Star Wars: The Clone Wars(film)
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Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Attribution information
Director(s)
Producer(s)
Starring
Music by
Production information
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Chronological information
Preceded by
Followed by
- "It's unusual for an animated film, because it's not really like sayBeowulf and it's not a Pixar movie, so it kind of falls in between in this funny world whereStar Wars is, which is kind of hard-edged but not really, sort of on the verge of PG-13, flips over once in a while, but sort of the high end of PG."
- ―George Lucas[5]
Star Wars: The Clone Wars is a2008 animated feature film directed byDave Filoni andexecutive produced byGeorge Lucas as well as the first Star Wars animated film made. The plot focuses on a struggle between theGalactic Republic and theConfederacy of Independent Systems—each vying forJabba the Hutt's permission to useHutt Space'strade routes. In an attempt to gain Jabba's favor,Sith Lord and Separatist leaderCountDooku kidnaps Jabba's sonRotta, in hopes of framing the Republic'sJedi Order as the true captors.
The film is set during the three-year time period between the filmsStar Wars: Episode IIAttack of the Clones (2002) andStar Wars: Episode IIIRevenge of the Sith (2005).The Clone Wars served as an introduction to theanimated series of the same name that premiered onCartoon Network onOctober 3, 2008. Lucas was inspired to make the movie while reviewing footage from the series and described the film as "almost an afterthought." The film was releasedAugust 15, 2008.
The film was a box office success, and grossed $68.3 million worldwide against an $8.5 million budget,[6] and earned $14.6 million during its opening weekend.
The film chronologically takes place between theSeason One episode "The Hidden Enemy" andSeason Three episode "Clone Cadets."
Opening narration‡[]
| STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS |
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A galaxy divided! Striking swiftly afterthe Battle of Geonosis, Count Dooku'sdroid army has seized control of the majorhyperspace lanes, separating the Republicfrom the majority of its clone army. Withfew clones available, the Jedi generalscannot gain a foothold on the Outer Rimas more and more planets choose to joinDooku's Separatists. While the Jedi areoccupied fighting a war, no one is left tokeep the peace. Chaos and crime spread,and the innocent become victims in alawless galaxy. Crime lord Jabba theHutt's son has been kidnapped by a rivalband of pirates. Desperate to save his son,Jabba puts out a call for help—a callthe Jedi are cautious to answer… |
Plot summary[]
The film begins with a narrator explaining the state of theClone Wars. The Separatists control the majority of thehyperlanes, leaving Republic forces stranded in different parts of theOuter Rim. Anoctopus-like craft heads forTatooine to captureJabba theHutt's sonRotta as part of a plan to make the Hutts join theClone Wars.
Meanwhile, a fierce battle is taking place on the crystallineplanet ofChristophsis between the Republic's very limitedclone army and theRetail Caucus forces. With the help ofObi-Wan Kenobi,Anakin Skywalker,Rex, andCody, the clones steadily advance on the Separatists' forces, gaining the Republic an early victory. It doesn't last long, though, as the droid army under GeneralLoathsom soon returns for more bloodshed. With no communications or the ability to fly in reinforcements, the fate of the few remaining clone soldiers are in the hands of Obi-Wan and Anakin. A shuttle soon comes with an important delivery; thinking it's reinforcements, the Jedi are suprised to find just a youngPadawan namedAhsoka Tano, who insists that she has been sent by MasterYoda to serve as Anakin's Padawan.
The battle resumes, withSeparatist forces advancing behind an expanding shield which the Republic's artillery is unable to penetrate. Tasked with taking down thedeflector shield, Anakin and Ahsoka succeed in penetrating the enemy lines, using all their stealth, cunning and ability to improvise, while Obi-Wan stalls for time by holding a fake surrender negotiation with Loathsom.
Soon after thefinal victory for the Republic onChristophsis, Master Yoda arrives with the urgent message that a mysterious group of renegades has kidnapped Jabba's son, and it's up to Anakin, Ahsoka, Rex, and the clones to rescue him and bring him back home safely. Obi-Wan flies toTatooine to assure Jabba that Rotta will be returned safely and to secure a promise by the Hutts to use their trading routes for safe passage within theOuter Rim.
After briefing in a Republic flagship, Anakin's forces descend through the clouds of the jungle planet ofTeth for one of the many natural stone pillars which litter the landscape. Under heavy fire, Anakin, Ahsoka and Rex storm themonastery atop the pillar and find Rotta, who has gotten sick, only to be caught in an elaborate trap: CountDooku has staged the kidnapping himself in order to blacklist theJedi among the Hutts. First he has the Jedi retrieve the youngHutt to secure fake evidence and thenAsajj Ventress, as the overseer of the operation, is charged with either retrieving or killing the young Huttlet.
