Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 TV series)
| Star Wars: The Clone Wars | |
|---|---|
 Star Wars: The Clone Wars' intertitle |
|
| Genre | Serial Science fiction Action Adventure War Politics |
| Created by | George Lucas |
| Voices of | Matt Lanter James Arnold Taylor Ashley Eckstein Tom Kane Corey Burton TC Carson Nika Futterman Dee Bradley Baker Catherine Taber Anthony Daniels Ian Abercrombie Matthew Wood Tom Kenny |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 44 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | George Lucas Catherine Winder |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Lucasfilm Animation |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Cartoon Network[1] |
| Original run | October 3, 2008 – present |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Star Wars: The Clone Wars |
| Followed by | Untitled Star Wars series |
| External links | |
| Official website | |
| Production website | |
Star Wars: The Clone Wars is an American 3D CGI animated television series created by Lucasfilm Animation, Lucasfilm Animation Singapore and CGCG Inc.[2] The series debuted on the US-version of Cartoon Network on October 3, 2008.[3] It is set in the fictional Star Wars galaxy, during the same time period as the previous 2003 Star Wars: Clone Wars series (The three-year time period between the films Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith). The show itself takes place from 22 BBY to 20 BBY. Each episode has a running time of 22 minutes, to fill a half-hour time slot. Star Wars creator George Lucas says "there will be at least 100 episodes produced [about five seasons]".[4] Dave Filoni is the supervising director of the series.[5] Genndy Tartakovsky, director of the first Clone Wars series, is not involved with the production,[6] but character designer Kilian Plunkett referred to the character designs from the 2D series when designing the characters for the 3D series.[7] There is also an online comic,[8] depicting story-snippets between the single episodes.
The first trailer for the series was released on the official Star Wars website on May 8, 2007.[9] The series was launched with a feature film, which was released in theaters on August 15, 2008. It is one of only five series (along with Adventure Time, Stoked, Total Drama, and 6teen) to be broadcast on the main Cartoon Network (i.e., outside of Toonami or Adult Swim) with a TV-PG rating. Season 2 ended on April 30, 2010. Season 3 premieres on September 17, 2010, with the complete second season releasing on Blu-ray Disc and DVD October 26, 2010.[10]
Contents |
Production
At April 2005's Star Wars Celebration III, Lucas stated that "we are working on a 3-D continuation of the pilot series that was on the Cartoon Network; we probably won't start that project for another year."[6] In July 2005, pre-production had begun on the series, according to Steve Sansweet, head of Lucasfilm fan relations.[11] Sansweet referred to the series as "the next generation of the Star Wars saga, a cutting edge 30-minute, 3-D computer-animation series based on the Clone Wars that take place between Episode II ... and Episode III." Sansweet described the look of the new series as "a melding of Asian anime with unique 3-D animation styling." Primary production will take place at the Lucasfilm Animation facility in Singapore.[12]
According to another statement by Sansweet, "Lucasfilm Animation will be hiring a total of about 300 digital artists and others in both California and Singapore locations to produce not only the series, but animated feature films in the years ahead." He said about the series, "to get the series underway, Lucasfilm Animation has hired key production and creative talent to lead the development of its first animation project." Sansweet has said that "a large component of the future of Star Wars and Lucasfilm is CGI animation."
Lucasfilm Ltd. and Lucasfilm Animation used Autodesk software to animate both the film and the series. The Maya 3D modeling program was used to create the highly detailed worlds, characters and creatures.[13] Animators also reviewed designs from the original 2003 Clone Wars series when creating the animation style for the film and the new series.[14]
Anthony Daniels, who portrayed C-3PO in all six films as well as the Star Wars Holiday Special, Star Wars: Droids and Star Wars: Clone Wars, confirmed in June 2006 that he had been contracted for the series.[15]
In a video interview with Rob Coleman from Imagina 2007 divulged that there were 15 episodes in production, one episode was complete, he was going to direct 5 of the first 22 episodes, reaction from licensees was very positive, and that final assembly of shows is done at Skywalker Ranch.[16]
At Lucas' March 3, 2007 appearance at the 2007 William S. Paley Television Festival,[17] Lucas revealed the series is episodic, and as such will not focus on Anakin Skywalker's story; with episodes dedicated to clone troopers and other characters. Lucas revealed further information in a fan interview,[4] a new character named Ahsoka Tano, over 100 episodes and a possible appearance by Boba Fett. In an interview in the September 24, 2007 issue of TV Guide, Lucas confirmed that 39 episodes of the series have been completed.[18]
On April 8, 2007, Ain't It Cool News reported that musician Eric Rigler had recorded music for the series.[19] Rigler disclosed that each planet in the Star Wars galaxy would have its own theme music, based on Bulgarian music and played on Uilleann pipes.
