Page 1 of 3

Clone Wars cartoon official .. god help us

Posted: 2003-02-21 04:49am
by Vympel
Cartoon Network and Lucasfilm Announce Star Wars Animated Shorts
Thursday February 20, 10:25 am ET

20 Animated "Clone Wars' Serial Shorts to Appear on Cartoon Network in 2003-2004

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 20, 2003--Cartoon Network and Lucasfilm Ltd. announced today a partnership to create Star Wars: Clone Wars, a series of 20 animated shorts that will air on Cartoon Network in 2003-2004 between other programming.

Star Wars: Clone Wars continues the saga where the live action feature film Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones left off - at the beginning of the Clone Wars, an epic civil war that pits the old Republic against a vast separatist movement led by the forces of evil.

Each episodic short will be two- to three-minutes in length and will air exclusively on Cartoon Network at regularly scheduled times during the network's regular programming beginning later this fall. Clone Wars will be produced at Cartoon Network Studios by a team led by Genndy Tartakovsky, the creator of Samurai Jack and Dexter's Laboratory.

As Clone Wars unfolds the valiant Jedi Knights lead the Republic's Clone Army against many new and ruthless adversaries across the galaxy. These new characters, epic battles and intricate stories will add an exciting new dimension to the Star Wars saga.

"We are incredibly excited to be working with Lucasfilm in creating an animated story that extends one of the world's most beloved entertainment properties," said Sam Register, senior vice president of development for Cartoon Network. "Cartoon Network's creative team will work hand-in-hand with Lucasfilm to make sure that our common vision for Clone Wars thrills Star Wars fans around the world."

"Genndy Tartakovsky and the team at Cartoon Network are tops in their field," said Howard Roffman, president of Lucas Licensing. "Their work on Samurai Jack shows that they can tell an epic story in a unique way, lavishing equal attention on dramatic battle scenes as well as the dramatic development of the characters."

"I was contacted because I've always been very vocal that I'm a Star Wars fan and would love to work on it," says Tartakovsky. "So, the Cartoon Network came up to me and asked me to put a little pitch together. We came up with this idea of doing a Clone Wars-style story with a Band of Brothers-feel to it -- where it's episodes of different battles and strategies during the Clone Wars. We went up to Lucasfilm and pitched it, and everyone enjoyed it, and it just came together."
The end result will be 20 animated shorts of two-to-three-minutes running time each, telling one continuous story of the Clone Wars, as well as side stories that branch from the main. "A little bit of the story changed here and there since the pitch, but it's pretty much the same," says Tartakovsky. "Anakin and Obi-Wan are on Muunilinst, and they're taking out these factories that the Federation has built. And in our side stories, we have Kit Fisto, another with Mace, another with Yoda and Padmé."

The following was also noted:


In addition to returning characters like Obi-Wan, Anakin, Mace and Yoda, Star Wars: Clone Wars will spotlight new characters, designs and hardware, which Tartakovsky and his artists are eagerly tackling. "We are having a lot of fun with the new ARC troopers, which are elite commando units of clone troopers. They're all... well, more cool," he says. "There's a new female warrior, and Paul Rudish designed her ship, and it was approved and turned out great."

The female warrior is Asajj Ventress, a deadly Dark Jedi armed with paired lightsabers bearing the distinctive curved handles of her mentor. "Ventress' whole backstory was written by Lucasfilm and Dark Horse Comics, but her role in here is that Count Dooku hires her like a new Jango Fett-type. She's sent as an assassin to kill Anakin. She's a really cool bald chick, and she's got great powers, and her and Anakin will have an amazing hardcore fight," says Tartakovsky."

Vympel's take: this fucking sucks.


As for elite commando troopers- fine. That I can deal with. But the art looks shit.

Image

YUK YUK YUK YUK

Posted: 2003-02-21 05:42am
by Robert Treder
I hate to say it, Vympel, but you're wrong. This is gonna kick major ass.

The only thing that's gonna suck about it is that they'll only be shorts. But Tartakovsky is the perfect man for the job, and the art looks beautiful to me.
If this is even half as good as Samurai Jack, it'll be super-awesome.

Posted: 2003-02-21 05:45am
by Coaan
Gods save us all...

Posted: 2003-02-21 05:57am
by Pcm979
How many crazy female double curved lightsabre using apprentices does Dooku have?! :lol:

Posted: 2003-02-21 06:02am
by Coaan
Pcm979 wrote:How many crazy female double curved lightsabre using apprentices does Dooku have?! :lol:
:D

Many Hopefully

Re: Clone Wars cartoon official .. god help us

Posted: 2003-02-21 06:14am
by Peregrin Toker
Vympel wrote: Image

YUK YUK YUK YUK
Is it just me, or does Asajj Ventress look A LOT like Taun We with two lightsabres??

Re: Clone Wars cartoon official .. god help us

Posted: 2003-02-21 06:17am
by Coaan
Simon H.Johansen wrote:
Is it just me, or does Asajj Ventress look A LOT like Taun We with two lightsabres??
yup.....if only they were hinting at something... :)

Posted: 2003-02-21 06:38am
by Mr Bean
Keep in mind this is the same fellow who did Samurai Jack.... the amount of ass kicking has yet to be matched that Jack put out...

Re: Clone Wars cartoon official .. god help us

Posted: 2003-02-21 07:18am
by Peregrin Toker
Coaan wrote:
Simon H.Johansen wrote:
Is it just me, or does Asajj Ventress look A LOT like Taun We with two lightsabres??
yup.....if only they were hinting at something... :)
Hmm... perhaps Ventress turns out to be a Human/Kaminoan crossbreed? Her baldness, pale complexion, incredibly long neck and tall, lanky build certainly suggests it.

