One week ahead of the Disney Plus original Marvel Special Presentation Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, a new behind-the-scenes featurette is exploring just how the short film came to be.
Utilizing interviews with Marvel boss Kevin Feige, actor Chris Pratt, writer-director James Gunn, and others, it was revealed that the Holiday Special was the first-ever Marvel-related Disney Plus title ever conceived.
It was explained in the featurette that Gunn conceived of the idea of doing a Holiday Special for everyone’s favorite spacefaring adventurers while filming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Feige liked the idea and within a matter of days, Gunn handed him a script for the special. Fast-forward to a few years later, and we’re finally getting the end result.
It’s remarkable to think about the fact that between Gunn’s original conception of doing the Holiday Special and now, Gunn was temporarily fired from Marvel for old, offensive tweets. He has since been reinstated as the director for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 after heavy campaigning from fans and cast members. All of this makes us even more grateful the Holiday Special is now coming to fruition since it could have easily been scrapped if Gunn’s estrangement from Marvel became permanent.
We don’t know the finer details about the plot of the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, other than it will involve a heavy dose of Kevin Bacon. However, if the initial positive reaction from critics so far and Gunn’s own clear excitement for the special is any indication, we have reason to believe it just might be the holiday treat that will make for a perfect post-Thanksgiving snack.
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special comes to Disney Plus on Nov. 25.