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Star Wars Prequels Media Movies

"Clone Wars" Cartoon Shorts on Cartoon Network 233

Posted by CmdrTaco from the well-isn't-that-interesting dept.
snilloc writes "Starwars.com announces that Cartoon Network will carry "Star Wars: Clone Wars" cartoon shorts in order to bridge the gap between Episodes 2 and 3. I guess this means we won't be seeing the Clone Wars in Ep3, as many of us had hoped. On the bright side, we get our SW fix in twenty 2-3 minute shorts. We can only hope against hope that they won't suck."
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"Clone Wars" Cartoon Shorts on Cartoon Network More

"Clone Wars" Cartoon Shorts on Cartoon Network

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  • Would this classify... (Score:4, Funny)

    by the_argent ( 28326 ) on Saturday February 22, 2003 @12:58PM (#5360642) Homepage
    As Cartoon Network: A new hope?
  • I have been waiting for the Clone wars since ep I came out. I kept tellin myself...well it must be in the next one. I should have known.
    • This guy (George Lucas) doesn't listen to anyone anymore. I remember in an interview, he said that in 4,5 & 6 since it was the studios money he had to do what the studio told him - and he didn't like it because he never got to shoot it the way he wanted. I think it is safe to say now - that was done for a good damn reason. Since it's his money in the first 3 he's been listening to no-one and is quiclkly sinking. He might as well b0rk ep3 real quick and get it over with.
      • WIth these cartoons I believe he's hoping to get another generation of kids into Star Wars, however cartoons and pixar style animation are a lot more fun even for a grown up like me :)
    • sorry charlie. according to theforce.net [theforce.net], Episode 3 will start much the same way as Empire strikes back. the clone wars will be nearing an end, and the movie will carry on about the end of civilization, or something like that.

      i kinda expect a lot of veiled attacks on george bush, actually. in keeping with lucas' record of veiled jabs at politicians he doesn't like. but that's really another topic.
  • We can only hope against hope that they won't suck.

    That's what I'm thinking... They never seem to get these kind of things quite right...
    • If the producers of the last two movies are listening: NO MORE CG & NO MORE WELL-KNOWN ACTORS!

      Using CG and popular actors are the two biggest flaws of the last two films. Stop-motion photography was much more convincing because you can't fake all the subtleties of real life that make it real.
      It's hard to believe a movie in another place and time when you have all these well-known actors and actresses in the movies. Get rid of them! You don't see David Hasselhoff in the Lord of the Rings, do you? Sheesh.
      • Both LOTR movies had assloads of CGI and well-known actors and they didn't suck. The original trilogy looked great at the time but if you watch them again the effects are cheesy. The problem with Episode 1 and to a lesser extent Episode 2 is the writing.
        • True, LOTR was great. Still, my two gripes stand out for me. Maybe their CG just sucked, and their well known actors didn't pull it off too well. Speaking of which, you could tell they were uncomfortable sometimes just knowing that the whole set was a big blue screen. You'd figure they would be trained for that kind of environment.

          So what's the difference between Star Wars' CG and LOTR CG? Why is LOTR' so much better? Or is it? (It must be - I'm not complaining about it :)
      • "...NO MORE WELL-KNOWN ACTORS!"

        Yeah, if the first movie back in '77 had used a well known actor to play that Kenobi guy it would have ruined everything.

  • cop out (Score:5, Insightful)

    by madhippy ( 525384 ) on Saturday February 22, 2003 @12:59PM (#5360647)
    sounds like they didn't get enough of the story told in ep1 and ep2, with ep4 a known entity they were either going to have a really long and sprawling ep3 or miss a huge amount of what happened between ep2 and ep3 or ep3 and ep4....

  • This is horribly stupid (Score:5, Interesting)

    by kaltkalt ( 620110 ) on Saturday February 22, 2003 @01:03PM (#5360657)
    99% of people (or even Star Wars fans) are not going to watch the cartoon network to see 2-3 minute cartoons which are apparently necessary for Episode III to make sense. Yes, I'm sure that Lucas will stick all the cartoons on a $24 DVD for sale a week or so before Ep3 comes out, but that aside, this is simply idiotic. If he doesn't want to film the clone wars, or other necessary plot devices, that's fine (a shame, but fine) - just allude to them in the movie. Have a character talk about it and fill us in. But 2-3 minute cartoons on an obscure cable channel? What is Lucas smoking?
    • Nonsence, I'm sure Lucas will simply do both. In III he'll still allude to the events that happen in this micro-series. This just gives him an opportunity to milk a bit more from the cash cow that is StarWars.

    • Re:Obscure??? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by JaxGator75 ( 650577 ) on Saturday February 22, 2003 @01:18PM (#5360722)
      I would hardly call Cartoon Network obscure. Everyone with basic cable has heard of them, and those of us with non-food-stamp cable get it without exception. . . I still can't believe that people are continued to be shocked and appalled by Lucas' next moves. He's gonna do what he wants with his legacy, and we're stuck with the choice of watching or ignoring. My PERSONAL philosophy is that it's pretty cool if you don't try to take it so very literally (and dissect it with an electron microscope). E.G. Go get Ep 1 and Ep2, smoke a HUGE fatty and tell me it wasn't cool... They have LIGHTSABERS! C'mon. . . (PS - I'm an adult, not a 12-yr-old fanboy)
      • By the way, it's copyright law (and to some extent trademark law) that keeps the Phantom Edit out of our hands.

        George Lucas started the Star Wars thing, but he's fucked it all up and no longer deserves to steer his monopoly franchise.

        Copyright law gives too much power to artists who have left their prime. Free derivative works for the people!

      • E.G. Go get Ep 1 and Ep2, smoke a HUGE fatty and tell me it wasn't cool... They have LIGHTSABERS! C'mon. . .

        You are correct. It is cool on the same level as Britney Spears music and the Johnny Mnemonic movie. To prove my point, imagine Ep2 starring Keanu Reeves and Britney. It would not be worse. It might even be better.

        That amount of cool doesn't really beat smoking a huge fatty and masturbating. If it's not cooler than smoking a huge fatty and masturbating, I'm not spending my money on it.

      • Re:Obscure??? (Score:3, Informative)

        by anonymous loser ( 58627 )
        I would hardly call Cartoon Network obscure.

        You're right. To anyone living outside the US it's non-existent. That's EVEN BETTER.

        • Re:Obscure??? (Score:2, Informative)

          by clem ( 5683 )

          To anyone living outside the US it's non-existent.

          BZZZZT! I'm sorry, that's incorrect.

          While I was living in England the Cartoon Network was available on cable. Dexter's Laboratory, Pinky and the Brain, the whole lot.

        • Nope, I get it here in Hong Kong.

          dave
    • Maybe filming it in a cartoon will cut down on the super-special effects budget that it would take to film the "clone wars"? Also, it will cash in on a new generation of Star Wars fans and maybe try to do something new to generate interest in Star Wars again? (as I have lost the faith too)

    • Re:This is horribly stupid (Score:5, Funny)

      by Kaz Riprock ( 590115 ) on Saturday February 22, 2003 @02:47PM (#5361082)
      99% of people (or even Star Wars fans) are not going to watch the cartoon network to see 2-3 minute cartoons

      99% of StarWars fans are going to watch them over the internet, download them, burn them to CD, burn them on the back of their retinas, memorize them, act them out on the streets of NY waiting in line 3 months for ep3 tickets ala the best.Triumph/Conan.skit.ever, download the new Triumph/Conan.skit that will be based on the acting out of the cartoons, memorize *those* lines, go write their own 8 page fanfic to replace and fill in between the cartoons....and still act like Lucas is a hideous beast for destroying the legacy of 4,5, and 6 once they see the cartoons and ep3....and buy all the toys.

      So, don't worry about the viewership...because you know Lucas isn't. There's plenty of time for these things to disseminate to everyone who wants to see them regardless if they are released as flipbooks, written in Lithuanian.
    • It is becoming more apparent that Lucas is aiming for kids with the Star Wars franchise. So a new cartoon makes sense. But if past history is any clue there will be no need to watch the cartoons to make sense of Episode 3. Anyone remember Droids or Ewoks?

  • We can only hope against hope that they won't suck (Score:3, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 22, 2003 @01:03PM (#5360659)
    That's not A New Hope!
    • Or adults with a mental age of 10.

      I saw that Attack of the Clones on Telly & I couldn't believe how bad the script, plotting & directing was. I was watching it on a DVD with some mates at my brother's place meaning I couldn't just flick it over to something else, mind you everyone else there was shocked by how bad it was too. We couldn't stop laughing at the cliches & the wooden directing.

      Gez WTF does such a crapy movies series designed for children, or adults with a mental age of 10, have its own catagory on Slashdot. Mind you much of what Hollywood puts out is for adults with a mental age of 12, but that Star Wars flick was about the worst in that regard.

      & WTF do so many slashdotters care

  • I knew it! (Score:5, Interesting)

    by natron 2.0 ( 615149 ) <`moc.liamg' `ta' `97sretepdn'> on Saturday February 22, 2003 @01:04PM (#5360662) Homepage Journal
    I knew something like this was going to happen somewhere in the first three episodes...

    It is hard to write prequels for movies that have such a long expansive storyline. I think Lucas thought he could do it all in just three prequels, but now he has realized that he has got in over his head and these clone wars cartoons are just him saving grace. I doubt it will work though. I just hope the transitions from film to cartoon and back to film are seamless.

    Not a sermon, just a thought.
    • One thing is clear, a lot of shit has to happen in the next movie to properly set up the rest of the story. I have a weird feeling about it though, if it's done right it could be one of the best in the entire series. Then again, there is already evidence that it could suck namely EP1.

    • Re:I knew it! (Score:3, Insightful)

      by sgtsanity ( 568914 )
      I just hope the transitions from film to cartoon and back to film are seamless.

      Well, the movies are already pretty much computer-animated cartoons, so I don't think the transition will be too terribly hard.
    • This just proves that he didn't have a storyline hashed out before he made the first movie.

      Hell, it provves that he didn't have a storyline hashed out prior to finishing Ep II.


  • . . . . I really DO have a life.

  • Lucas just wants money (Score:5, Insightful)

    by papasui ( 567265 ) on Saturday February 22, 2003 @01:05PM (#5360668) Homepage
    He figure's it millions of dollars cheaper to have the cartoons show the clone wars rather than to film it all. That way he can make ep3 for a lot less and continue to milk all the money from Star Wars geeks with his crappy movies.

  • "I have a very bad feeling about this" (Score:5, Funny)

    by Comrade Pikachu ( 467844 ) on Saturday February 22, 2003 @01:05PM (#5360670) Homepage
    "Yeah, I think you're right. Full reverse! Chewie, lock in the auxiliary power."

  • Will roak (Score:5, Interesting)

    by bytor4232 ( 304582 ) on Saturday February 22, 2003 @01:06PM (#5360675) Homepage Journal
    Given Genny's work on Samauri Jack I think it will rock hard. I am looking forward to it big time.
  • lucas lost it a long long time ago ..

  • Old News! (Score:5, Informative)

    by Amsterdam Vallon ( 639622 ) <amsterdamvallon2003@yahoo.com> on Saturday February 22, 2003 @01:08PM (#5360683) Homepage
    Go to START > RUN > and type "telnet://blinkenlights.nl"

    They have an animated Star Wars Episode IV in ASCII text!
  • So I guess the moral of the story is that Episode 3, which I had hoped would be dark and actually good, with no shouts of "Yippee!" or "Yousa gonna...", will actually suck just like Episodes 1 and 2.

    At least we have The Matrix 2 and 3 the look forward to.

    -nate

  • Hmm... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by neurojab ( 15737 ) on Saturday February 22, 2003 @01:14PM (#5360700)
    You're holding your breath for a Lucasfilm "Star Wars" cartoon that doesn't suck? Let's see where there's precedent. You've got the short in the Holiday Special, which actually seems good (even though it isn't) next to the wretched filth of the rest of the special. Then you've got "Ewoks" and "Droids", both of which that despite being based on the immensely popular star wars world and characters, failed miserably due to general suckage.

    Now, after "Phantom Menace" and "Attack of the clones", you expect these new shorts to be good? Sorry, the writing is on the wall, and that's not what it says. I'm not going to bother.

    Keep holding your breath though... it saves oxygen.

    • Re:Hmm... (Score:4, Insightful)

      by ryepup ( 522994 ) on Saturday February 22, 2003 @01:32PM (#5360784) Homepage
      the thing is, Lucas isn't doing these. The animators behind Samuri Jack are in creative control. That means it will be Good. I think Lucas came up with some great ideas, but he lacks on the execution. Which was the best original movie? Which one did he have the least involvement in?

  • Oh dear... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by moronga ( 323123 ) on Saturday February 22, 2003 @01:14PM (#5360706)
    The character designs look TERRIBLE. [starwars.com] :(

    Apparently, they got the Samurai Jack / Dexter's Laboratory guy to do the shorts. Who the hell made that decision? His goofy style is totally inappropriate, imo. I'll watch them, but I'm not too optimistic.

    If they had to pick someone totally out of left field, they should have gotten the Sealab 2021 guys to do it. :D

  • Star Wars As Domestic Abuse (Score:5, Funny)

    by gonerill ( 139660 ) on Saturday February 22, 2003 @01:15PM (#5360712) Homepage
    "We can only hope against hope that they won't suck."

    I'm sure that, by now, the relationship between George Lucas and his fans is a standard case study in counseling handbooks, codependence manuals, psychotherapy training, etc.

    Fans (to counselor): I love him, he's really wonderful deep down, I know he means well and is a decent man.

    (Cut to videotape) Lucas: Take this, you stupid bitch! [Smack! Punch! Ewoks! Jar-Jar!]

    Fans (Sobbing): It must be my fault --- I just can't seem to please him. I know he doesn't mean to hurt me like this....

    It's awful, really.

  • I'd like to see the Millineum Toaster again.

  • Look At It This Way... (Score:5, Funny)

    by superdan2k ( 135614 ) on Saturday February 22, 2003 @01:21PM (#5360732) Homepage Journal
    How much suckitude can George Lucas cram into a 2-3 short? There's only so much bad dialogue and plot loopholes you could cram into that amount of time...

  • Why bother (Score:5, Informative)

    by gmhowell ( 26755 ) <gmhowell@gmail.com> on Saturday February 22, 2003 @01:21PM (#5360736) Homepage Journal
    This is hardly worth the time. First, it's listed in the 'expanded universe' section of the website. That means it's not canon; it doesn't count. Second, there isn't even going to be a proper cartoon of ~30 minute length. These are 2-3 minute shorts that will be shown as filler between shows. Finally, they only expect 20 of them. Less than one hour.

    Why bother?
    • We already have filler material of a few minutes between (and during) shows. You may have heard of them .. They're called commercials. :^)

      Any bets that each segment has a plug for a new toy?

  • People actually care about Episode 3? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by SystematicPsycho ( 456042 ) on Saturday February 22, 2003 @01:22PM (#5360743)
    After George Lucas single handedly ruined episode 1 & 2 from poor directing and producing, not taking any advice from anyone as he was forced to do in 4,5 & 6 - I'm certainly not going to be lining up when 3 comes out. I'll go see it in order to say the line "and now his failure is complete". I recently caught episode 1 on tv, with the exception of roughly 10 scenes, every scene in the movie is poorly directed, the dialogue is horrible and does not pack the punch 4,5 & 6 half did.

    I certainly do think that the Lucas franchise has exploited viewers beyond any other films in history. This even beats the 10 versions of Blade Runner and Jurassic Park merchandise. A cartoon series to bridge the gap between numbers 2 & 3 shows they are aiming for a new generation of fans.

    I heard that he will be redoing 4,5 & 6 too, is this true?
  • We can only hope against hope that they won't suck.

    Besides that one Yoda battle in EP2, exactly what part of the Star Wars universe hasn't sucked since TESB?
  • Lucas and TPTB (Rick McCallum and others) have said in interviews that the final climactic battle of the clone wars takes place at the beginning of EP III. If they want to give us some insite as to what actually happens during the clone wars then so be it. It's not like any of this stuff was going to be on film anyway! Don't get me wrong, it would be nice to see it in full CG with the power of ILM behind it but that's not going to happen so get over it and accept that Lucas has chosen to do anything at all.
  • Lemme guess...the movie won a mere battle, but the war rages on! I despise hollywood's logic; anything to continue slugging kids' cereal boxes with wookies, jarjar, and pokemon...

    Now Slashdot Wars...that'll be one hell of a cereal box! It would be rockin' if I get buy a box of "Quaker Oaties" and I would receive..."Quake4:william_pen's_alien_outhouse!" or open a box of "William Wonker's Nerdz" and receive a free 30-day add-less subscription to "Slashdot: News for Nerdz, stuff that matters a bit!"

    That'll be the day...*cries*
    • Lemme guess...the movie won a mere battle, but the war rages on! I despise hollywood's logic; anything to continue slugging kids' cereal boxes with wookies, jarjar, and pokemon...

      Now Slashdot Wars...that'll be one hell of a cereal box! It would be rockin' if I get buy a box of "Quaker Oaties" and I would receive..."Quake4:william_pen's_alien_outhouse!" or open a box of "William Wonker's Nerdz" and receive a free 30-day add-less subscription to "Slashdot: News for Nerdz, stuff that matters a bit!"

      That'll be the day...*cries*

      I'll root for FARK WARS for a kickass cereal box. The title "FARK WARS - A New Photoshop Hope" is natural.

  • This makes good sense. (Score:5, Funny)

    by Syncdata ( 596941 ) on Saturday February 22, 2003 @01:40PM (#5360809) Journal
    After all, the only parts I liked in Ep:1 and ep:2 were roughly 2-3 minutes long. The opening chase in ep:2, yoda knife fight, all about 2-3 minutes long. The rest of the movie could have been cut all together. As a matter of fact, I nominate there not be a EP3: at all, that lucas just show a quick montage of lightsabers turning on, women with odd haircuts, and planets/planetoid bodies exploding. Maybe set it to techno music, rather than the john williams score. 10 minutes long, in total, no muss, no fuss, just give me my noisy splosions in space.
    I'm so tired of the train wreck of the star wars universe, I'm not even going to bother to preview this post before clicking submit.
  • REally? A one time only cartoon movie/episode would make sense, but this is just idiotic.

  • Would you rather watch a 6 hour movie? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by vgaphil ( 449000 ) on Saturday February 22, 2003 @01:50PM (#5360841)
    If Lucas didn't do this Episode III would be about 6 hours long. It's a cheesy idea, but at least George is trying to fill in the gaps. I just hope I don't end up fighting over the remote with my 5 year-old. She loves SpongeBob on Nickelodeon, but who doesn't?

  • Star Wars Trek (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Helpadingoatemybaby ( 629248 ) on Saturday February 22, 2003 @01:53PM (#5360853)
    Just like with Star Trek, another franchise that was exploited right down the toilet, Star Wars has performed poorer and poorer with each outing.

    Mark my words, when the franchises are really on the ropes, and no movies have been made for a few years, someone in Hollywood will propose "A combined Star Trek vs. Star Wars battle where Princess Leia has to fight against Jean Luc Picard" which thankfully will go nowhere. (Or worse yet: "Princess Leia falls in love with Jean Luc Picard...")

    Don't believe me? Remember "Alien vs. Predator" or "Superman vs. Batman"? Both projects that came at the ends of the franchises.

    Now that Hollywood has come out with just a few too many comic book movies (the Hulk, coming soon, with Archie and Veronica even being proposed) the whole comic trend will eventually collapse and like all good Hollywood things, will have been exploited to death.

    Cases in point: the meteor movie trend, that's cratered, the "virus" movie trend (Outbreak et al) has died, the space adventure (Star Wars, Star Trek) lasted longer than most, but appears to be having the air sucked out of it's lungs, and now the comic book movie trend is crumpling.

    The nice thing about Hollywood is that it is very predictable... almost as predictable as the mass market viewers.

    What's the next movie bandwagon? I predict five years of dog movies. :)

  • Grassroots Advertizing/Distribution (Score:3, Interesting)

    by X-rated Ouroboros ( 526150 ) on Saturday February 22, 2003 @01:59PM (#5360882) Homepage

    20 two to three minute shorts...
    Bet you those will be all over the P2P networks soon enough.
    Bet you that's exactly what was intended, too.