Stuart Snyder, who oversees Cartoon Network and other Turner Broadcasting System cable networks, said he became interested in the new Clone Wars series immediately upon starting the job in May 2007. Snyder flew out to San Francisco, California to screen several episodes, and told Lucas the only place he wanted to see the show was on Cartoon Network.[20]
Along with weekly airings of Star Wars: The Clone Wars on the Cartoon Network, rebroadcasts started airing on TNT, February 14, 2009. With this, it would be the first time animation aired on that channel in over a decade.[21]
Reception
On July 11, television critics were shown a completed episode of the series. The Hollywood Reporter's Live Feed blog called the footage "likely the most photo-realistic animated TV series ever produced."[22] On August 31, 2008, a sneak peek of the new series was shown on Cartoon Network. IGN named it the 89th best animated series. They specifically praised the episodes "Rookies", "Cloak of Darkness", and "Lair of Grievous" saying that their storylines stood out as some of the best in the Star Wars Expanded Universe.[23]
Star Wars: The Clone Wars became most-watched series premiere in Cartoon Network history. The computer-animated series, from Lucasfilm Animation, averaged 4 million total viewers in its debut, according to Nielsen Media Research. Cartoon Network said the Star Wars spin off ranked as the number one channel among all major animated networks in the time slot among total viewers (the largest in the demographic for any premiere telecast of an original Cartoon series).[24]
On July 23, 2010 at the San Diego Comic-Con; Craig Glenday, editor of the Guiness World Records presented Star Wars: The Clone Wars supervising director Dave Filoni, CG supervisor Joel Aron and lead designer Kilian Plunkett a certificate proclaiming the cartoon series "the highest rated sci-fi animation currently on television". [25]
Episodes
Feature film
After viewing some of the completed footage of the early episodes on a big screen, the production team decided to weave the first few planned episodes together to form a theatrical release.[26][27] Christopher Lee and Samuel L. Jackson reprised their roles as Count Dooku and Mace Windu, respectively, from the live action films.
TV series
Each season consists of 22 episodes. Season 2 was ordered by Cartoon Network in February 2009. George Lucas has said he would like to make at least 100 episodes, regardless of the ratings. Episode 100 would be in the middle of Season 5, so the series is likely to go up to 110+ episodes, whether the ratings continue to be good or not. Also, the series season one has aired "decoded" episodes which tells more detailed information about the characters and events in each episode during its airing in Season 1.[28]
| Season | Episodes | First air date | Last air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 22 | October 3, 2008 | March 20, 2009 |
| Season 2 | 22 | October 2, 2009 | April 30, 2010 |
| Season 3 | 22 | September 17, 2010 | 2011 |
DVD & Blu-ray releases
| DVD/Blu-ray Name | Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 (DVD & Blu-ray) | November 3, 2009 | November 16, 2009 | November 18, 2009 |
| A Galaxy Divided (DVD only) | March 24, 2009 | March 24, 2009 | July 1, 2009 |
| Clone Commandos (DVD only) | September 15, 2009 | September 15, 2009 | September 23, 2009 |
| Season 2 (DVD & Blu-ray) | October 26, 2010 | October 25 2010 | Late 2010 |
Cast and characters
It should be noted that characters generally fall into one of two categories:
- Part of the Galactic Republic, including Jedi and Senators
- Separatists or their allies, notably the Sith Lords.
