J.J. Abrams and the crew from Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens are grateful for the support of the franchise’s fans. The team behind the upcoming Star Wars film posted a new YouTube video to thank the supporters of the Star Wars: Force for Change charity campaign, which was run by crowdfunding site Omaze.
The one-minute clip shows various crew members, including sound editors, cinematographers, and designers, saying “thank you” from the set of the upcoming film. Chewbacca and R2-D2 even show up to roar and warble their appreciation for the fans (though their sounds had to be translated for the viewer).
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Abrams reveals in this latest video that the Force for Change campaign raised a whopping $4.26 million. Add that on to the $1 million Disney donated to support the charity, and you end up with a total of $5.26 million. While Force for Change will give one lucky contributor a cameo on the new film, the campaign more importantly raised money for UNICEF to help children around the world gain better access to education and healthcare.
Abrams and the Star Wars crew have relied on YouTube videos for many of the film’s announcements, sneak peeks, and charity drives. The director previously teased a clip of the Millenium Falcon mixed with the soundtrack from The Dark Knight and offered a look at the new X-Wing spacecraft. After Disney finally debuted the Star Wars: Episode VII teaser trailer on YouTube, the video garnered roughly 44 million views in its first three days on Disney’s YouTube channel and the MovieClips channel.
