Star Wars The Clone Wars

STAR WARS RETURNS TO THE BIG SCREEN

All New, CG-Animated Feature Film Event, STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS, Debuts Aug. 15

In 2005, STAR WARS: EPISODE III Revenge of the Sith brought the live-action, cinematic STAR WARS Saga to a close. But creator George Lucas and the storytellers at Lucasfilm Animation had more stories to tell about the "galaxy far, far away."

On-screen, the expansive, galaxy-changing Clone Wars was only fleetingly glimpsed in Revenge of the Sith and at the end of Episode II Attack of the Clones. But its importance to the STAR WARS galaxy is enormous — causing the Republic to become an Empire, leading to the "period of civil war" famously mentioned at the opening of Episode IV A New Hope.

Since its first reference in a passing remark by Luke Skywalker to Obi-Wan Kenobi more than 30 years ago in the very first STAR WARS movie, the subject has ignited the imaginations of moviegoers: 

     

LUKE

You fought in the Clone Wars?

OBI-WAN

Yes. I was once a Jedi Knight, the same as your father.

LUKE

I wish I’d known him.

OBI-WAN

He was the best star pilot in the galaxy, and a cunning warrior. I understand that you’ve become quite a good pilot yourself. And he was a good friend.

 

"For years and years, people have wondered what the Clone Wars were, based solely on this quick mention," says Clone Wars director Dave Filoni. "The live-action movies were really centered on the Skywalker family, and we’ve never gotten to see the full breadth of the conflict." 

 

 

Now, with the new animated feature, STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS, audiences will at last experience the galaxy-changing conflict, which simultaneously expands the scope of STAR WARS beyond anything that had been seen in the previous films, and also introduces new characters, new dramas and new adventures.

The backdrop of the Clone Wars, Filoni says, offers a chance to tell the tale of a struggle that turned a Republic into an Empire and paved the way for a civil war that ultimately resulted in freedom for the galaxy. "We may be dealing with a small window of time, but the scope of war — particularly a galactic war — is pretty expansive," he says. "There’s a lot going on — heroes, villains, intrigue, adventure. It’s all part of the story we know, but it’s always been in the background. Until now."

One of the first steps in bringing STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS to the screen was finding the right entry point. The previous films had been confined to the Skywalker saga, but THE CLONE WARS offered nearly limitless options.

 

"A war, by nature, is a patchwork of untold stories," says STAR WARS creator

George Lucas. "What’s fascinating to me is that there are people motivating these far-reaching events, and that those individuals are so often overshadowed by the big picture, by the events themselves. We know what happens to the galaxy, but we don’t know exactly how it all came to pass. These are the stories behind the story."

Taking an entirely fresh approach to a film series that is forever imprinted on the minds of generations of fans, Lucas sought to create a distinct visual style that would evoke the spirit of the films, while at the same time bring a unique, distinctive look to the first animated STAR WARS movie.

 

"We didn’t want it to look photo-realistic," Lucas explains. "We were working with animation, and we wanted to really utilize the format. That meant shifting our thinking a bit. It’s a whole different way of telling stories, and it gives us the freedom to do things that just aren’t possible in live-action."

While overseeing the project as executive producer, Lucas brought in Dave Filoni — a veteran of Avatar: The Last Airbender and numerous animation projects — to serve as director. With a deep-rooted fandom and a near-encyclopedic knowledge of the STAR WARS universe, Filoni proved the perfect choice to take the reins.

 

"I’ve been dreaming about STAR WARS since I was a kid, playing with the toys in the backyard with my brother," Filoni notes. "Actually working on a STAR WARS movie is beyond anything I could have imagined. It’s great to work in this world that I love so much, and to do it with George Lucas. Coming from a fan perspective, I also realize how important it is to do it right."

With an entirely new story and a cast of characters that grows in significant ways, Filoni says STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS holds true to the films that came before it, while bringing a new sense of adventure and excitement to the STAR WARS galaxy. "There’s one thing we knew we had to deliver above all else — a STAR WARS movie," Filoni says. "The characters are distinctly stylized, while their environments come to life in a much more realistic way, very much creating the kind of immersive worlds people expect to see in a STAR WARS movie." 

 

WHAT ARE THE CLONE WARS

"General Kenobi, years ago you served my father in the Clone Wars."

— Princess Leia, Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope

For a thousand years, the Old Republic prospered and grew under the wise rule of the Senate and the protection of the Jedi Knights. But as often happens when wealth and power grow too fast and too far, greed-fueled evil soon took root. Commercial interests became over-valued, the Senate became corrupt, and an ambitious politician named Palpatine was voted Supreme Chancellor. Most disturbingly, after a thousand years of seeming absence, a dangerous legion reappeared: the Dark Lords of the Sith.

Amid this turmoil, a Separatist movement was formed by Count Dooku, a charismatic former Jedi. He promised an alternative to the corruption and greed that were running rampant — and he persuaded thousands of worlds to secede from the Republic.

  

Unbeknownst to most of his followers, Dooku was himself a Dark Lord of the Sith, acting in collusion with his mysterious master, Darth Sidious. Over the years, Sidious had struck an unholy alliance with the greater forces of commerce and their private droid

armies, which were unstoppable simply due to their sheer numbers.

 

Eventually, Count Dooku lured the unsuspecting Jedi into a trap on the desolate planet Geonosis. Little did the Separatists know, the Jedi had discovered their own secret weapon: a massive army of clones that the Republic had secretly commissioned years earlier. The Jedi won the battle of Geonosis — but the victory was short-lived.

Instead of ensuring the Jedi’s power, Geonosis became the first battle in a massive war that spread like wildfire across the galaxy, engulfing thousands of different star systems.

It was the start of the Clone Wars.

 

Now, the Jedi fight to maintain freedom and restore peace to the galaxy, using their army of clones against the massive droid army. Across hundreds of planets, the Jedi and Separatists fight for the future of the galaxy. As this terrible conflict grows ever wider, Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano and Padmé Amidala are swept into the turmoil of war … while Count Dooku, Darth Sidious and Asajj Ventress stop at nothing to ensure the fall of the Republic.

This is STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS.

 

DESIGNING A NEW GALAXY

It's Still Long Ago and Far, Far Away, But the World of THE CLONE WARS Is Unlike Anything That's Come Before

The STAR WARS Saga introduced a galaxy that has become one of the most distinctive and instantly identifiable in movie history. Its iconic lightsabers, spaceships, costumes, droids and planets created a singular look that has endured through three decades and generations of fans. To translate the star wars aesthetic to an all-new format for THE CLONE WARS, the crews at Lucasfilm Animation faced a rare challenge.

"Our goal was to produce a movie unlike anything else in animation," says STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS director Dave Filoni. "But we also had to stay true to star wars, to honor everything that George Lucas has created. That’s easier said than done, and it took us a long time to figure out exactly how to develop the look, style and feel of an animated star wars."

It was Lucas himself who urged that THE CLONE WARS should forge its own distinctive visual style, separating itself from what had come before. Setting the story before Anakin’s descent into darkness, Lucas and Filoni felt animation could inject THE CLONE WARS with a rousing spirit of fun, highlighting the young Jedi’s heroism rather than his forbidding destiny. By visually distinguishing everything in its universe — from the battles to the characters themselves — THE CLONE WARS establishes itself as both a bold departure and a return to form for the Saga.

"George wanted the characters to live on their own, separate from the recognizable actors who portrayed them in the previous films," says Filoni. "To do that, we really had to find the essence of the characters, and to bring them to life in a way that wasn’t just a reproduction of their live-action counterparts. We wanted to break free of any preconceived notions of what star wars should be."

This meant eschewing photo-realism and embracing an entirely new look, different than almost anything else in cinematic animation. Of course, there were precedents for

bringing the "galaxy far, far away" to the animated arena, including a 2004-2005 Cartoon Network "micro-series" about the Clone Wars period.

"We loved the look of the micro-series, and when we began to see the maquettes that were licensed on its behalf, it was a neat glimpse into what those designs might look like in a 3-D space," says Catherine Winder, the film’s producer. "But we wanted to take it much further, to do something dramatically different with star wars and animation. Working in computer graphics, we incorporated those stylistic aspects into a world with an entirely different depth, physicality and scope. From there, it really began to grow and evolve into what’s on screen."

The radical redesign involved a reinvention of the visual dynamic that fans have traditionally associated with the series. Drawing from a myriad of influences, Lucasfilm Animation experimented with an extreme shooting style, using aggressive lighting and framing to set the stage for the stylized new look of the characters themselves.

"I’ve always been a big fan of the anime look; Japanese animation and manga tend to push the envelope with really innovative composition, so we followed that lead," says Filoni. "That said, animation is a vast field, and it’s too filled with possibilities for us to limit ourselves to one style. We also took inspiration from Gerry Anderson’s Thunderbirds, which was shot in the 1960s using marionettes. So we really took these disparate influences and fused them into something pretty unique."

Filoni believes the creative risks that Lucasfilm Animation has taken, encouraged by executive producer Lucas, will please longtime fans and excite new ones. "In STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS, we’ve got new characters, new planets, new vehicles, new battles and a new story, and it’s animated with a completely new style," he says. "It really is Star Wars like you’ve never seen it before — in every way possible."

EXPLORING THE GALAXY

CLONE WARS Director Dave Filoni and Executive Producer George Lucas Discuss the Latest STAR WARS Adventure

On Aug. 15, Lucasfilm Ltd. and Warner Bros. Pictures will release the first-ever animated STAR WARS feature film — STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS. This expansive space adventure explores the galaxy-changing Clone Wars, a period of intense battle and grand adventure that takes place between STAR WARS: Episode II Attack of the Clones and STAR WARS: Episode III Revenge of the Sith. In this interview, STAR WARS creator George Lucas and CLONE WARS director Dave Filoni discuss this groundbreaking new movie from Lucasfilm Animation.

How did the idea of an animated STAR WARS movie come about?

GEORGE LUCAS: The interesting thing about the Clone Wars is that in the normal course of the six STAR WARS films that tell the Skywalker saga, that whole story of what happened during this time is not told – it’s skipped over. We have a little bit of the beginning in Episode II and a little bit of the end in Episode III. But, obviously, during a war there are lots and lots of stories — very exciting action, drama, heartbreak, even humor. The idea of doing an animated version of THE CLONE WARS was intriguing to me because it really allows us to tell other stories, show other Jedi, introduce new characters and even tell stories about the clones themselves. Some of them have very

interesting stories. It allows us to broaden the canvas of what STAR WARS is about.

DAVE FILONI: One of the things that has always surprised me is how many stories there are to tell in what seems like a small amount of time. The period between Episodes II and III was only about three years. But we can tell so many new stories and meet new characters and go new places — places I never imagined we could.

What does animation bring to the STAR WARS Saga?

GEORGE LUCAS: Right from the very beginning, we knew we wanted to use CG animation in a way that hasn’t been seen before. We think we’ve ended up with something that is very new and different. Stylistically, a CG-animated film is quite different from a live-action movie. Animation opens up the possibilities of what you can accomplish. Animation is like a sketchpad.

DAVE FILONI: There is infinite flexibility when we do a scene. We don’t have to go dig for original props or call actors back to reshoot. With animation, we can look at a scene in editorial, then go back and redo it completely differently the next day. That would be impossible in live-action. We have all of our sets, all of our actors at our disposal at all times. We can make things the way we’d like to see them, which is really exciting.

What can you tell us about the newest STAR WARS heroine, Ahsoka?

GEORGE LUCAS: Anakin and Obi-Wan have a great relationship, but we’ve seen their dynamic in the movies.

DAVE FILONI: We always felt it was important to have a character whose temperament is somewhere between Anakin’s and Obi-Wan’s. Anakin will just jump in anywhere, while Obi-Wan wants to think things through before taking action. Ahsoka appreciates Anakin’s brashness but admires Obi-Wan’s patience and thoughtfulness. She has a lot to learn from both of them, but is strong and capable in her own right, so she sometimes surprises Anakin with her approach to the kinds of situations they find themselves in. She makes a great counterpoint to Anakin — visually, in her personality, her attitude. She sort of drives him crazy, but he grows very attached to her, as you’ll see in the movie.

GEORGE LUCAS: In the STAR WARS films, there’s a tradition of someone being taken on an amazing journey and learning to become a Jedi — Luke was a farm boy swept up in the Rebel Alliance. Anakin was a little boy on Tatooine. In THE CLONE WARS, Anakin is no longer a Padawan. He’s a Jedi. So Ahsoka takes on that role of the younger person who is being taught, who adds the dynamic that a "student" brings to the story. We bounced back and forth on a lot of ideas about her — would she be human or alien, male or female? We thought a girl would be just more fun to have in the story.

THE CLONE WARS gives you a great chance to explore characters outside of the Skywalker saga. Who are some of your favorites?

GEORGE LUCAS: I’ve always liked Duros – the blue aliens from the cantina scene in A New Hope. They’re a derivation of Neimoidians — Neimoidians are greener. Wrinklier.

DAVE FILONI: For me, it’s the Jedi Council. I love the opportunity to explore these characters we saw so briefly, but who are in their time legendary — Kit Fisto, Ki-Adi-Mundi, Luminara, Plo Koon ...

GEORGE LUCAS: If it were up to Dave, Plo Koon would be in every scene! It’s great that Dave’s got characters he really cares about, and who don’t have to just be in battles or short scenes or in the background somewhere.

DAVE FILONI: That’s what’s really important. I care about these characters, and what happens to them, how they evolve in the film — that’s an adventure we’re really excited to show in the movie.

How would you describe the look of THE CLONE WARS?

GEORGE LUCAS: In THE CLONE WARS, all of the characters and the environments look almost like they’re painted, which gives the movie a very distinctive look. We also drew some influences from manga and anime in our filmmaking style, which have very dramatic lighting and very aggressive framing.

DAVE FILONI: STAR WARS is already so brilliantly designed, if you look at the art direction of the feature films. It was important to maintain that integrity but give the audience something they haven’t seen before. The look is more stylized. It’s not concerned with photorealism; it’s more concerned with establishing its own visual reality, kind of in the same way a painter might use different techniques to create different looks. We’re using CG as a tool to create a stylized reality.

GEORGE LUCAS: I think we’ve created some unusual, cinematic-style storytelling, something completely different from anything else in animation.

ANAKIN SKYWALKER

A Jedi Knight whose exceptional Force abilities and rebellious nature will one day lead him down the dark path of the Sith, Anakin Skywalker is nonetheless an idealistic leader and a heroic champion of the Galactic Republic. Guided by a self-assurance that borders on arrogance, he is bold and aggressive, but as he’s matured, he has also learned that sometimes strategy and temperance can prove more effective than a flashing lightsaber. Even so, Anakin’s brash impulsiveness prompts Master Yoda to pair him with a new apprentice in an effort to help curb the young Jedi’s wild ways. As Anakin steps into the role of teacher, he finally sees the other side of the Master-Padawan relationship and recognizes the difficulties that he presented for his own former Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Leveraging his experiences as a problem Padawan, Anakin commits to becoming a good example for his own apprentice — but in tight situations, he still relies on derring-do and instinct.

OBI-WAN KENOBI

Though he is deadly with a lightsaber and skilled in the art of war, Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi is a peaceful soul, guided by an empathetic spirit even amidst the violence and devastation of the Clone Wars. He recognizes that there are often alternatives to fighting, and takes up arms only in an effort to defend the values and ideals of the Galactic Republic. In stark contrast to his volatile former Padawan, Obi-Wan remains calm and level-headed in even the most dangerous situations, relying on temperance, discipline and dry wit where Anakin would default to violence. Having recently seen Anakin graduate to the status of Jedi Knight, Obi-Wan now finds endless delight in watching his friend and one-time student struggle with a strong-willed learner of his own.

AHSOKA TANO

A new addition to the Star Wars universe, Ahsoka Tano is a teenaged Togruta girl assigned by Yoda to serve under Anakin Skywalker as his Padawan apprentice.

Discovered as an infant by Jedi Master Plo Koon and raised in the Jedi Temple, Ahsoka is a devoted student of the Jedi ways, eager to prove herself to Master Skywalker. Headstrong and enthusiastic with a bubbling abundance of innocent optimism she rarely hesitates to express her youthful exuberance… though she has yet to learn the finer points of diplomacy and timing. A formidable swordswoman, budding tactician and shrewd critical thinker, she is nonetheless still a youngling; at the age of 14, she is still two years shy of the traditional graduation age. But the ever-escalating galactic conflict has stretched the Jedi resources thin, and thus Ahsoka’s talents earn her an early promotion. Master Yoda chooses to pair the young Padawan with Anakin in an effort to help the brash older Jedi learn a greater sense of personal responsibility. Besides being impressed with the girl’s composure and Force abilities, Yoda hopes the responsibilities associated with having a Padawan will teach Anakin to behave with more Jedi-like patience and maturity himself.

