Director and Star Wars creator George Lucas told fans at the D23 Expo in Anaheim on Friday that Disney's Goofy influenced the making of the love-him-or-hate-him Gungan character from the 1999 prequel Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace.
"I can't even begin to tell you how much of an influence Disney has had on me," Lucas said.
"I will say one secret that nobody knows; not many people realize that Goofy was the inspiration for Jar Jar Binks."
After the audience laughed, Lucas added,
"I know that you will look at him differently now. It's pretty obvious, actually, but, um, I love Goofy and I love Jar Jar."
Disney chairman Bob Iger welcomed Lucas, with both C3PO and R2D2, to the stage, where he received a standing ovation.
"I tried to remember back what it was like when I was young and what I got from Disney," Lucas said, "and I am very happy to be here with two of my daughters. One of them's older and sitting here and trying to get into the movie business just like me, and the other one is two years old and we're re-going through the park. To watch it through her eyes is an amazing experience."
Star Wars: The Force Awakens, also known as Star Wars: Episode VII is an upcoming sci-fi space opera film directed by J. J. Abrams. The film will be the seventh installment in the episodic Star Wars film series created by George Lucas. The Force Awakens stars John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow, with Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker reprising their roles from previous Star Wars films. The story is set approximately 30 years after the events of Return of the Jedi (1983). Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens on December 18, 2015 in North America.