Before that story, here’s what you should also know this week

Moana 2 from Walt Disney Animation Studios broke box office records, adding to the growing statistics that moviegoing isn’t dead. According to Deadline, the tv series-turned-movie-sequel broke many records including having the highest Thanksgiving Day of all time by far grossing $28 million in the United States, surpassing the previous record-holder Frozen 2 with $15 million.

I was sent the screeners for the new Star Wars series, “Skeleton Crew,” last week, but I was weary. It has been a while since anything of note has come from Lucasfilm, and I think that the team there knows it.

So it was a surprising delight when I sped through the first three episodes that I was sent. The binge-behavior for TV hasn’t happened since FX/Hulu’s “The Bear.” As for why I have loved “Skeleton Crew” so far (with seven more episodes due out for its first season), it probably as to do with the following:

• It feels nostalgic. I grew up in the early 1990s, so any movie or TV show that reminds me of those days really exploits that soft spot in my heart. Skeleton Crew’s premise centers around kids wanting to find adventure right in their backyard, so don’t be surprised if you feel like you’re watching a futuristic version of “The Goonies” or “Hook” as you watch. It all may make you feel all warm (and old) all over again.

• It’s set in Star Wars suburbia. Star Wars has always been about setting its stories in a distant future in galaxies far, far away. So that’s why it was so surprising to have Skeleton Crew take place in a somewhat familiar place. The city where Wim, Neel, KB, and Fern live on the planet At Attin is definitely relatable with the houses with garages that house ‘cars’ that are connected to tracks. It’s all mysterious as you’ll see, but it does add a form of connection that is welcome.

• It is fun. I know George Lucas wanted Star Wars to be a space opera with lots of drama and even scary elements. From what I’ve seen so far in these first three episodes, I dare to think that Star Wars can also be fun and lighthearted too. The dynamics between the kid characters and the stakes of their adventure through space are just plain fun and we should be very okay with that.

• It’s made by Jon Watts and Christopher Ford. Jon and Christopher were the director and writer (respectively) duo who were responsible for Spider-Man: Homecoming and the proceeding movies of that Tom Holland-led version of the Marvel Studios franchise. Like what this team did for that world and now this one paid off. Kids that just being kids going off and getting into good trouble is sometimes all we need.

I’m very much looking forward to watching the rest of what the first season of Skeleton Crew has in store for us viewers who want to see Star Wars back in its storytelling stride. If what we’ve seen so far is any indication, I will hang with this crew into the galaxy for the foreseeable future!

STILL TO COME: A Disney book gift guide for the holidays!

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