| Star Wars: The Clone Wars | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Dave Filoni |
| Written by |
|
| Based on | Star Wars byGeorge Lucas |
| Produced by | Catherine Winder |
| Starring | |
| Edited by | Jason W. A. Tucker |
| Music by | Kevin Kiner |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 98 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $8.5 million[2] |
| Box office | $68.5 million[3] |
Star Wars: The Clone Wars is a 2008 American animatedepicspace opera film directed byDave Filoni, produced byLucasfilm Ltd. andLucasfilm Animation, and distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures,[a] becoming the firstStar Wars film to not be distributed by20th Century Fox. The voice cast consists ofMatt Lanter,Ashley Eckstein,James Arnold Taylor,Dee Bradley Baker,Tom Kane,Catherine Taber,Nika Futterman,Ian Abercrombie,Corey Burton,Matthew Wood,Kevin Michael Richardson,David Acord,Samuel L. Jackson,Anthony Daniels, andChristopher Lee. It is the first fully animated film in theStar Wars franchise and takes place shortly afterEpisode II – Attack of the Clones (2002), at the start of the titularClone Wars. In the film,Count Dooku andJabba the Hutt's uncle Ziro orchestrate a plan to turn Jabba against theGalactic Republic by framing theJedi for the kidnapping of his son. WhileAnakin Skywalker and his newly assigned apprenticeAhsoka Tano attempt to deliver the child back to his father,Obi-Wan Kenobi andPadmé Amidala lead separate investigations to uncover Dooku and Ziro's plot.
The Clone Wars premiered on August 10, 2008, atGrauman's Egyptian Theatre, followed by awide release five days later. It received generally negative reviews from critics, and grossed $68.3 million worldwide, making it the lowest grossingStar Wars film to date. The film serves as apilot episode to thetelevision series of the same name, which premiered onCartoon Network two months after the film's release.
Early in theClone Wars,[b]Galactic Republic forces find themselves stranded across the Outer Rim as the Separatists gain control of more hyperspace lanes.Jedi KnightAnakin Skywalker leads Republic forces againstCount Dooku's Separatist army on Christophsis with his masterObi-Wan Kenobi andclone captainRex.[c] However, the clone army is soon overwhelmed by the Separatists. As the Republic waits for reinforcements, a young Jedi namedAhsoka Tano, who was sent by Grand MasterYoda to become Anakin's padawan, arrives while the Separatist commander Loathsom activates an energy field. Anakin works together with Ahsoka and Obi-Wan to destroy the energy field.
Meanwhile, Dooku, looking to secure a partnership with the Hutts, has kidnapped Rotta, the son ofJabba the Hutt. Obi-Wan negotiates with Jabba, promising the safe return of his son, while Anakin leads a clone army to the planet of Teth to rescue Rotta, who is being held inside a monastery. He and Ahsoka rescue Rotta, who is falling ill, as they discover that Dooku has led the two Jedi into a trap; Dooku has staged the kidnapping himself in order for the Hutts to blacklist the Jedi and allowing the Separatists to gain the support of the Hutts.
While Anakin and Ahsoka escape the monastery with Rotta andR2-D2, the assassinAsajj Ventress, who had earlier neutralized a group ofbounty hunters Jabba sent to retrieve his son, obtains footage of Anakin expressing his distaste with the Hutts, which is shown to Jabba. Obi-Wan arrives at the Teth monastery and duels briefly with Ventress. Meanwhile,Padmé Amidala goes toCoruscant to confront Jabba's uncle Ziro, who she finds out has conspired with Dooku to engineer the downfall of his nephew, Jabba, which would allow him to seize power over the Hutt clans. However, Padmé is soon discovered and detained, but with the help ofC-3PO, is broken out, with Ziro soon arrested.
