In the fourth season of Rebels, Ezra Bridger and Kanan Jarrus encounter the Lothwolves, legendary creatures thought to be long extinct. According to Kanan, the Lothwolves have "a deep connection to the Force" – and not just to the Force in general, but to the energy of the planet Lothal. The Lothwolves, tied to the natural world of Lothal, seem to oppose the Empire because of its industrial strip-mining of the planet for materials to create weapons.
Both visually and in terms of their role in the story, the Lothwolves evoke the wolf spirits in Hayao Miyazaki's film Princess Mononoke. The wolf spirits are tied to the natural world of the ancient Japanese forest. They are locked in conflict with the human settlement Iron Town, which is destroying the forest and strip-mining the mountains for ore to create weapons.
In both Rebels and Princess Mononoke, a woman is determined to create weapons even if it means destroying the natural world. In Rebels, Governor Pryce leads the Empire to destroy Lothal; in Princess Mononoke, Lady Eboshi leads the citizens of Iron Town to destroy the forest.
In both stories, the process of destructive industrialization is opposed by giant wolves and their human allies. In Rebels, Kanan and Ezra form a deep connection with the Lothwolves through the Force; in Princess Mononoke, the princess San was raised by the wolves and the hero Ashitaka also forms a connection with them.
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Characters: Ezra Bridger / Governor Pryce / Kanan Jarrus
Shows: Rebels
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Concepts: animals / nature and technology
Influences: Miyazaki
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