But she has 5 fingers (thumb included), unlike Kaminoans who only have 3.

Re: Clone Wars cartoon official .. god help us

Posted: 2003-02-21 07:30am
by Coaan
Simon H.Johansen wrote:But she has 5 fingers (thumb included), unlike Kaminoans who only have 3.
Certainly suggests crossbreeding....but how in the name of all that is holy and furry do you mate with something that tall?!

[Trim your quotes --Enlightenment]

Posted: 2003-02-21 09:07am
by Vympel
Robert Treder wrote:I hate to say it, Vympel, but you're wrong. This is gonna kick major ass.

The only thing that's gonna suck about it is that they'll only be shorts. But Tartakovsky is the perfect man for the job, and the art looks beautiful to me.
If this is even half as good as Samurai Jack, it'll be super-awesome.
When I heard SW cartoon- I thought CGI, not el cheapo Cartoon Network drek animation. Ugh. UGHHHHH!

Our tastes are different I guess :)

Posted: 2003-02-21 09:30am
by Superman
Looks stupid. Crappy animation too.

Posted: 2003-02-21 09:33am
by Utsanomiko
And people try and tell me the American drawing style doesn't suck.

:roll:

Posted: 2003-02-21 09:39am
by Ted C
I'll reserve judgement until I actually see one of these shorts. Obi-Wan and Anakin look OK in the image, but this Ventress character looks... emaciated? anorexic? ill? I dunno. Not much like a heavyweight villain, anyway.

I'm assuming that we will consider these shorts to be "EU" material for the purpose of debates (i.e., acceptable as long as it doesn't contradict anything in the canon).

Posted: 2003-02-21 11:40am
by VF5SS
Man o' man. Anakin has one hell of a chin.

Posted: 2003-02-21 11:41am
by VF5SS
Darth Utsanomiko wrote:And people try and tell me the American drawing style doesn't suck.

:roll:
Like a Star Wars anime would look any better?

Posted: 2003-02-21 11:48am
by Utsanomiko
VF5SS wrote:
Darth Utsanomiko wrote:And people try and tell me the American drawing style doesn't suck.

:roll:
Like a Star Wars anime would look any better?
Spanky owns the Dark Horse translation of the A New Hope manga. Yes, it most certainly does look better. I'd almost say Star Wars perfectly fits the style, but for now I'll say it at least looks a hell of alot better and more appropriate than this cartoon.

Posted: 2003-02-21 11:49am
by Slartibartfast
VF5SS wrote:
Darth Utsanomiko wrote:And people try and tell me the American drawing style doesn't suck.

:roll:
Like a Star Wars anime would look any better?
I've seen that. The horror...

Posted: 2003-02-21 11:52am
by neoolong
The chick looks like some design work that I think Doug Chiang, or whatever his name is, did on Ep. 2. It was in the latest SW Insider.

And is it just me, or does the style look like the old Hercules cartoon movie thing.

Posted: 2003-02-21 11:54am
by Slartibartfast
It's actually Power-Puff Girls drawing style, the same used in Samurai Jack.

Too bad, 2-3 minute shorts = same as nothing. I was hoping for at least a few decent 10-15 minute cartoons.

Posted: 2003-02-21 11:55am
by Utsanomiko
Slartibartfast wrote:It's actually Power-Puff Girls drawing style, the same used in Samurai Jack.

Too bad, 2-3 minute shorts = same as nothing. I was hoping for at least a few decent 10-15 minute cartoons.
In that case, I wonder if it'll also have no dialogue, like those old Aeon flux shorts on MTV. :lol:

Posted: 2003-02-21 12:30pm
by Ender
Looks pretty good. The Band of Brothers stle intrigues me, if they follow it to its end (meaning no uber characters, only the key movie characters have no chance of dieing). I actualy like the art, and am looking forward to seeing a SJ style lightsabre fight.

And that woman is directly out of the Art of SW: Attack of the Clones. That was the femal sith Dooku replaced.

Posted: 2003-02-21 12:35pm
by VF5SS
Darth Utsanomiko wrote:
Spanky owns the Dark Horse translation of the A New Hope manga. Yes, it most certainly does look better. I'd almost say Star Wars perfectly fits the style, but for now I'll say it at least looks a hell of alot better and more appropriate than this cartoon.
Yeech. Anime New Hope? Someone help us if they really let the Japanese have their hand at Star Wars. Anakin will become your basic grade A bishounen pretty boy. There will be many times when his braid will come undone, which will showcasee his pretty long hair causing all the fangirls to drool in lust. There will a sharp increase in the number of giant robots in the Star Wars universe. Anakin will pilot his own custom machine with a giant lightsaber. A great day for Stars War. :)

Posted: 2003-02-21 12:50pm
by darthdavid
I thought that that villans dress was a tent that she was standing behind. Gawd, she's friggin massive. But skinny. Probably weighs about 3 lbs.

Posted: 2003-02-21 12:57pm
by Utsanomiko
VF5SS wrote:Yeech. Anime New Hope? Someone help us if they really let the Japanese have their hand at Star Wars. Anakin will become your basic grade A bishounen pretty boy. There will be many times when his braid will come undone, which will showcasee his pretty long hair causing all the fangirls to drool in lust. There will a sharp increase in the number of giant robots in the Star Wars universe. Anakin will pilot his own custom machine with a giant lightsaber. A great day for Stars War. :)
Honestly, I wish I knew WTF you were talking about (or is it 'if you knew WTF I was talking about'?), cause the Star Wars Manga series is really good and true to Star Wars. I don't know why Spanky never picked up the volumes for the other episodes.

Oh, and go watch Wings of Honneamise or Grave of the Fireflies, for Og's sake. :P