Straddling the chasm between Anakin’s impulsiveness and Obi-Wan’s staid deliberation, Ahsoka also brings her disarming wit to the front lines, often lightening the

burden of war with a well-timed quip or an insightful jab. As a result of her rigorous education, Ahsoka tends to play most situations closer to the book than does her Master, but she’s quickly learning that sometimes there’s no substitute for a healthy dose of improvised derring-do. Despite her inexperience, she rarely hesitates to question orders and voice her own opinion, much to Anakin’s chagrin.

ASAJJ VENTRESS

Lithe and lethal, Asajj Ventress is the trusted assassin of the villainous Count Dooku, serving him from the shadows as he weaves his web of deception throughout the Clone Wars. Though she’s not officially a Sith apprentice, she has been well trained in the ways of the dark side, and can wield her twin lightsabers with surgical precision and deadly force. In addition, her serpentine grace and devious cunning make her a deadly foe for even the most seasoned Jedi Knights.

A lifetime of enduring cruel hardships has purged any compassion from her evil heart; forged in the crucible of her bloody homeworld, her deep-seated rage and smoldering bitterness keep her on the dark path and bolster her dark side powers.

THE CLONE TROOPERS

Created from the formidable genetic template of Jango Fett — a bounty hunter feared throughout the galaxy for his deadly abilities — the clones are nonetheless a force for good in the galaxy. Bred and trained on the oceanic Outer World planet of Kamino, they are born to support their Jedi leaders and to protect the noble ideals of the Galactic Republic with unflinching loyalty. Despite shared genes and a shared mission, however, the clones are by no means mindless drones or mere copies of Fett. Each soldier takes great pride in his own unique personality, often going to great lengths to find ways to demonstrate individuality. It’s common for clones to give themselves names, and to distinguish themselves further through stylized haircuts and tattoos. While their intensive training conditions the clones not to question their role in the galactic conflict, they are also burdened with a humanity that sometimes causes doubt and remorse

 

CAST

Anakin Skywalker ........................................................................... MATT LANTER

Ahsoka Tano........................................................................... ASHLEY ECKSTEIN

Obi-Wan Kenobi/4-A7/Medical Droid ...........................JAMES ARNOLD TAYLOR

Clone Troopers/Captain Rex/Cody ...................................DEE BRADLEY BAKER

Yoda/Narrator/Admiral Yularen ............................................................TOM KANE

Asajj Ventress/Tee-C-Seventy .................................................NIKA FUTTERMAN

Chancellor Palpatine/Darth Sidious........................................IAN ABERCROMBIE

General Loathsom/Ziro the Hutt/Kronos-327 ............................. COREY BURTON

Padmé Amidala ......................................................................CATHERINE TABER

Battle Droids ..............................................................................MATTHEW WOOD

Jabba the Hutt ................................................... KEVIN MICHAEL RICHARDSON

Rotta the Huttlet.............................................................................. DAVID ACORD

Featuring the Voices of

SAMUEL L. JACKSON

Mace Windu

ANTHONY DANIELS

C-3PO

and

CHRISTOPHER LEE

Count Dooku

FILMMAKERS

Directed by.........................................................................................DAVE FILONI

Written by...................................................................................... HENRY GILROY

STEVEN MELCHING

SCOTT MURPHY

Produced by.........................................................................CATHERINE WINDER

Executive Producer .....................................................................GEORGE LUCAS

Edited by..............................................................................JASON W.A. TUCKER

Score by.............................................................................................KEVIN KINER

Original Star Wars Themes and Score by................................... JOHN WILLIAMS

Supervising Sound Editor

MATTHEW WOOD

Re-Recording Mixer Sound Designer

JUAN PERALTA DAVID ACORD

Supervising Music Editor

ORLANDO DUENAS

CG & Lighting Supervisor

ANDREW HARRIS

Pipeline Supervisor Modeling & Rigging Supervisor

STEPHEN PARKER JUSTIN LEACH

Digital Set Supervisors Character Supervisor

PAUL ZINNES MARK THERRELL

VINCENT TOSCANO

Animation Directors

JESSE YEH

KEVIN JONG

Animation Consultant

ROB COLEMAN

Additional Animation Consultants

RÓNÁN DEBRUN

DANNY KELLER

Production Managers

SARAH WALL

HUGH HITCHENS

ATHENA YVETTE PORTILLO

Additional Producing Support

MARY MAFFEI

Sequence Directors

BRIAN KALIN O’CONNELL

GEORGE ROMAN SAMILSKY

DAVE BULLOCK

Story Artists

STEWARD LEE

JUSTIN RIDGE

RICK MORALES

BOSCO NG

SERGIO PAEZ

Designers & Conceptual Painters

TIM BROCK

RUSSELL G. CHONG

THANG LE

KILIAN PLUNKETT

JACKSON SZE

MATT GASER

Maquette Sculptor

DARREN MARSHALL

Development Artists

DAVE FILONI ATSUSHI TAKEUCHI

ALEX WOO MICHAEL ROSE

KENARD W. PAK JAMES BEIHOLD

Lead Layout Artist

RYAN HEUETT

Layout Artists

JUSTIN METTAM BEN PRICE

GREG RIZZI DANI SUKIENNIK

KURT NELLIS SHAWN LOVETTE

DANIEL ZIZMOR ROLAND YEPEZ

LE TANG JAHKEELI GARNETT

JACKIE HUANG SYLVAIN DOREAU

Technical Pre-Visualization Lead

VINCENT TOSCANO

Modelers

MATT CIOFFI

JOHN DODELSON

JON CHILDRESS FARMER

Riggers

GREG MAGUIRE

RICK O’CONNOR

KIARAN RITCHIE

CARLO SANSONETTI

Senior Texture Artists

TIM BROCK

FRANCIS HSU

Texture Artists

STEVE LY

RENEE BINKOWSKI

KRISTEN BORGES

Look Development Technical Directors

ANGELA TRAEGER

ADAM MARTINEZ

Production Services Provided by

CGCG, Inc.

CGCG Production Executives

IVAN C

ANDY TSAO

CGCG Head of Production

SAREANA SUN

CGCG Line Producer

LUCY SHIH

Character Setup Director

JACKY CHENG

Asset Team

CHIAO-MEI CHEN HSIAO-HUAN CHEN

NICOLAS CHEN YING-JUNG CHEN

SO-YOUNG CHENG KAI-HUNG HSIAO

CODDY HSIEH BERNIE HUANG

MOEYU HUANG NATHAN KUO

COCO LEE KENNY LIN

EUGENE LING JIA-LIN LIU

PO LIU JING-HUI LU

INDIGO TANG SHUI-WEN TSAI

STEVEN TSAI I-FU WU

MARTY WU ERIK YEH

YU-SYUAN YEN TERRY YU

Layout Lead

CHUN-CHIEH WANG

Layout Artists

JOHN LIN

KATHY LIN

RIVER LIN

MAX WANG

ROY YANG

Animation Lead

ADAN ZHONG

Animators

AKIRA CHANG CHENG-CHANG CHANG

HAO CHANG LIN-LIN CHANG

SHOGNA CHANG YONE CHANG

ALVIN CHEN CHEN-MING CHEN

SHIAO-JANE CHEN TED CHEN

AHEN CHOU SHAO-KANG CHOU

CHUN-JUNG CHU WILLIAM FANG

PITT HSU CHIEN-CHIA HUANG

NELSON LIN RAY LIN

LISA LIOU SHIH-HAN LIU

LUCIFERO SHIH SPECIAL SHIH

GORDON TANG YI-JU TSAO

CAREY WANG EGO WANG

MIKA WANG MILK WANG

JESSY WU DAVID WANG

Cloth Lead

TSUNG-TAI LIU

Cloth Artists

JAMES HSIEH

CHIEN-FAN LIU

Lighting Leads

CHU-TZU CHIANG

YAO-CHENG WANG

Lighting Artists

CHIN-LING CHEN HSIN-CHE CHEN

SHIH-SZU CHEN CHEN-TUNG CHIEN

CHAR HO FENG-YI HSIAO

CHENG-LUNG HSIEH CODDY HSIEH

CHUNG-KAI HSUEH CHENG-SHUAN HUANG

HUNG-LING HUANG MENG-HAN LEE

CHA-CHING LIN YOUNG-PEI LIU

YI-KAI SHIEH KUO-CHING TSENG

HONG-MING UANG LI-YA WU

KAI-XIANG YANG YU-SYUAN YEN

YU-ZHE ZHOU

Special Effects Leads

JERRY CHEN

WEILI LIN

CLARE YANG

Special Effects Artists

VINCENT CHOU CHIA-HUNG CHU

CHIEH-YUAN CHUANG MING-CHIA LEE

YI-PO SHIEH FANTRY YANG

VINCENT YANG HUI WU

CGCG Assets & Layout

Assistant Production Manager

DANIEL CHENG

CGCG Lighting & EFX Manager

DAISY FANG

CGCG Production Assistant

YING CHEN

CGCG R&D TONNY FANG

GENE LIN

INDIGO TANG

KAI-WEI TANG

CGCG System Administration ALEN FANG

BASEN CHEN

TUNG-YUAN LU

WEI-ZHE YANG

Additional Dialogue by

TIM BURNS

BERNICE VANDERLAAN

TRACY BURNA

Casting Services by..................................................................................SUE BLU

Script & Casting

Assistant Production Managers..................................................ELLEN CONNELL

JENN BERRY

Asset Production Supervisor ............................................................. DAVID GRAY

Design & Modeling

Assistant Production Manager.......................................................LEWIS FOULKE

Production Coordinator..............................................................GARY SCHEPPKE

Story & Layout

Production Supervisors .................................................................MICHELE YOST

JULIE PENG

Editorial Supervisor ................................................................. TRISHA BRUNNER

Lighting & Retake Coordinator .............................................KRISTINE DONOVAN

Animation & Retake Coordinator............................................... LAUREN BALSON

Post Production Supervisors ................................................... TRISHA BRUNNER

DIANA TAUDER

Associate Editor.......................................................................NIC ANASTASSIOU

Assistant Editor............................................................................JULES BEESLEY

Online Editor............................................................................ ROBERT BONSTIN

Production Accountants...............................................................CINDY LEJEUNE

JAMES H. GOLDIN

NANCY SANDBERG

Assistant Production Accountants................................................. DOC JACKSON

STACEE WILHITE

Executive Assistants to George Lucas................................................... JANE BAY

SARITA PATEL

Assistant to George Lucas ......................................................ANNE MERRIFIELD

Production Support.....................................................................MEAGAN MILLER

ANNAMARIE GARRO

BETSY DELIS

Additional Production Support............................LYNN BARTSCH, JASON FONG

(in alphabetical order) ROB GIANINO, JANN MOORHEAD

NORMAN PRAUGHT, SARAH RANDOLPH

ERIC REINECKE, TRISH RUSH

DINA SMITH, SANDI SMITH

HEATHER STEWART, ROB WYNN

Dialogue Recording Services by

The L.A. STUDIOS, Inc.

Dialogue Recordist CAMERON DAVIS

Assistant Dialogue Recordist TYLER FOSTER

Post Production Sound Services provided by

SKYWALKER SOUND

Marin County, California

Sound Editors ................................................................................. DAVID ACORD

MATTHEW WOOD

Sound Mixer...................................................................................JUAN PERALTA

Dialogue Editor/ADR Spotting ...................................................... STEVE SLANEC

Dialogue Editor ..............................................................................CHERYL NARDI

Foley Artists.................................................................................... ELLEN HEUER

DENNIE THORPE, JANA VANCE

Foley Editor................................................................................. RICHARD QUINN

Foley Editor & Mixer .................................................................... FRANK RINELLA

Foley Recordist............................................................................ SEAN ENGLAND

Negatives by .....................................................EFILM DIGITAL LABORATORIES

Supervising Digital Colorist........................................................STEVEN J SCOTT

Second Colorist .........................................................................MITCH PAULSON

Music Performed by

THE CITY OF PRAGUE PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

Conducted by......................................................................................... NIC RAINE

KEVIN KINER

Orchestrations ....................................................................................... NIC RAINE

KEVIN KINER

TAKESHI FURUKAWA

Scoring Mixer....................................................................................MARK EVANS

Music Editor......................................................................................MARK EVANS

Assistant Music Editor ...................................................MATTHEW ST. LAURENT

Scoring Engineer ............................................................................ JAN HOLZNER

Additional Music Arrangements.......................................... TAKESHI FURUKAWA

Music Programmer ........................................................MATTHEW ST. LAURENT

Orchestral Contractor .......................................................... JAMES FITZPATRICK

Lucasfilm Animation Executive

in Charge of Production...................................................................GAIL CURREY

Assistant Technical Directors ...............................................POUCHÓN VENERIN

EDDY PIEDRA

Technical Assistant........................................................................ GREGG RICKS

Editorial Technician ...................................................................MATHIAS HILGER

Effects TD................................................................................MEHER GOURJIAN

Media Support ................................................................................ CRAIG MIRKIN

IT Support.................................................................................. SEAN WHITACRE

PAUL MATWIY

Software Engineers ................................................................... CHRIS FOREMAN

ZOE GLYNN

JON MORLEY

PHIL PETERSON

Additional Animation Materials Produced by

LUCAFILM ANIMATION SINGAPORE

Martial Arts Consulting by KICKS Martial Arts

Martial Artists

MARIA TURNHOUT

DAXTON EDWARDS

Rights and Clearances by

ENTERTAINMENT CLEARANCES Inc.

CASSANDRA BARBOUR, LAURA SEVIER

KODAK Motion Picture Film

Auto Desk

Dolby SDDS DTS THX

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www.starwars.com/theclonewars

Read the official novels from

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™ & © 2008 Lucasfilm Ltd.

Lucasfilm Animation

Lucasfilm Ltd.

Warner Bros. Distribution

George Lucas

Executive Producer

George Lucas is the creator of the STAR WARS Saga and the Indiana Jones series, and the founder of Lucasfilm Ltd, a fully integrated entertainment company based in San Francisco. In 1973, Lucas co-wrote and directed American Graffiti, which won the Golden Globe and garnered five Academy Award nominations. Four years later, his Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope broke all box-office records and earned seven Oscars.

The recipient of the Irving G. Thalberg Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Lucas has also directed THX 1138 and Star Wars: Episodes I, II and III, and has produced such acclaimed films as Tucker: The Man and His Dream and Kagemusha. The American Film Institute has honored Lucas with its Lifetime Achievement Award for his work.

Lucasfilm Ltd., the company he founded in 1971, comprises motion picture and television production; Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound; LucasArts; Lucasfilm Animation; Lucas Licensing; and Lucas Online. Lucasfilm’s feature films have won 19 Oscars and its television projects, including the acclaimed "Young Indiana Jones Chronicles," have received 12 Emmy Awards.

Dave Filoni

Director

A diehard STAR WARS fan, Dave Filoni realized a lifelong dream when he was named director of Lucasfilm Animation’s STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS. Exploring the many war-time tales and unsung stories that take place between Episodes II and III, Filoni oversees the creation of all-new adventures within the iconic STAR WARS universe, both on the theatrical release of THE CLONE WARS as well as on the upcoming weekly television series, for which he is Supervising Director.

Filoni joined Lucasfilm Animation fresh from another touchstone fantasy franchise, Nickelodeon’s animated "Avatar: The Last Airbender." Filoni served as director on that series, helping to further articulate the complex and dynamic world of the wildly popular series.

Filoni began his animation career working as an assistant director for Film Roman’s Emmy-winning "King of the Hill," created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels. While with Film Roman, Filoni also served as assistant director for "Mission Hill" and "The Oblongs," both of which ran on the WB. From there, he moved to Walt Disney Television Animation, where he contributed in various capacities to series such as "Teamo Supremo," "Kim Possible," "Dave the Barbarian" and "Lilo & Stitch."

Catherine Winder Producer

Catherine Winder oversaw both development and production of the first animated STAR WARS adventure, STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS. During her career in animation, she has worked as both an executive and a producer in feature films, home video and television.

Prior to joining Lucasfilm Animation, she ran her own industry consulting business. She was also senior vice president of production at Fox Feature Animation, where she oversaw the Oscar-nominated hit Ice Age. She has produced such series as

"Spawn" and "Spicy City" for HBO and Aeon Flux for MTV. She began her animation career in Asia, working for Walt Disney Television Japan, followed by positions at Hanna-Barbera/Turner Pictures in both Taiwan and Los Angeles.

 

 

STAR WARS takes on a dazzling new look in the first-ever

animated feature from Lucasfilm Animation – STAR WARS: THE

CLONE WARS.

As the Clone Wars sweep through the galaxy, the heroic

Jedi Knights struggle to maintain order and restore peace.

More and more systems are falling prey to the forces of the

dark side as the Galactic Republic slips further and further

under the sway of the Separatists and their never-ending

droid army.