While quarreling all the while about the proper procedure, yet slowly gaining respect of one another, Anakin and Ahsoka manage to escape the trap along withR2-D2 and hijack a derelicttransport, which they use to travel to Tatooine. Ahsoka uses medicine onboard to treat the sick Huttlet. Obi-Wan, alerted by Anakin, arrives just in time to relieve Rex and the rest of his forces and engages Ventress in combat where he manages to defeat her, though Ventress flees in the face of capture.
In the meantime,SenatorAmidala learns of Anakin's mission. Worried about him, she decides to contact Jabba's uncle,Ziro the Hutt, who lives in a shady part ofCoruscant. The Hutt strangely refuses to cooperate, and soon Padmé finds out why: Ziro has actually conspired with Dooku to engineer the downfall of his nephew to seize the power over the Hutt clans for himself. Padmé is discovered and detained, but a chance call byC-3PO enables her to summon help, and Ziro is soon arrested by theCoruscant Guard.
Upon their arrival on Tatooine, Anakin and Ahsoka are attacked byMagnaGuards and shot down. Faced with a long way across desert sands and relentless opponents, Anakin devises a ruse; when Dooku corners Anakin, the pack he is carrying is revealed to contain merely rocks. Ahsoka and R2 travel with Rotta to Jabba's palace unmolested, but just as they near it, Ahsoka is ambushed by three MagnaGuards, whom she narrowly defeats. But as Anakin and Ahsoka enter the palace one after another, they are threatened with execution by Jabba's men even though Rotta is safely returned. Padmé calls just in time to convince Jabba of his uncle's duplicity, while Anakin and Ahsoka are triumphantly retrieved by Obi-Wan, Yoda, Cody and the clones. Dooku tells Sidious about his failure but Sidious tells Dooku that the tide of war still turned in their favor according with Sidious' master plan as Jabba allowed the Republic to use the Hutt Cartel hyperspace lanes.
Development[]
Star Wars: The Clone Wars was designed to serve as both a stand-alone story and a lead-in to the weeklyanimated TV series of the same name.[7]George Lucas had the idea for a film after viewing some of the already completed footage on the big screen.[5]Warner Bros. had tracked the series' development from the beginning, and Lucas decided on a theatrical launch after viewing some footage,[8] and deciding, "This is so beautiful, why don't we just go and use the crew and make a feature?" Lucas described the film was "almost an afterthought."[9]Howard Roffman, president ofLucas 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 she felt budgetary constraints forced the production team to think outside the box in a positive way.[11] One of the film's main plot threads—the kidnapping ofJabba the Hutt's son—was inspired by the filmShogun's Shadow.[12]
The main part of the film was composed of three episodes with similar titles originally meant to form a trilogy: "Castle of Deception," "Castle of Doom"[13] and "Castle of Salvation,"[14] while a standalone episode "The New Padawan," which was developed later in the production as a flashback episode during the series, became the opening sequence of the movie, eventually leading to the introduction ofAhsoka Tano.[15]
Lucasfilm Animation usedAutodesksoftware to animate the film. TheMaya3D modeling program was used to create highly detailed worlds, characters and creatures.[16] The film's animation style was designed to pay homage to the stylized looks of bothJapaneseanime andmanga, and thesupermarionation of theBritish1960s seriesThunderbirds. At aCartoon Network-hosted discussion, Lucas said 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, and he did not want it to look like the popularPixar films, such asThe Incredibles because he wanted the film and characters to have a unique style.[17] 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 because 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.[18]
The film's music was composed byKevin Kiner.[19] Steward Lee is a storyboard artist.[8] When it was decided to produce the film, Lucasfilm contacted all the major filmStar Wars actors to see who was interested in voicing their characters forThe Clone Wars.[20] In the end,Anthony Daniels,Matthew Wood,Christopher Lee andSamuel L. Jackson returned to voice their respective characters.[21] Several voice actors also reprised their roles from the2003 series.
Warner Bros. Animation,Industrial Light & Magic, Production I.G,Polygon Pictures, and CGCG contributed some animation for the film.
Release and reception[]
- "This is a breakthrough project -- returning Star Wars to the big screen in a completely new way while beginning an exciting new chapter in George Lucas' legendary saga. We immediately felt that it would be a fantastic theatrical event and are thrilled to be bringing it to moviegoers."
- ―Dan Fellman, Warner Bros. Pictures President of Domestic Distribution[3]
At Hasbro's fall 2007 analyst event, it was announced thatStar Wars: The Clone Wars would have a "theatrical launch" onAugust 8, 2008, with it beginning to be shown on TV during that fall.[22] Although Lucasfilm had previously announced that it would produce an animated feature film in 2008,[23] when initially asked for confirmation, an LFL representative replied that "It's one of the many things being discussed but we have no decisions yet. For us it's all about finding a creative way to launch a creative TV series."[24]
At ToyFare 2008, a LEGO official announced that an animated feature film would be released in the UK in September 2008,[25] and would be made up of the first three episodes of the series, with regular episodes airing later on television on an at-the-time unrevealed channel.[26] It was officially announced onFebruary 12, 2008 that the feature film would be released in theaters onAugust 15, 2008, with the TV series debuting in the fall.[3] Warner Bros. showed a preview of the film in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 13, 2008.[27] Lucas attended the event and held a question and answer session.[5] The first theatrical trailer debuted on May 8, 2008 on five separateTurner Network channels.[28] A second trailer was released in June 2008.[29]
The film premiered atGrauman's Egyptian Theatre onAugust 10, 2008,[30] and was later screened onAugust 14, 2008 atLos Angeles'sNokia Theater accompanying a Lucasfilm VIP party with special guests John Knoll and Dave Filoni. SpikeTV producer Terry Minogue speculated that his channel would debut the film on television at some point after its theatrical release.[31] The film had its US broadcast premiere on Cartoon Network on November 20, 2010.[32]
Adaptations and tie-in media[]
Soundtrack for the film.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars merchandise was first released onJuly 26, 2008.Hasbro released several 3 3/4-inchClone Warsaction figures, an electronic clone trooper helmet, a customizable lightsaber, and an electronicAT-TE.[33]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,California 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" Uswebsite was also dedicated toThe Clone Wars.[10]
Due to the Lucas's sudden decision to make aClone Wars film after viewing footage of the television show, Lucas Licensing did not have time to enter into agreements with previousStar Wars marketing partners likePepsi,Burger King andKellogg's, with which theLucasfilm licensing company had a 10-year marketing plan for the other films; when questioned byThe New York Times for aStar Wars merchandising in July 2006, a Pepsi spokesperson was unaware a newStar Wars film was even being released.Target andKB Toys also devoted shelf space forClone Wars toys, but did not hold midnight releases or pursue the branding opportunities Toys "R" Us did. TheMcDonald'sfast food restaurant chain held its first everHappy Meal promotion for aStar Wars movie starting on August 15. For four weeks, 18 exclusive toys came in specially designed Happy Meal boxes.[10]
DK Publishing andPenguin Group released tie-in books, activities and other merchandise, includingStar Wars: The Clone Wars: The Visual Guide (published by DK) andStar Wars: The Clone Wars (published by Puffin in the UK and by Grosset & Dunlap in the U.S). The publishers also released storybook, picture books and an activity book.[34] 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 August 2008 in the United Kingdom.[35]LucasArts adapted the movie intoStar Wars: The Clone Wars: Jedi Alliance for theNintendo DS andStar Wars: The Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels forWii.[36] A reviewer fromPocketGamer.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."[37]
Dark Horse Comics published a six-issue digest-sizedcomic bookmini-series.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.[38]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.[39]
Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was released bySony Classical onAugust 12, 2008. The disc begins with themain theme byJohn Williams, followed by more than 30 separate music cues composed byKevin Kiner.[19] Kiner is known for his work on such television series asStargate SG-1,Star Trek: Enterprise,Superboy andCSI: Miami. The soundtrack uses manyinstruments never heard before in aStar Wars score, includingsynthesizers,electric guitars,erhus,duduks,ouds andtaikos.[40][41]
AStar Wars: The Clone Warsopen wheel car for theIndyCar Series was unveiled at the 2008 San DiegoComic-Con International. The #26 car, which also includedBlockbuster Inc. decals and was driven byAndretti Green Racing driverMarco Andretti, ranAugust 24 on theInfineon Raceway in theSonoma Mountains in California; Andretti said, "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."[42] The car finished 14th at Infineon, 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."[43] TheClone Wars car was the second collaboration between Lucasfilm, Blockbuster and Andretti Green Racing, which premiered anIndiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull car in theIndianapolis 500 in May 2008.[42]
AStar Wars: The Clone WarsMP3 player was released in August 2008 for $59.99. The player includes onegigabyte of memory, which holds 1,630 songs or 64 hours of music and comes with three interchangeable faceplates: a green one withYoda and alightsaber on it, a silver one with aCaptainRex and aGalactic Empire logo on it, and one with twoclone troopers onCoruscant. One review claimed it improved upon aDarth Vader MP3 player released in July 2008, which featured only 512megabytes of memory and a dated visual display.[44] AStar WarsiPod iSpeaker (a speaker/dock for iPods,iPhones and MP3 players) also released for $19; the speaker includes an image of Captain Rex and three other Clone Troopers.[45]
Home video[]
Warner Bros. also has the home video rights, and had planned a DVD release of the film and TV series as early as February 2008.[8]Star Wars: The Clone Wars was released on home video onNovember 11, 2008, as a single-disc DVD, a two-disc Special Edition DVD set, and a two-disc Blu-ray set. The single and double-disc standard-definition versions both include the widescreen film with Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround EX sound, and the feature-length audio commentary.
