These days, Disney is the rare studio still putting short films in front of some of their features. Coincidentally, a famous company they’d eventually own did that several decades earlier. In 1980, George Lucas wanted a short film to screen in front of his highly anticipated sequel to Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back. He got his art director, Roger Christian, to make a short, and the result was Black Angel, a fantasy that was heavily influential in the years that followed. It played in a few hundred UK cinemas but prints of the film were thought to be lost.

A few years back, Christian teased that the film had been found and would get a digital release in the future. That day is today. Black Angel has now been uploaded online and you can watch the full 25 minute short film below, along with an intro from Christian himself.

Here’s Black Angel with an introduction from Roger Christian. He talks about the production, influence and eventual mystery around the film.

Black Angel Short Film

Christian also promises that some news on the film will arrive on June 2, to be announced on the film’s social media channels. You can find those here and here along with the official site.

Here’s the official description: