Lucasfilm says the 36-second Mandalorian and Grogu Super Bowl ad nods to "classic Big Game spots of years past," but fans aren't happy

While The Mandalorian and Grogu had a presence at this year's Super Bowl, it wasn't a straightforward trailer for the Star Wars movie.

Instead, the clip was a 36-second ad that saw Mando and Grogu travelling through the snow, pulled along by tauntauns. Grogu takes the reins, and, at the end of the ad, he also strokes a tauntaun snout.

So, why not a traditional trailer? Lucasfilm's marketing brand lead Ryan Stankevich shed some light on the move.

"Our creative and marketing team landed on a unique concept that gave a nod to classic Big Game spots of years past,” he shared in a statement that went live with the commercial (H/T The Hollywood Reporter). "In partnership with Jon Favreau, the teams at Lucasfilm and ILM brought to life a spot that felt to us instantly iconic, cinematic, and quintessentially Star Wars. It captured the warmth, humor, and emotional connection between these two beloved characters and was the perfect next step for our campaign as we lead up to their big screen debut this summer."

The Mandalorian and Grogu | A New Journey Begins | In Theaters May 22 - YouTube

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But, fans aren't impressed with the decision. "It was a cute ad, it would've been better if it ended on 'trailer online now' or 'trailer coming soon'…something! The movie comes out in 3 months and nobody knows what it's about. Just more member berries, and this time it's for an unrelated beer commercial," said one person.

"It would've been great if we'd already had more than one disappointing teaser and weren't three months away from release. The marketing on this is worse than it was for Solo," says someone else.

"This is a hot take, but I actually didn't mind it. I think if everyone wasn't expecting them to drop a trailer, the spot would've been better received," is someone else's verdict.

"Fumble after fumble. This could have been a fun homage/spoof intro had they attached an actual trailer to it. Instead, a few months before release, this cemented that the movie doesn't seem to have anything remotely interesting in it that they could've shown instead," someone else thinks.

"I think it's really funny that people were confused by this when it's the most straightforward parody of a common Super Bowl ad ever," is another person's response. "That said, this advertising strategy for a Star Wars movie would be raising massive red flags if they weren't already raised by That Trailer"

The Super Bowl ad follows the film's first trailer, which teased Mando and Grogu on another adventure. You can read more about it in our The Mandalorian and Grogu trailer breakdown through the link.

The Mandalorian and Grogu arrives on May 22. In the meantime, keep up to date with our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and shows.