Anakin and Ahsoka, who had now gained the respect of one another, travel toTatooine to return Rotta to his father. However, their ship comes under fire from Separatist forces and crash-lands far away from Jabba's palace. On his way to Jabba's palace, Anakin is intercepted by Dooku. They engage in alightsaber duel; Dooku realizes that Anakin does not have Rotta on him. Anakin had been carrying a backpack filled with rocks to deceive Dooku as Ahsoka delivers Rotta, who is unharmed, to Jabba. However, Jabba orders their execution. Padmé tells Jabba of his uncle's duplicity, and he reassures her that the Hutt Clan will punish Ziro harshly. A treaty is signed that allows Republic forces to pass through Jabba's territory.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars was made to serve as both a stand-alone story and a lead-in to the weeklyanimated TV series of the same name.[4]George Lucas had the idea for a film after viewing some of the completed footage of the early episodes on the big screen.[5] Those first few episodes, originally planned for release on television, were then woven together to form the theatrical release.[6]Warner Bros. had tracked the series' development from the beginning, and Lucas decided on a theatrical launch after viewing early footage[7] declaring "This is so beautiful, why don't we just go and use the crew and make a feature?"[8] This decision helped convince WB parent companyTime Warner to distribute the movie, and to encourage its subsidiaryCartoon Network to air the series.[9] Lucas described the film as "almost an afterthought."[8]Howard Roffman, president of Lucas Licensing, said of the decision, "Sometimes George works in strange ways."[10] ProducerCatherine Winder said the sudden decision added to an already large challenge of establishing a show "of this sophistication and complexity,"[11] but she felt it was a good way to start the series, and thought budgetary constraints forced the production team tothink outside the box in a positive way.[11]
The story of the kidnapped Hutt was inspired by theSonny Chiba samurai filmShogun's Shadow.[12]
ActorsSamuel L. Jackson,Christopher Lee,Anthony Daniels, andMatthew Wood vocally reprised their respective roles asMace Windu,Count Dooku,C-3PO and theB1 Battle Droids.[13] However, Jackson and Lee did not reprise their roles in the television series.
Lucasfilm andLucasfilm Animation usedAutodesk software to animate both the film and the series using theMaya3-D modeling program to create highly detailed worlds, characters and creatures.[14] The film's animation style was designed to pay homage to the stylized looks of both Japanese anime andmanga, and thesupermarionation of the British 1960s seriesThunderbirds. At a Cartoon Network-hosted discussion, Lucas said he did not want theClone Wars film or television series to look like such movies asBeowulf, because he wanted a stylized look rather than a realistic one. He also felt it should not look like the popularPixar movies such asThe Incredibles andCars, because he wanted the film and characters to have its own unique style.[15] Lucas also decided to create the animated film and series from a live-action perspective, which Winder said set it apart from other CGI films. Essentially, it "meant using long camera shots, aggressive lighting techniques, and relying on editing instead of storyboards."[11] Animators also reviewed designs from theoriginal 2003Clone Wars series when creating the animation style for the film and the new series.[16] In charge was Steward Lee, working as the storyboard artist during filming.[7]
| Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Film score by | ||||
| Released | August 12, 2008 | |||
| Recorded | April 17–18, 2008 | |||
| Length | 1:07:39 | |||
| Label | Sony Classical | |||
| Star Wars soundtrack chronology | ||||
| ||||
Themusical score forStar Wars: The Clone Wars was composed byKevin Kiner.[17] The original motion picture soundtrack was released bySony Classical on August 12, 2008. The disc begins with themain theme byJohn Williams, followed by more than 30 separate music cues composed by Kiner.[17] Kiner is known for his work on such television series asStargate SG-1,Star Trek: Enterprise,Superboy andCSI: Miami. The soundtrack uses someinstruments never heard before in aStar Wars score, includingerhus,duduks andouds.[18]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Star Wars Main Title & A Galaxy Divided" | 1:13 |
| 2. | "Admiral Yularen" | 0:57 |
| 3. | "Battle of Christophsis" | 3:20 |
