"Star Wars Resistance" is Disney's Newest Animated TV show

[The Romulan Republic]

It feels like a hybrid of Anime-style and more Western animation styles, to me.

[Rogue 9]

It is pretty much in the same stlye as Rebels.

No, it's much more anime styled than that.

Not really?

The basic forms and shapes being used are very similar to Clone Wars and Rebels. Where they diverge for the most part is the coloration and the specific rendering method being used, which turns most of the color gradients into flat monochrome surfaces. This results in the characters becoming ugly blobs of colour.

I'm looking at the ships, not the characters. Observe the first fifteen seconds of the trailer. The engine flares and styling are not what we typically see in Star Wars, but rather Japanese animation. The obvious matte painting effect at 0:14 really stands out as basically the same animation method.

[FaxModem1]

To me, it resembles a Telltale game in animation style. As in, it's less about art and more about being able to have easily movable character models, at the sacrifice of cinematography. This might not be true, but it isn't a good sign for it.

[Elheru Aran]

It feels like a hybrid of Anime-style and more Western animation styles, to me.

That's as fair a way of putting it as any. Anime does tend to be low in texture like more traditional hand-drawn work; being able to see, for example, fabric weaves and such wasn't something much done before the advent of digital work, because it was simply far too time intensive to get into. So it's not unusual to see that kind of thing minimized in anime, which does go for the blocks of colour look to some degree. There are still some textures, particularly in backgrounds, but for stuff in the foreground that's in motion, they try to simplify it in order to make it easier to draw continuous figures from one movement to another.

3D on the other hand doesn't have that restriction-- the computer does all the drawing and rendering, and it doesn't care how fancy the characters get. There's still some simplification, but for example the rough weave of a Jedi robe is far easier to depict onscreen rather than just blurring it out into a coarse brown blot.

Where Resistance is failing, I think, is in trying to simulate that low-texture look with methods that are so much better suited for higher texture methods.

I'm looking at the ships, not the characters. Observe the first fifteen seconds of the trailer. The engine flares and styling are not what we typically see in Star Wars, but rather Japanese animation. The obvious matte painting effect at 0:14 really stands out as basically the same animation method.

A few spaceships do not anime make

but yes there's certainly a lot of inspiration going on here. I just don't think you can blithely label it 'anime style' and walk away from that, though.

[Elheru Aran]

To me, it resembles a Telltale game in animation style. As in, it's less about art and more about being able to have easily movable character models, at the sacrifice of cinematography. This might not be true, but it isn't a good sign for it.

To be fair, I understand that the Telltale games are decently popular in their niche, and it is a reasonable method to use if you're trying to cut some corners. But I do concur that this isn't a good sign when it comes to a TV show being produced by Disney, who historically have (usually) had somewhat higher standards.

[FaxModem1]

To me, it resembles a Telltale game in animation style. As in, it's less about art and more about being able to have easily movable character models, at the sacrifice of cinematography. This might not be true, but it isn't a good sign for it.

To be fair, I understand that the Telltale games are decently popular in their niche, and it is a reasonable method to use if you're trying to cut some corners. But I do concur that this isn't a good sign when it comes to a TV show being produced by Disney, who historically have (usually) had somewhat higher standards.

I enjoy Telltale, but it's a different medium. Telltale is a multiple path-ish chapter game company, wherein it's using the game engine it has to have multiple characters on screen, and uses cel shaded characters to help the flow of the game and lack of detail in the models. This is supposed to be the new Star Wars cartoon. The lack of resources devoted to it indicates what is probably a low budget for what is needed.

The alternative is that someone at Disney thought that the lack of harsh lines between characters and backgrounds along with washed out colors was a better design choice for a Star Wars game.

[Lord Revan]

I think a big part of the problem is that the animation is sort of "too good" for the art style. They're going for a 2D animation look without including the inherent issues that come with 2D animation (but not 3D).

I think it wouldn't look half as bad if the movement had roughness inherent in 2D animation rather then the smooth movements of 3D.

[Mange]

The trailer came off as far too juvenile for my taste (as Rebels rather than TCW). The visual style looks fine... As far as the vehicles and environments are concerned.

[The Romulan Republic]

The animated shows tend to follow a pattern of starting out very light and childish in tone, then rapidly getting darker and more serious as they progress.

[Elheru Aran]

The animated shows tend to follow a pattern of starting out very light and childish in tone, then rapidly getting darker and more serious as they progress.

TCW is kind of funny-weird in that regard as the show itself kind of started off a little more seriously than say Rebels, but that's because the actual start of the show was the TCW movie and if you missed that, well, you kinda didn't miss a whole lot. The main thing from the movie is the beginning of Anakin's relationship with Ahsoka, and... honestly... that's about it; the movie isn't particularly important to the show, acting merely to set the scene.

Though I've never quite understood the relationship between TCW and the original Tartovosky cartoon. I mean, Anakin had to get his scar from somewhere, and I understand that happened in the original cartoon... yet the cartoon is non-canon now, particularly as it conflicts with some points of the later show IIRC.

So, I dunno.

EDIT: Anyway, yeah, I'd expect this to follow much the same pattern. Start out light, get serious (doesn't the trailer appear to show someone being thrown off the side of whatever that floating city is?), someone gets killed and stuff gets blown up by the end of the first season... if they're trying to appeal to kids, they're not going to start out grim. I want to say that TCW was originally targeted as much at adults as it was kids, as they knew that a decent proportion of viewers would be fans already, not just watching because "Star Wars is cool".