Anakin Skywalker and his Padawan learner Ahsoka Tano

find themselves on a mission with far-reaching consequences,

one that brings them face-to-face with crime lord Jabba the

Hutt. But Count Dooku and his sinister agents, including the

nefarious Asajj Ventress, will stop at nothing to ensure that

Anakin and Ahsoka fail at their quest.

Meanwhile, on the front lines of the Clone Wars, Obi-Wan

Kenobi and Master Yoda lead the massive clone army in a

valiant effort to resist the forces of the dark side...

The voice cast features Matt Lanter as Anakin Skywalker;

Ashley Eckstein as Ahsoka Tano; James Arnold Taylor as Obi-

Wan Kenobi; Dee Bradley Baker as Captain Rex and the Clone

Troopers; Tom Kane as Yoda; Nika Futterman as Asajj Ventress;

Ian Abercrombie as Chancellor Palpatine; Anthony Daniels as

C-3PO; Christopher Lee as Count Dooku; and Samuel L. Jackson

as Mace Windu.

The Lucasfilm Ltd. production of STAR WARS: THE CLONE

WARS is directed by Dave Filoni; written by Henry Gilroy,

Steven Melching and Scott Murphy; and produced by Catherine

Winder. George Lucas serves as executive producer.

The movie features a score by Kevin Kiner, with original

STAR WARS themes and scores by John Williams. The creative

team for STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS also includes editor Jason

W.A. Tucker; supervising sound editor Matthew Wood; and

animation directors Jesse Yeh and Kevin Jong. Gail Currey is

the Lucasfilm Animation executive in charge of production.

STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS will be distributed worldwide

in theaters by Warner Bros. pictures, a Warner Bros.

Entertainment Company.

For more information, visit www.starwars.com.

 

 

 

1

The Voice Cast

MATT LANTER (Voice of Anakin Skywalker) was born in northeastern Ohio and

raised in Atlanta, Georgia, where he spent much of his time playing baseball, football

and golf. His love for baseball led him to a position as a batboy with the Atlanta Braves.

However, it was while at the University of Georgia that he fell in love with acting. After

participating in the 2004 Bravo show “Manhunt,” he decided to move to Los Angeles to

follow his dream of becoming an actor.

Lanter began his acting career with “Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius” and has

made several guest appearances on shows such as “Grey’s Anatomy,” “CSI,” “Big Love”

and “Monk.” He has also had recurring roles on two of the most popular shows on

television, NBC’s “Heroes” and CBS’ “Shark.” However, he is most recognized for his

role as Geena Davis’ son on ABC’s “Commander in Chief.”

Lanter has starred in multiple films, most recently as the lead in Lionsgate’s

upcoming “Disaster Movie,” as well as MGM’s “Wargames 2: The Dead Code.” He also

made his theater debut opposite Laurence Fishburne in Alfred Uhry’s “Without Walls” at

the Mark Taper Forum. Additionally, he can be seen in the lead role of the third

installment of “The Cutting Edge” film series.

ASHLEY ECKSTEIN (Voice of Ahsoka Tano) was born in Louisville, KY and

raised in Orlando, FL, where she grew up a true blue Disney kid with an extensive “Alice

in Wonderland” collection. She fell in love with acting at an early age and started her

career doing theater before landing a role in a television show for Sea World called

“Shamu TV.”

Eckstein moved to Los Angeles to pursue her acting full-time, and her first

appearance on “JAG” set the stage for a promising career. She was soon cast as Jan

Brady in “The Brady Bunch in the White House.” Since then, she has been a regular

cast member on the hit TV show “Blue Collar TV” and is well known among kids and

teens for her roles on “Phil of the Future,” “Drake and Josh” and, most notably, as Muffy

on “That's So Raven.” Eckstein recently starred in “Alice Upside Down,” alongside

Penny Marshall and Alyson Stoner, and “Sydney White,” where she shared the screen

with Amanda Bynes.

2

JAMES ARNOLD TAYLOR (Voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi) has a versatile vocal

range which has given him success in every facet of the voiceover industry, including

lead roles in animated films such as “TMNT,” “The Animatrix,” “Hellboy: Blood & Iron”

and “Atlantis: Milo’s Return.” On TV, Taylor stars in “Johnny Test,” “A.T.O.M.,” “Drawn

Together,” “My Friends Tigger and Pooh” and “The Spectacular Spider-Man.”

Some of Taylor’s most celebrated work comes from video games: the “Final

Fantasy X” series, the “Ratchet & Clank” series and the “Syphon Filter” series, as well as

numerous voices in games like “Shrek,” “Spider-Man,” “Speed Racer,” “The Lord of the

Rings” and “Pirates of the Caribbean,” to name a few. A unique aspect of Taylor’s work

is voice-doubling. When celebrities are not available to do their own voice, Taylor

seamlessly fills in as David Spade, Michael J. Fox, Billy Bob Thornton, Christian Bale,

Steve Carell, Nicolas Cage, Johnny Depp…and the list goes on. Another great honor for

Taylor is providing the voice of the cartoon icon Fred Flintstone.

DEE BRADLEY BAKER (Voice of Captain Rex) has, over the past two decades,

built an extraordinary career with his amazing vocal range, his knack for dialects and for

creating realistic animal, alien or monster sounds. His voice work is featured in

countless projects, including “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” “Codename: Kids Next Door,”

zombies in the remake of “Dawn of the Dead” and creatures in the “Halo,” “Spore” and

“Gears of War” video games, as well as Disney's “Phineas and Ferb” television series

and a featured voice role in the movie “Happy Feet.”

Baker’s most recent credits include “American Dad,” in which he is the voice of

Klaus, and the super alien creatures in Cartoon Network’s new series “Ben 10: Alien

Force.”