| 4. | "Meet Ahsoka" | 2:45 |
| 5. | "Obi-Wan to the Rescue" | 1:24 |
| 6. | "Sneaking Under the Shield" | 4:25 |
| 7. | "Jabba's Palace" | 0:46 |
| 8. | "Anakin vs. Dooku" | 2:18 |
| 9. | "Landing on Teth" | 1:44 |
| 10. | "Destroying the Shield" | 3:09 |
| 11. | "B'omarr Monastery" | 3:11 |
| 12. | "General Loathsom/Battle Strategy" | 3:08 |
| 13. | "The Shield" | 1:37 |
| 14. | "Battle of Teth" | 2:45 |
| 15. | "Jedi Don't Run!" | 1:22 |
| 16. | "Obi-Wan's Negotiation" | 2:08 |
| 17. | "The Jedi Council" | 2:05 |
| 18. | "General Loathsom/Ahsoka" | 3:40 |
| 19. | "Jabba's Chamber Dance" | 0:42 |
| 20. | "Ziro Surrounded" | 2:21 |
| 21. | "Scaling the Cliff" | 0:45 |
| 22. | "Ziro's Nightclub Band" | 0:54 |
| 23. | "Seedy City Swing" | 0:35 |
| 24. | "Escape from the Monastery" | 3:13 |
| 25. | "Infiltrating Ziro's Lair" | 2:22 |
| 26. | "Courtyard Fight" | 2:42 |
| 27. | "Dunes of Tatooine" | 2:00 |
| 28. | "Rough Landing" | 3:04 |
| 29. | "Padmé Imprisoned" | 0:51 |
| 30. | "Dooku Speaks with Jabba" | 1:28 |
| 31. | "Fight to the End" | 3:59 |
| 32. | "End Credits" | 0:52 |
| Total length: | 1:07:39 | |
Star Wars: The Clone Wars merchandise was first released on July 26, 2008.Hasbro released several 33⁄4-inchClone Warsaction figures, an electronic clone trooper helmet, a customizable lightsaber, and an electronicAll Terrain Tactical Enforcer (AT-TE).[19]Target andKB Toys also devoted shelf space forClone Wars toys, but did not hold midnight releases or pursue the branding opportunitiesToys "R" Us did. Toys "R" Us mounted digital clocks in all 585 of its stores that counted down to the release of theClone Wars toys, and more than 225 of the stores opened at midnight for the debut of theStar Wars products. Two of the Toys "R" Us flagship outlets inMission Bay, San Diego andTimes Square inManhattan, New York City held costume and trivia contests on July 26, and gave away limited-editionStar Wars toys with every purchase. A section of the Toys "R" Us website was also dedicated toThe Clone Wars.[10] The toy line continues with The Clone Wars figures being well received by collectors for their detail to the characters and vehicles.
Due to Lucas' sudden decision to produce the film, Lucas Licensing did not have time to enter into agreements with previousStar Wars marketing partners likePepsi,Burger King andKellogg's, with which the Lucasfilm licensing company had a ten-year marketing plan for the other films. When questioned byThe New York Times aboutStar Wars merchandising in July 2008, a Pepsi spokesperson was unaware a newStar Wars film was being released. On August 15,McDonald's held its first everHappy Meal promotion for aStar Wars film and for four weeks, 18 exclusive toys came in specially designed Happy Meal boxes.[10]
Dark Horse Comics published a six-issuedigest-sizedcomic book miniseries. Randy Stradley, vice president of publishing for Dark Horse, said the sudden decision to release theClone Wars film required the company to temporarily delay plans for two otherStar Wars comic book series,Dark Times andRebellion. TheClone Wars comics did not receive the promotional campaign it otherwise would have due to the abruptness of the theatrical and comic book releases.[20]Topps, thetrading cards company, released a series of 90Clone Wars cards on July 26, which also included foil cards, motion cards, animation cel cards and rare sketch cards by topStar Wars artists and Lucasfilm animators.[21]DK Publishing and thePenguin Group released books, activities and other merchandise that tied in with the film. Also released was theClone Wars: The Visual Guide, published by DK, andStar Wars: The Clone Wars in the UK, published by Puffin and in the U.S. by Grosset & Dunlap. The publishers also released a storybook, picture books and an activity book.[22] At theAmerican International Toy Fair,Lego announced a product line for the film and the TV series, to be released in July 2008 in the United States and in August 2008 in the United Kingdom.[23]
TheLucasArtsvideo game developer adapted the film intoStar Wars: The Clone Wars – Jedi Alliance for theNintendo DS andStar Wars: The Clone Wars – Lightsaber Duels forWii.[24] A reviewer from PocketGamer.co.uk said his expectations forJedi Alliance were low due to poorClone Wars movie reviews, but he found the game "a varied and well-paced experience."[25]Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars adapted the film, along with episodes from seasons one and two of the 2008 TV series. The game released on all platforms in 2011.