    It's nice to see someone finally tapping into a viral distribution model. Let's hope that they don't suck and the mocking spoofs don't become more popular than the originals.

  • Sick thing (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Picass0 ( 147474 ) on Saturday February 22, 2003 @02:00PM (#5360887) Homepage Journal

    It would be ironic if these cartoons turned out to have better charater and story development than the EPs 1-3. I've thought for a long time that Lucas' directing is part of the problem, and now we will see what these characters can do in somebody else's hands.
  • Tatologically, this story is a dupe. [slashdot.org]

    Posted by CmdrTaco [cmdrtaco.net] on Monday November 18, @12:00AM
    from the you-gotta-be-kidding dept.
    NeoCode [mailto] writes "There were rumours and speculations [aintitcool.com] first. Now it looks like its a done deal [aintitcool.com]. Harry Knowles, of AintItCool.com [aintitcool.com] has reports on an animated version of Star Wars set after AOTC but before episode 3. This series is produced by Genndy Tartakovsky (Dexter's Lab, Powerpuff Girls, Samurai Jack). The cartoons will be a series of short films. Could this infuse Star Wars with a new life or is this just another merchandising plot? Nevertheless, this could be quite interesting." Yeah look what good Ewoks & Droids did for the SW universe ;)

  • Because we all know how great Star Wars cartoons are... *thinks of holiday special, curls up in fetal position*
  • Its easy to be greedy if people are so willing to give you money. If I could make a few million by selling out, you don't think I would? Would you?

    Look at the Joe Millionare crap. Fox sneaks an extra episode in, people bitch and moan about being ripped off, yet they still keep watching, and Fox gets even more $$$. Lucas should do the same thing, milk it man. Everyone will scream and cry, but they'll still watch, and they'll still buy the cartoon DVDs, and the Special Edition cartoon DVDs with extra footage, and cartoon DVDs with the bonus episdoe bundled with the movies.

    Lucas reads his bank statement, not /.
  • Who would win?

  • You can read a small 45 minute novella in large yellow print on a starfield background scrolling away from you in 2005.

    In the meantime, check out starwars.com's cool 404 error page here [starwars.com].
  • If it will be aired by Cartoon Network, where will be all the sex stuff?

    Oh, I see, in the movie they reproduce by cloning.
  • Did no one notice that these shorts are being created by the guy that did Dexter's Laboratory and Samurai Jack? I don't know about most people, but imo, those cartoons seriously kick ass. Samurai Jack's one of the most visually interesting cartoons I've ever had the pleasure of seeing (anime excluded, haven't seen much of that).

    I can't wait to see what he does for Star Wars. I know that it will at least be interesting visually. Rock on, looking forward to it! :)
  • For an underground, fan-produced, movie of the Star Wars Prequels using only scenes from the original trilogy and scenes from any of Jim Henson's serious films.

    GET 2 WORK!
  • Lucas has already stated that Ep 3 won't feature much of anything about the clone wars. Maybe a bit of the aftermath. This is a bit disapointing, since many invisioned the Clone Wars as being a battle on the epic scale (generations long over several solar systems). Now, it appears to be more of a skirmish.

    So, this cartoon series could turn out to be more interesting them ep3. Especially since more people than just George are coming up with the stories.

  • Quick, Lucas... Get all the promising, cool battle scenes of the Clone Wars out of the way so you can make room in the next movie for more SUCK!!!!!!

    Good job. Way to go. Keep up the good work. Been enjoying having my finger in my eye for 2 movies thus far, can't wait for it....
  • Attack of the Clones might have been the "last straw" for many people, but it seems that Star Wars fandom is not entirely dead. As long as it isn't, we'll more than likely see tons of stuff with STAR WARS on the title to sell to the fans.

    Star Wars games are being pumped out, and there is even a Star Wars MMORPG that will soon be released. Seems like there are a lot of gamers waiting with baited breath for that one.
  • We can only hope against hope that they won't suck.

    Come on, how badly can George Lucas fuck up a cartoon?

    Remember the Star Wars Christmas special?

    Oh! Holy shit...well, here's me, hoping against hope...
  • This is gonna be just as good as the wookies christmas special. oh wait...

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