‘Star Wars’ Goes Animated
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If you thought the last three “Star Wars” episodes relied too heavily on computer-generated animation, you’re not going to like the announcement that series creator George Lucas made yesterday. “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” a completely animated film, will open in theaters August 15 and be followed by a television series of the same name, to air on the Cartoon Network and TNT this fall. “I felt there were a lot more ‘Star Wars’ stories left to tell,” Mr. Lucas said in a statement. “I was eager to start telling some of them through animation and, at the same time, push the animation forward.”
Produced by Lucasfilm Animation, both the film and television show will be distributed through Time Warner Inc., which owns TNT, the Cartoon Network, and the film’s distributor, Warner Bros.
Mr. Lucas, who serves as executive producer, said he is also planning a live-action television series spin-off of the franchise, which he began working on last fall. The animated series has long been in the works, though the theatrical release was only announced late Tuesday.
The animated movie and subsequent series take place between the ground covered in episodes II and III of the “Star Wars” films: 2002’s “Attack of the Clones” and 2005’s “Revenge of the Sith.” It will feature cartoon versions of familiar characters such as Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Padme Amidala, and General Grievous, as well as a new character named Ahsoka, Anakin’s padawan, the first female Jedi to be a character of focus.
More than 30 episodes are planned, though it is unknown exactly how long the show will run. Though the “Star Wars” films have been extraordinarily lucrative, the force won’t be expected to be as strong in cartoon form. The film and series are aimed at younger viewers, though it will likely entice the die-hard aficionados.
Fans will remember another animated series following the first time Mr. Lucas completed a “Star Wars” trilogy. After “Return of the Jedi,” the series “Ewoks” and “Droids” ran in the late ’80s. The Cartoon Network also ran an earlier version of a “Clone Wars” animated series for three seasons beginning in 2003.