[The Romulan Republic]

I've always felt that it was a mistake to de-canonize the old cartoon when the new Clone Wars series started. There is very little in the series which actually contradicts the original Clone Wars shorts. The main thing is the absence of Asohka in the original, but if you think about it, the original Tartovosky shorts are set almost entirely at the very start of the war, before Anakin is a knight or meets Asohka, or at the very end, after she leaves the Jedi Order. The intermediate period is covered by only... one brief siege sequence and a couple of quick montages, I think. You can easily just imagine that Asohak is off-screen for those bits (she sometimes did missions away from Anakin and Obi-wan) and it fits very well.

[PhoenixKnig]

I've always felt that it was a mistake to de-canonize the old cartoon when the new Clone Wars series started. There is very little in the series which actually contradicts the original Clone Wars shorts. The main thing is the absence of Asohka in the original, but if you think about it, the original Tartovosky shorts are set almost entirely at the very start of the war, before Anakin is a knight or meets Asohka, or at the very end, after she leaves the Jedi Order. The intermediate period is covered by only... one brief siege sequence and a couple of quick montages, I think. You can easily just imagine that Asohak is off-screen for those bits (she sometimes did missions away from Anakin and Obi-wan) and it fits very well.

I would love to see the old Clone Wars shorts back in the cannon

[The Romulan Republic]

As would I. There are all of five things from the old EU (that have not yet been reintroduced) that I am genuinely sorry to have lost: Dark Lord (the novel), original KotOR, the ICS, Mara Jade, and those shorts.

[PhoenixKnig]

I'll add the essential guides to that list and I'll second Mara Jade

[PhoenixKnig]

As would I. There are all of five things from the old EU (that have not yet been reintroduced) that I am genuinely sorry to have lost: Dark Lord (the novel), original KotOR, the ICS, Mara Jade, and those shorts.

I think ICS has already been re-canonized

[The Romulan Republic]

Hmm, that's good to know. Down to four then (and Mara Jade is the big one).

[NecronLord]

Source please Phoenix King, I have never heard that. The new ICSes (Ep 8 for instance) are canon but the old ones?

[fractalsponge1]

I too would like to know if the old ICSes were somehow recanonized.

Re: Resistance, I quite like the visual style so far. I always thought clone wars and rebels went a little too cartoony, esp the weird proportional issues they introduced for no apparent reason.

[PhoenixKnig]

Cant find source right now but I remember back TFA 1st came out they print updated complete locations and complete ICS (it includes OT, PT, and TFA)

There was topic post from SW.com regarding the Disney reboot with ICS and a few others (namely TCW) was not REcon per se, but survived the fallout.

[PhoenixKnig]

Cant find source right now but I remember back TFA 1st came out they print updated complete locations and complete ICS (it includes OT, PT, and TFA)

There was topic post from SW.com regarding the Disney reboot with ICS and a few others (namely TCW) was not REcon per se, but survived the fallout.

edit; I'll try to find it

[NecronLord]

Re-release doesn't canonize. They did an anniversary edition of HTTE that doesn't mean the Thrawn Trilogy and Leia having kids called Jacen and Jaina is canon.

[Crazedwraith]

Re-release not under the Legends banner though might, arguably. If Disney actually gives a shit about canon (though that seems doubtful) re-releasing a book that's half true and half not seems silly.

[PhoenixKnig]

Re-release doesn't canonize. They did an anniversary edition of HTTE that doesn't mean the Thrawn Trilogy and Leia having kids called Jacen and Jaina is canon.

Those particular examples is underneath the Legends banner it does not subject to Canon

[PhoenixKnig]

Cant find source right now but I remember back TFA 1st came out they print updated complete locations and complete ICS (it includes OT, PT, and TFA)

There was topic post from SW.com regarding the Disney reboot with ICS and a few others (namely TCW) was not REcon per se, but survived the fallout.

edit; I'll try to find it

Update ATM I can find VD and CL where this is true

[NecronLord]

Publishing talk here from someone who's actually worked in publishing. I mean a new edition - not just a new print run, you can still buy legends products without the legends label because not all covers have been redesigned to incorporate it.

A quick search on the DK website suggests that there is no current edition of the AotC ICS or RotS ICS content.

For those not in the know, Dr Saxton parted from Lucasfilm on rather acrimonious terms as he refused to sign his name on anything that did not contain his Endor Holocaust theory covering the topic of ewok extinction, not unreasonably, in that it is the only scientific answer short of the patch devised by our user Ender back in the day (that the Death Star was sitting in a gravitational 'cradle' projected from Endor that reduced the damage. It has even been peer reviewed after a fashion thanks to Business Insider. I can understand why he liked this theory but ultimately it would not be too hard to correct one way or another (Moff Jerjerrod ordered the station to engage a hyperdrive motivator while the chain reaction was underway to avoid loss of life, or something to that effect), if Dr Saxton had the freedom to incorporate such details.

But given the vocal opposition of Pablo Hidalgo, now part of Disney's Story Group, I can't imagine Dr Saxton's work being given a new edition, let alone the imprimatur of 'Star Wars Canon' without major alterations. There's also some potential (though I speculate now about Mr Hidalgo's motives) bad blood as Dr Saxton's website regularly attacked West End Games, which is where Mr Hidalgo's work with Star Wars began.

In short, this is an exceptional claim needing exceptional evidence such as a direct comment from the Story Group endorsing it, or a new edition with an official imprimatur of canon somewhere in the foreword.

P.S. Please take the damn smiley out of your signature. The phrase is also "Bullets always have right of way." Not 'the rIght way.'