ILM just released a new holiday short on the Star Wars Kids YouTube channel. It’s called “The Gingerbread Death Star Crumbles,” and it’s exactly what it sounds like.
The artists at Industrial Light & Magic recreated the famous trench run from Star Wars: A New Hope using digital cookies. Everything from the X-wings to Darth Vader looks like it was baked and decorated with icing.
The team didn’t just make things look “perfect” like typical CGI. They actually studied real gingerbread houses to get the details right. Instead of glowing fire, the X-wings have gumdrops for engines. The icing lines appear to be hand-piped and slightly messy, just like real baking. When things explode, they use powdered sugar instead of smoke.
The artists used the same tech they use for The Mandalorian, but they wanted these shorts to feel like toys a kid would play with.
This is just the start of a series. ILM is working on more “Star Wars Minis” for 2026, including a version of Mando and Grogu made entirely out of yarn. You can watch the gingerbread short and a behind-the-scenes look at the Star Wars Kids YouTube channel now.
This Star Wars Trench Run is Made Entirely of Gingerbread