Main characters
- Anakin Skywalker - Matt Lanter
- Ahsoka Tano - Ashley Eckstein
- Obi-Wan Kenobi - James Arnold Taylor
- Clone Troopers (All variations) - Dee Bradley Baker
- Battle Droids (All) - Matthew Wood
Tom Kane is the narrator of the show, who introduces and sets up every episode in addition to doing the voice of Yoda and Admiral Yularen.
Recurring characters
Galactic Republic
Jedi
- Yoda - Tom Kane
- Mace Windu - Terrence C. Carson
- Kit Fisto - Phil LaMarr
- Aayla Secura - Jennifer Hale
- Plo Koon - James Arnold Taylor
- Luminara Unduli - Olivia d'Abo
- Ki-Adi-Mundi - Brian George
- Eeth Koth - Chris Edgerly
- Jocasta Nu - Flo DiRe
- Tera Sinube - Greg Baldwin
- Adi Gallia - Angelique Perrin
- Barriss Offee - Meredith Salenger
- Ord Enisence - Dee Bradley Baker
- Nahdar Vebb - Tom Kenny
- Bolla Ropal - Dee Bradley Baker
Other
- Palpatine/Darth Sidious - Ian Abercrombie
- R2-D2
- C-3PO - Anthony Daniels
- Mas Amedda - Stephen Stanton
- Wullf Yularen - Tom Kane
- Padmé Amidala - Catherine Taber
- Bail Prestor Organa - Phil LaMarr
- Mon Mothma - Kath Soucie
- Gregar Typho - James C. Mathis III
- Jar Jar Binks - BJ Hughes (Ahmed Best in one episode)
- Onaconda Farr - Dee Bradley Baker
- Silood - Tom Kenny
Separatists
- Count Dooku/Darth Tyranus - Corey Burton
- General Grievous - Matthew Wood
- Asajj Ventress - Nika Futterman
- Nute Gunray - Tom Kenny
- Wat Tambor - Matthew Wood
- Poggle the Lesser - Matthew Wood
Bounty Hunters
- Cad Bane - Corey Burton
- Aurra Sing - Jaime King
- Boba Fett - Daniel Logan
Special guest voices
- David Kaufman as Jaybo Hood
- Greg Proops as Tal Merrick
- Ron Perlman as Gha Nachkt
- Michael York as Nuvo Vindi
- Seth Green as Todo 360
- Jim Cummings as Hondo Ohnaka
- James Marsters as Faro Argyus
- Greg Ellis as Turk Falso
- George Takei as Lok Durd
- Jon Favreau as Pre Vizsla
- Julian Holloway as Almec
- Cara Pifko as Sionver Boll
- Anna Graves as Satine Kryze, Sugi and Rumi Paramita
- Fred Tatasciore as The Zillo Beast
Broadcast history
The Clone Wars premiered on October 3, 2008 at 9 p.m. on the Cartoon Network. It has been programmed by Stuart Snyder to create an action/adventure block of shows on Friday night in an attempt to rejuvenate Cartoon Network. Snyder expressed confidence that the shows would help boost ratings: “You catch me at a time where I have a smile on my face because of our internal results,” Snyder said. “I can say there’s a little bit of bragging on the third quarter for us.”[20] The Clone Wars on Cartoon Network is shown in a 16:9 (1.78:1) aspect ratio, cropped from its original aspect ratio (OAR) of 2.35:1 (as seen in the UK Sky Premiere screenings). The show began airing on Adult Swim as of March 14, 2009, making the series the first Cartoon Network series to simultaneously air on both Cartoon Network and Adult Swim.
