built so they could be manipulated as needed for the short film. Fields and his team added details like the hairs of the thread on the toys to make it more realistic and give it a “handmade feel.” The result is an impressive and honestly adorable short film with two beloved Star Wars characters.

Din Djarin And Grogu's Bond Is What The Mandalorian Is About

While The Mandalorian is not short on action, at its core, it’s all about the special bond between Din Djarin and Grogu. Djarin goes from a solitary and detached bounty hunter to a father figure to Grogu, whom he must protect from remnant Imperial forces.

Djarin and Grogu create a strong emotional bond, not just thanks to the time they spend together, but also due to their personal trauma, as they both dealt with loneliness, being orphaned, and having to survive on their own.

The scene chosen for The Mandalorian: Knot a Toy is a key moment at the beginning of their relationship, and luckily, there’s still a lot more to explore about it in their upcoming movie and, hopefully, beyond that.