Rogue One toy
The Jyn Erson toy as seen in the new animated film. (Via Disney)

Star Wars films have come a long way since 1977, and for that matter, so have the fan-made movies that have always been a huge part of the collective universe that surrounds the continuing franchise.

A new stop-motion short film aimed at showcasing the toy line attached to “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” is as entertaining as anything you’ll watch featuring plastic action heroes and Lego Minifigures. The video, launching on the Star Wars YouTube channel, is the first in a series of fan-made animated shorts that are part of a competition in which fans are being asked to share their “Rogue Stories.”

In collaboration with the creative network Tongal, a team was assembled to write and shoot “Go Rogue” installments which will roll out through September. Here’s Chapter 1:

In case you were playing with decades old Stars Wars toys and missed the news, “Rogue One” is a spinoff film due out in December in which rebels are on a mission to steal the plans for the Death Star. It stars actress Felicity Jones, as Resistance fighter Jyn Erson, alongside actor Diego Luna as Capt. Cassian Andor, among others.

According to a Disney news release, fans posted over 838,000 pieces of Star Wars-related content on YouTube in the past year alone, which is more than 2,296 per day and nearly 96 per hour. Star Wars fan-generated content attracted more than 16.3 billion views in the last year.

Rogue One toy
(Via Disney)
Rogue One toy
(Via Disney)

“These fan-created shorts are a tribute to the incredible content that the Star Wars community posts online every day,” said Jimmy Pitaro, chairman of Disney consumer products and interactive media. “The Go Rogue campaign was designed with Star Wars fans in mind — we want them to be front and center in the run up to ‘Rogue One’ by imagining and creating their own Rogue Stories.”

Details on how to submit your own entry in the Go Rogue contest, which begins Sept. 30, are available on the Star Wars website.

Fans can pre-order select items seen in the “Rogue Stories” beginning on Friday and the full range of merchandise will be available globally starting Sept. 30.

And finally, here’s the latest real-deal trailer, released a couple weeks ago, for “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”:

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