Over the weekend, a fan-made video claiming to be “leaked” from J.J. Abrams’ upcoming Star Wars: Episode VII, hit the Internet like wildfire, starting with Reddit. Realistic Imperial Shuttles, strutting AT-STs, and even the Death Star itself populate the the video’s roads and skies. YouTuber Frank Wunderlich writes in the description, “Looks like the story of Star Wars plays on Earth too in the next episode. I took these pictures on my flight back from the States to Germany at the Frankfurt Airport.”
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While it’s obviously not real footage from Abrams’ next blockbuster, the animations looked so authentic that several commenters admitted to being fooled, while others scoured the graphics for minor inconsistencies—a fruitless search that only yielded a directionally challenged shield generator.Fan footage like this is a great way for a budding animator to grab the attention of a CGI studio, but for the rest of us, it’s worth a sensible chuckle. If Episode VII can measure up to the heart put into this cheeky viral tribute, then maybe it won't be a disaster, after all.
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