AStar Wars: The Clone WarsMP3 player was released in August 2008. The player includes one gigabyte of memory, which holds 200 songs or 20 hours of music and comes with three interchangeable faceplates: a green one with Yoda and a lightsaber on it, a silver one with Captain Rex and aGalactic Empire logo on it, and one with twoclone troopers onCoruscant. One review claimed it improved upon a Darth Vader MP3 player released in July 2008, which featured only 512megabytes of memory and a dated visual display.[26] AStar WarsiPod iSpeaker (a speaker/dock for iPods,iPhones and MP3 players) was also released. The speaker includes an image of Captain Rex and three other Clone Troopers.[27]
AStar Wars: The Clone Warsopen wheel car for theIndyCar Series was unveiled at the 2008San Diego Comic-Con. The No. 26 car, which also includedBlockbuster Inc. decals was driven byAndretti Green Racing driverMarco Andretti in the2008 Peak Antifreeze Indy Grand Prix, Andretti later said of the sponsorship, "I'm hoping that my upcoming battle at Infineon will be as exciting as anything in aStar Wars movie so I can win it for both Blockbuster and Lucasfilm."[28] The car finished 14th at Infineon on the lead lap, which Andretti attributed to a slowpit stop early in the race; he added, "I just don't think it was a very good performance for us today."[29] TheClone Wars car was the second collaboration between Lucasfilm, Blockbuster and Andretti Green Racing. The first collaboration was anIndiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull car which was also run by Andretti in the2008 Indy 500 where it would finish in third place.[28]
A novelization of the film byKaren Traviss was released byDel Rey Books on July 26, 2008.[30] In addition to narrating the film's plot from various points of view, it includes some of Anakin's memories of his early childhood as a Hutt slave, as well as some of Dooku's recollections of battling theMandalorians (previously explored in the 2002 comic bookJango Fett: Open Seasons).
The Clone Wars premiered on August 10, 2008, atGrauman's Egyptian Theatre, followed by awide release five days later.[citation needed]
The film's two-disc DVD andBlu-ray Disc was released on November 11, 2008, in the United States and on December 8, 2008, in the United Kingdom.[31][32] The film was released as a single-disc DVD, two-disc Special Edition DVD, and Blu-ray Disc, all of which areTHX certified. The standard-definition versions include the film in widescreen format with Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround EX sound, and with feature-length audio commentary.[33]
The film is also available on theDisney+ streaming service, which launched on November 12, 2019.[34]
OnRotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 18% based on 171 reviews and a rating of 4.20 out of 10. The critics consensus reads: "Mechanical animation and a less-than stellar script makeThe Clone Wars a pale shadow of George Lucas' once great franchise."[35] OnMetacritic, the film has a score of 35 out of 100 based on 30 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[36] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B−" on an A+ to F scale.[37] This made it the lowest-ratedStar Wars film on all three websites.[38]
Entertainment Weekly listedStar Wars: The Clone Wars as one of the five worst films of 2008[39] with criticOwen Gleiberman saying,
It's hard to tell the droids from the Jedi drones in this robotic animated dud, in which the George Lucas Empire Strikes Back—at the audience. What wears you out is Lucas' immersion in a Star Wars cosmology that has grown so obsessive-compulsively cluttered yet trivial that it's no longer escapism; Because this movie has bad lightsaber duels and the lack of the original cast, it's something you want to escape from.[39]
Ain't It Cool News posted two reviews of the film during the week before its release, but pulled them down due to an embargo placed on those attending the screening its writers attended. The same reviews were re-posted on the site, on the day of the film's release. The retraction prompted some readers to allege a conspiracy by Lucasfilm to keep negative press out of circulation until the release of the film, but although the review by site creatorHarry Knowles was negative, Drew McWeeny said that his review was positive and that no such conspiracy existed.[40]