International release
| Country | Network(s) | Series premiere |
|---|---|---|
 Australia |
Network Ten | November 22, 2008[29] |
| Cartoon Network | February 13, 2009[30] | |
 Brazil |
Cartoon Network | February 13, 2009 (Dubbed in Brazilian Portuguese) |
| WBTV | May 2009 (Subtitled) | |
| TNT | July 2009 (Dubbed in Brazilian Portuguese) | |
| Rede Globo HD | April 2009 (Dubbed in Brazilian Portuguese) | |
.svg.png){kind=small} Belgium |
VT4 | March 1, 2009 March 1, 2009 (Dubbed in Dutch) |
 Bulgaria |
Cartoon Network | February 13, 2009 |
| bTV | February 22, 2009 (Dubbed in Bulgarian) Voice-over version | |
| Cartoon Network | December 18, 2009 (Dubbed in Bulgarian)Synchronized version | |
 Canada |
CTV | October 5, 2008 |
| Space | October 10, 2008[31] | |
| Teletoon | September 8, 2009 | |
 Croatia |
Cartoon Network | January 17, 2009 |
 Denmark |
Cartoon Network | January 17, 2009 |
 Finland |
MTV3 | January 17, 2009 |
 Germany |
ProSieben | November 23, 2008 (Season 1)(Dubbed in German) November 8, 2009 (Season 2)(Dubbed in German) |
| Kabel Eins | September 4, 2010 (Season 2)(Dubbed in German) | |
| Cartoon Network | February 14, 2009 (Season 1)(Dubbed in German) April 10, 2010 (Season 2)(Dubbed in German) |
|
 Greece |
Cartoon Network | 2009 |
 Hong Kong |
TVB Pearl | February 1, 2009 (Season 1) |
 Hungary |
Cartoon Network | February 8, 2009 (Season 1) (Dubbed in Hungarian) April 8, 2010 (Season 2) (Dubbed in Hungarian) |
| RTL Klub | parallel with CN (Dubbed in Hungarian) | |
 India |
Cartoon Network | February 13, 2009 |
 Italy |
Cartoon Network | February 13, 2009 (Season 1) April 16, 2010 (Season 2) |
 Japan |
NHK | March 31, 2009 |
 Mexico |
Canal 5 | November 3, 2008 |
| Cartoon Network | February 13, 2009 | |
 Netherlands |
RTL 5 | February 14, 2009 (Subbed in Dutch) |
| Jetix | Fall 2009 (Dubbed in Dutch) | |
 Norway |
NRK Super | December 27, 2008 (Subtitles) |
 Pakistan |
Cartoon Network | February 13, 2009 |
 Philippines |
Cartoon Network | February 13, 2009 |
| Super 40 | August 10, 2009 (Subtitled in Tagalog) | |
 Poland |
TVP1 | January 4, 2009 |
| Cartoon Network | February 13, 2009 | |
 Portugal |
SIC | December 21, 2008 (Dubbed in Portuguese) |
 Romania |
Cartoon Network | February 13, 2009 (Season 1)(Dubbed in Romanian) April 8, 2010 (Season 2)(Dubbed in Romanian) |
 Russia |
TV-3 | March 13, 2009 (Season 1)(Dubbed in Russian) May 1, 2010 (Season 2)(Dubbed in Russian) |
 Singapore |
MediaCorp Channel 5 | December 6, 2008 |
 South Africa |
Cartoon Network | February 13, 2009 |
 South Korea |
Cartoon Network | February 13, 2009 (Dubbed in Korean) July 20, 2009 (Subtitles) |
| EBS HD | August 24, 2009 (Dubbed in Korean) | |
 Spain |
Antena.Neox Premiere | November 28, 2008 (Dubbed in Spanish) |
| Antena 3 | December 6, 2008 (Dubbed in Spanish)[32] | |
 Sweden |
TV400 | January 4, 2009[33] |
 Turkey |
Cartoon Network | February 14, 2009 |
| CNBC-e | 2010 (Subtitled) | |
 United Kingdom |
Sky Movies Premiere Sky Movies Premiere HD Family Cartoon Network UK |
October 25, 2008 |
References
- ↑ IGN: Star Wars: The Clone Wars to Cartoon Network and Theaters
- ↑ index
- ↑ Cartoon Network's official page
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "IESB Video Portal". IESB.net. Archived from the original on 2007-03-24. http://web.archive.org/web/20070324124811/http://iesb.net/index.php?option=com_xevidmegafx&Itemid=139&func=detail&id=259. Retrieved 2007-05-31.
