Animated 'Clone Wars': Paves The Way For TV Cartoon Series, This Film Does
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Published: August 12, 2008
"Stars Wars" is the franchise that won't die, even though it has been going decidedly downhill ever since the "The Phantom Menace" was released.
George Lucas should have had his creative license revoked after giving us Jar Jar Binks. But as Yoda might say, "Hard to kill this icon of pop culture is."
Now, three years after the anemic "Revenge of the Sith" failed to put the last nail in the coffin, fan boys are waving their light sabers and dressing up like Storm Troopers for "Star Wars: The Clone Wars."
The animated feature film debuts Friday. It paves the way for a 22-episode animated television series, which will be shown on the Cartoon Network this fall (its debut date has not been announced).
Even though the 64-year-old Lucas supposedly was very much "hands-on" with this spinoff of his legendary story, "Clone Wars" really belongs to its director, David Filoni, 34, who was all of 3 when the original debuted.
"I saw it when I was a little older during a summer rerelease," he told TV critics attending a July press tour in Beverly Hills, Calif., for the upcoming fall season. An episode from the series was screened. It looked pretty good and was more entertaining than the last "Star Wars" prequel.
Filoni, a self-described comic book geek from Mount Lebanon, Pa. whose background is making TV cartoons, has been a lifelong fan. He recalls pretending to be Han Solo and Luke Skywalker with this brother Mike.
He says there's still plenty of life in the "Star Wars" saga.
"Every time I go to Toys R Us, there are kids picking up light sabers and imagining they are in a galaxy far, far away," he says. "And if that inspires them, I am happy to make more."
Set during a civil war between the Galactic Republic (Jedi warriors and their clone army) and Confederacy of Independent Systems (bad guys with a droid army), "Clone Wars" follows Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi and a teenage Anakin Skywalker, long before he becomes Darth Vader. They are doing battle with the evil Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) and his minions.
Some old familiar characters provide a link to the feature films: Yoda, C-3PO and Jabba the Hut, for example.
A couple of new female characters, one good and one bad, have been added. Skywalker will have a teen warrior companion, Ahsoka "Snipes" Tano, who is skilled with the light saber.
"We hint at a romance or at least a serious crush," Filoni says.
And there's a new villainess, the gothic Ventress, an apprentice of Dooku. Filoni describes her as "intelligent," "kind of sexual" and "deceptive."
He says the series offers a chance to explore the galaxy in a much bigger way than the movies did.
"We know what happens to Anakin and Obi-Wan Kenobi, and we're not just telling their story," he says.
As for the stylish look of the film and the series, Filoni says he wanted it "to look like a painting."
"I have texture artists that literally paint every single character right down to their eyeballs because I want that human touch on everything," he said.
Read more of the Filoni interview at TBOextra.com on my Walt TV blog.
PRICE IS RIGHT: One woman from the Tampa area will get to audition in Los Angeles for a weeklong stint as a model on CBS' "The Price Is Right." But first, the wannabes have to audition here.
CBS affiliate WTSP, Channel 10, will be making audition tapes from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday at the Landy Center for Plastic Surgery, 2835 W. de Leon St. One winner, picked by the producers, will be flown to Los Angeles for an interview and a chance to spend a week helping Drew Carey give away prizes. Go to www.tampabays10.com.
TUNE IN TONIGHT
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, 9 p.m., Spike
Before you go out to see "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," check out the 1999 film about the early years of Anakin Skywalker, father of Luke.
Summer Olympics, 8 p.m., NBC
The Games continue with women's gymnastics, beach volleyball, women's diving and swimming.
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