Several critics comparedThe Clone Wars to aSaturday morning cartoon[41][42][43] and described it as little more than a plug for the upcoming animated series.[44][45][46] Linda Barnard, of theToronto Star, said the movie "pretty much drives a stake into the heart of every loyal fan of the movies. And now [George Lucas is] out to stick it to those too young to know aboutJar Jar Binks."Variety magazine reviewer Todd McCarthy said, "This isn't theStar Wars we've always known and at least sometimes loved."[45] Joe Neumiar, of theNew York Daily News, wrote, "If this were a trueStar Wars film, right about now somebody would say, '...I've got a bad feeling about this.'"[47] In his review forEntertainment Weekly, critic Owen Gleiberman gave the film anF grade and wrote, "George Lucas is turning into the enemy of fun."[48] Carrie Rickey, ofThe Philadelphia Inquirer, said, "The best that can be said about the movie is that it's harmless and mostly charmless.The Clone Wars is toStar Wars whatkaraoke is to pop music."[46]
| Remember how people talked about theStar Wars prequels like they were the worst movies ever made, when really, come on, they weren't THAT bad?The Clone Wars actually IS that bad. |
| — Film critic, Eric D. Snider[49] |
The main criticism toward the film was the animation. Many criticized it as cheap, wooden, non-engaging and out-of-date;[41][42][44][45][46][50] some reviewers drew negative comparisons to 1960smarionette-based showsThunderbirds andFireball XL5,[44][47][50][51] although George Lucas previously said the animation style was a deliberate homage to such shows.[15] Tom Long ofMediaNews said the animation "is downright weak compared to what's generally seen onscreen these days"[52] and that the characters are so stiff they look like they were "carved byPinocchio'sfather."[52]Roger Ebert gave the film 1.5 stars out of 4 and said "the characters have hair that looks molded fromPlay-Doh, bodies that seem arthritic, and moving lips on half-frozen faces—all signs that shortcuts were taken in the animation work."[42] McCarthy said "the movements, both of the characters and the compositions, look mechanical, and the mostly familiar characters have all the facial expressiveness ofEaster Island statues." However, some of the same reviewers who criticized the animation acknowledged some positive elements about it; McCarthy said it allowed for "somewhat more dramatic compositions and color schemes,"[45] and Carrie Rickey, ofThe Philadelphia Inquirer, said the scenery and backgrounds were "vivid and alive",[46] although she said the characters "move as you would imagine the statues at awaxworks might."[45]
Reviewers also criticized the dialogue, which Ebert said was limited to "simplistic declamations"[42] and Claudia Puig ofUSA Today described as "stilted and overblown, a problem also in some of the live-action incarnations."[41] Many critics also said that the battle scenes were repetitive and lacked tension;[41][42][45][48][53] McCarthy described the action sequences as "a little exposition, an invasion; some more exposition, a lightsaber fight; a bit more blah-blah, a spaceshipdogfight, and on and on."[45] Jason Anderson, of theGlobe and Mail, wrote that althoughThe Clone Wars is intended for younger audiences, "parents may be perturbed by the film's relentless violence."[53] Ebert also found protagonist Ahsoka Tano "annoying,"[42] and Michael Rechtshaffen, ofThe Hollywood Reporter, said the attempts of humor amid the bickering between Ahsoka Tano and Anakin Skywalker are "strained".[50] Puig said she enjoyed the character, and that "her repartee with Anakin enlivens things."[41]
The Clone Wars earned $68,282,845 worldwide, including $35,161,554 in North American domestic box office grosses and $33,121,290 in international grosses.[3] The film earned $14,611,273 on 3,452 screens in its opening weekend,[54] including $6,228,973 on its opening day, August 15.[55] It was the third-highest earning film of the weekend in spite of negative critical reception, behindTropic Thunder andThe Dark Knight, which earned $25.8 million and $16.3 million, respectively.[54] Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner Bros., said that the box office performance met expectations because two-thirds of the audience were families and the budget for the film was $8.5 million, frugal considering it was a CGI film and because the film was meant to introduce the animated series. Fellman said, "It was targeted to a specific audience for specific reasons. We accomplished that mission, and it will continue in another medium."[2] WhenThe Clone Wars dropped to $5.6 million in its second week of release, ContactMusic.com described it as "the first bona fideStar Wars flop."[56] The film also earned $23,428,376 from DVD sales in the US.[57]
The film was nominated for aGolden Raspberry Award in the category "Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel", but lost toIndiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,[58] another movie released by Lucasfilm.
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| National | |