- ↑ Star Wars: Community | Meet the Producer and Director Of The Clone Wars at Celebration IV
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 IESB.net - Movie News, Reviews, Interviews and More! - NEW Animated Star Wars: Clone Wars Series Fully in Production!
- ↑ Vilmur, Pete (2007-10-05). "Clone Wars Character Designer Kilian Plunkett". StarWars.com. http://www.starwars.com/theclonewars/blogs/f20071005/indexp2.html. Retrieved 2007-10-06.
- ↑ "Clone Wars Comic on www.starwars.com". http://www.starwars.com/clonewars/comic/. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
- ↑ Star Wars: Video
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ [2]
- ↑ ComingSoon.net
- ↑ "Autodesk Maya software serves as animation platform for new Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated feature film and TV series." TradingMarkets.com, August 26, 2008. Retrieved on 2008-09-03.
- ↑ Martinez, Kiko. "Hispanic animator helps create new Star Wars universe." Extra, August 27, 2008. Retrieved on 2008-09-03.
- ↑ TheForce.Net - Latest News - Anthony Daniels Radio Interview
- ↑ MintInBox.net - Imagina 2007 : Interview de Rob Coleman
- ↑ "Paley Fest: George Lucas Gives Details on the Star Wars TV Shows". http://tv.ign.com/articles/770/770160p1.html. Retrieved 2007-05-31.
- ↑ George Lucas on his two Star Wars TV series, Heroes and HBO's Rome - Celebrity and Entertainment News | TVGuide.com
- ↑ A Teeny Tidbit About One Of Those Nutty Little STAR WARS TV Series We Keep Hearing About!! - Ain't It Cool News: The best in movie, TV, DVD, and comic book news
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Swartz, Kristi E. "Cartoon Network is eager to use the force." The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 2008-09-02. Retrieved on 2008-09-03.
- ↑ "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" Hits Theaters, TV - Animated Saga Will Air on Cartoon Network, TNT, Zap2It.com, February 12, 2008
- ↑ First look: 'Star Wars: The Clone Wars' TV series | thrfeed.com<!
- ↑ "89, Star Wars: The Clone Wars". IGN. 2009-01-23. http://tv.ign.com/top-100-animated-tv-series/89.html. Retrieved 2009-01-24.
- ↑ ""Clone Wars" a new star for Cartoon Network". http://www.reuters.com/article/televisionNews/idUSTRE4960SF20081007. Retrieved 2008-10-07.
- ↑ Record-Breaking Clone Wars Series to Visit Kamino
- ↑ "George Lucas Talks 'Star Wars: The Clone Wars'". http://www.starwars.com/theclonewars/news/news20080317.html.
- ↑ "Force-Cast Clone Wars Roundtable, interview with Dave Filoni and Henry Gilroy". http://www.theforce.net/podcast/story/ForceCast_Clone_Wars_Roundtable_118278.asp. Retrieved 2008-10-03.
- ↑ StarWars.com | The Clone Wars: Decoded on May 1 on Cartoon Network
- ↑ Knox, David (2008-11-01). "Airdate: The Clone Wars". tvtonight.com.au. http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2008/11/airdate-the-clone-wars.html. Retrieved 2008-11-02.
- ↑ Johnson, Matt (February 2009). "Send in the clones". Foxtel magazine (ACP Magazines) (February 2009): 46.
- ↑ 'Clone Wars' premieres Oct. 5 on CTV|url=http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/show/CTVShows/20080918/clone_release_080918
- ↑ Star Wars: The clone wars se estrena en Antena 3 el 6 de diciembre - Series Adictos
- ↑ StarWars.se -> The Clone Wars pĂĽ svensk TV
External links
- Official website
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars Video Game Confirmed
- Preview Special
- Official announcement
- CGCG Inc. co collaboration with Lucasfilm
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars at the Big Cartoon DataBase
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars at the Internet Movie Database
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars at TV.com
- Official teaser trailer
- Official Star Wars Celebration IV blog with information on the series
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