The single-disc DVD includes as a special feature only an audio commentary by DirectorDave Filoni, ProducerCatherine Winder, WriterHenry Gilroy, and EditorJason Tucker.
The two-disc editions include the above commentary plus:
- The Clone Wars: The Untold Stories: Preview stories, vehicles, planets, and battles fromSeason One of The Clone Wars television series.
- The Voices of The Clone Wars: Voiceover actors and animated characters in split-screen performances.
- A New Score: Composer Kevin Kiner establishing a new musical identity for the series.
- Gallery of Concept and Production Art
- Webisodes: Six making-of featurettes, as seen on StarWars.com
- Deleted Scenes:Cargo Bay,Platform Droid Fight,Rancor Pit, andThrough theTanks
- Theatrical and video game trailers
- Digital copy of the film on the second disc
The Blu-ray editions include all the above features in 1080p high definition (deleted Scenes and certain trailers are not in HD) on a single 50GB disc. Audio commentary is not present.
- A Creative Conversation Video Commentary: Director Dave Filoni, Producer Catherine Winder, Writer Henry Gilroy, and Editor Jason Tucker discuss bringing theStar Wars legend on the big screen again
- Take the Hologram Memory Challenge: Test your skill and memory and unlock three hi-def TV series sneak peeks
- Digital copy of the film on a second disc
Availability[]
Star Wars: The Clone Wars is also available on theDisney+ streaming service, which launched onNovember 12,2019.[46] Beginning onApril 16 of2025, theStar Wars KidsYouTube channel started streaming the film consistently every day.[47]
Reception‡[]
- "As a fan of 'Star Wars' for so long, I always knew there would be debate. No matter what you do with 'Star Wars,' you're going to have a huge debate about it. I actually think its part of the fun of being a fan; having the big arguments over 'I like this' and 'I didn't like that' or 'this aspect fit with what I thought' but 'this aspect didn't.' I think one of the greatest things is that people are still talking about 'Star Wars.' 'Anakin has a Padawan? I've never heard of that before?' But now everybody is talking about the fact that Anakin has a Padawan and the movie introduced that idea."
- ―David Filoni[48]
The Clone Wars earned $68.28 million worldwide, including $35.16 million in domestic box office grosses and $33.12 million in foreign grosses.[49] The movie earned $14.6 million on 3,590 screens its opening weekend,[50] including $6.23 million on opening day August 15.[51] It was the third-highest earning film of the weekend, behind theactioncomedyTropic Thunder andBatmansequelThe Dark Knight, which earned $26 million and $16.8 million, respectively.[50] Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner Bros. Pictures, said the box office performance met expectations because two-thirds of the audience were families, and because the movie 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."[52] WhenThe Clone Wars dropped to $5.7 million in the second week,ContactMusic.com described it as "the first bona fideStar Wars flop."[53]
Media[]
Cover gallery[]
Credits[]
| Cast | Uncredited cast | Crew | Uncredited crew | Special thanks |
Cast
Crew
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Appearances[]
| Characters | Organisms | Droid models | Events | Locations |
| Organizations and titles | Sentient species | Vehicles and vessels | Weapons and technology | Miscellanea |
Characters
Canon characters
Legends characters
Organisms
Canon organisms
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Legends organisms
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Droid models
Canon droids
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Legends droids
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Events
Canon events
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Legends events
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Locations
Canon locations
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Legends locations
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Organizations and titles
Canon organizations and titles
Legends organizations and titles
Sentient species
Canon species
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Legends species
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Vehicles and vessels
Canon vehicles
Legends vehicles
Weapons and technology
Canon technology
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Legends technology
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Miscellanea
Canon miscellanea
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Legends miscellanea
The Force |
Sources[]
Notes and references[]
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External links[]
Star Wars: The Clone Wars onWikipedia- Star Wars: The Clone Wars on theAurebesh Wiki
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars onStarWars.com(original site is defunct)
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars at theInternet Movie Database
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars onWarner Bros.(original page now obsolete)
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars film onDisney+(backup link)
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