STAR WARS: CLONE WARS returns with five new 12-minute chapters on Cartoon Network beginning March 21, 2005, and will air nightly at 7:00 pm through March 25, as well as broadcast all five new chapters back to back on March 26.
The short series, which took home the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (more than one hour) in 2004, is produced and directed by Genndy Tartakovsky, the creator of the hit series SAMURAI JACK and DEXTERS LABORATORY. The timing of these episodes is to help set the stage for the upcoming feature film, STAR WARS: EPISODE III REVENGE OF THE SITH on May 19.
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.
Cartoon Network aired chapters 1-10 of the STAR WARS: CLONE WARS epic micro-series in November 2003, which is now available on DVD from Lucasfilm Ltd. and Twentieth Century Fox Home Ent. Chapters 11-20 started airing in March 2004.
As the new chapters begin, the Jedi must change their strategy to defeat General Grievous and keep the Separatist movement on the defensive. Yoda proposes that Anakin be elevated from Obi-Wans apprentice to the level of Jedi Knight, but warns that a final test is still to come. Obi-Wan and Anakin lead the Republics effort against the uprising, while Separatist leader Darth Sidious plots an attack on the important planet of Coruscant. Anakin and Obi-Wan are dispatched to the far-off planet of Koobi to investigate a reported Separatist grouping, leaving Mace Windu and Yoda to lead the Republics defense of Coruscant and keep Chancellor Palpatine safe from General Grievous and his forces.
Its been an unforgettable experience working on STAR WARS, said Tartakovsky, who produced and directed these five episodes. Ever since we were all children, we have always played out our own STAR WARS scenarios, and to actually have put them on film is an amazing dream come true. This project has been very difficult but also very rewarding. We hope that our efforts will be enjoyed by our generation and by the generations to come.
STAR WARS: CLONE WARS, produced at Cartoon Network Studios in Burbank, California, is the first animated property starring the central characters of the STAR WARS saga. The series is produced with traditional cel animation with some CGI computer-generated spaceships and moves using Maya and Power Animator. The vehicle movements are particularly smooth and work well in the 2D environment. The fogs effects are particularly good in this mini-series and it has more believable romance between the characters than in any of the live-action STARS WARS films.
Paul Rudish did art direction, Justin Thompson was background supervisor, Todd Frederiksen handled vehicle design while Roger Webb was color stylist. Brian Miller was exec producer and Jennifer Pehlprey was supervising producer while Shareena Carlson produced. Bryan Andrews did storyboards. Supervising editor was Paul Douglas while Jim Hearn was dialogue editor.
It stars the voices of Mat Lucas as Anakin Skywalker, James Arnold Taylor as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Tom Kane as Yoda, Nick Jameson as Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, Anthony Daniels as C-3PO and Richard McGonagle as General Grievous.
Cartoon Network (www.CartoonNetwork.com), seen in 87.6 million U.S. homes and 160 countries around the world, is Turner Broadcasting System Inc.'s 24-hour, ad-supported cable service offering animated entertainment. Since its launch in 1992, Cartoon Network has remained one of ad-supported cable's highest-rated networks.