NIKA FUTTERMAN (Voice of Asajj Ventress) was born and raised in New York

City, the daughter of a music producer and an artist. When she was 12, she attended

Performing Arts Boarding School in Massachusetts. Later, she attended Bennington

College in Vermont for a year before transferring to Tisch School of the Arts at New York

University. Soon after graduation, she moved to San Francisco to attend the American

Conservatory Theater. She eventually moved to Los Angeles, where she began her

career guest-starring in such shows as “Murphy Brown,” “Chicago Hope” and “Suddenly

Susan.”

3

Futterman’s voiceover career started in 1995 when she began doing shows such

as “Hey Arnold!,” “Woody Woodpecker” and “CatDog.” Since then, she’s gone on to

voice hundreds of roles for movies, shows, video games and commercials. Her most

recent credits include “Ant Bully,” “Open Season,” “My Gym Partner is a Monkey,”

“Handy Manny,” “Maya and Miguel,” “Jakers” and “Avatar: The Last Airbender.” Recent

video game work includes “Spider-man,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack

Sparrow,” “Tony Hawk,” “Justice League,” “Blue Dragon,” “Scarface,” “24,” “Ratchett and

Klank” and “Halo 3.”

IAN ABERCROMBIE (Voice of Chancellor Palpatine) is a British-born actor who

made his American stage debut in 1955 in a production of “Stalag 17.” His theater

credits include “Hamlet,” “Private Lives,” “Bent,” “Mary Stuart,” “The Vortex,” “Sweet

Prince,” with Keir Dullea, “A Doll’s House,” with Linda Purl, “Crucifer of Blood,” with

Charlton Heston, “My Fair Lady” and “The Arcata Promise,” opposite Anthony Hopkins,

just to name a few.

Abercrombie also starred in two TV shows: “Birds of Prey” and

“Chromiumblue.com.” He has also made well over a hundred guest appearances on

such series as “Seinfeld,” as Mr Pitt¸ “Nip/Tuck,” “Desperate Housewives,” “Charmed,”

“Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Babylon 5,” “Murphy Brown,” “Dynasty,” “Wizards of

Waverly Place” and “Twin Peaks.” Abercrombie also provides voice work on radio, CDROMS,

films and commercials. The 70 films in which he has appeared include “Garfield:

A Tail of Two Kitties,” “Mousehunt,” “The Lost World: Jurassic Park,” “Firewalker,” “Army

of Darkness” and “Young Frankenstein.”

COREY BURTON (Voice of Ziro the Hutt) began his voice acting career over 30

years ago at the tender age of 17. He studied the craft of Radio Drama with the

legendary Daws Butler (Yogi Bear) and had the rare opportunity to work alongside

nearly all the original Hollywood Radio Theatre veterans in classic-style broadcasts.

The San Fernando Valley native has voiced sound-alikes and original characters

for hundreds of entertainment and educational productions, as well as for Disney and

Universal Theme Parks worldwide. Additionally, Burton has been a promotional

announcer for each of the major TV networks and a narrator on an eclectic assortment

of documentaries.

4

Burton’s TV animation voice credits span several popular Disney and Warner

Bros. series, along with Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network and various syndicated

productions. His film work includes most Disney releases over the past two decades,

including in the main cast ensemble as Moliere in “Atlantis” and Cap'n Hook in “Return to

Neverland.”

He is also known for precision A.D.R./looping work featured in many prominent

movies, including “E.T.,” “Total Recall” and “Poltergeist.” In the world of commercials, he

is best known as Old Navy's signature voice.

CATHERINE TABER (Voice of Padme Amidala) is a Georgia native who made

her feature film debut starring in the coming-of-age dramedy “The Girls' Room.” Taber

began voice acting in 2003 when she was cast as Mission Vao in the LucasArts project

“Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.” Her other credits include “Just Like Heaven,”

with Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo, “Stroker and Hoop” and the video game “XMen

Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse.”

Taber will additionally star in numerous sci-fi video games, including “Tom

Clancy's H.A.W.X.,” “Rise of the Argonauts” and the highly anticipated “Star Wars: The

Force Unleashed,” in which she will play young Princess Leia.

In 2007, Taber was nominated for a NAViGaTR Award (National Academy of

Video Game Testers and Reviewers) for her portrayal of Penelo in “Final Fantasy XII.”

 

"STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS" es la primera película animada de STAR WARS realizada por Lucasfilm Animation, y su renovada presentación es deslumbrante.

La Guerra de los Clones avanza a través de la galaxia, y los heroicos Caballeros Jedi luchan por mantener el orden y restaurar la paz. Cuando la República Galáctica va cediendo más y más a causa de los movimientos de los Separatistas y su innumerable ejército de droides, cada vez más sistemas van cayendo presas de las fuerzas del Lado Oscuro.

Anakin Skywalker y su Padawan (aprendiz en entrenamiento práctico), Ahsoka Tano, están en una misión de gran envergadura. Ellos deben enfrentar cara a cara al alto criminal, Jabba el Hutt. Por su lado, el Conde Dooku y sus siniestros agentes, incluyendo entre ellos al nefasto Asajj Ventress, van a hacer todo lo posible para lograr que Anakin y Ahsoka no puedan cumplir su misión.

Mientras tanto, en el campo de batalla de la Guerra de los Clones, Obi-Wan Kenobi y el Maestro Jedi, Yoda, lideran grandes masas de soldados clones, en valiente intento de resistir a las fuerzas del Lado Oscuro.

Las voces tras los personajes animados son las de: Matt Lanter como Anakin Skywalker; Ashley Eckstein como Ahsoka Tano; James Arnold Taylor como Obi-Wan Kenobi; Dee Bradley Baker es el Captain Rex y los soldados clon; Tom Kane es Yoda; Nika Futterman es Asajj Ventress; Ian Abercrombie es el Canciller Palpatine; Anthony Daniels es C-3PO; Christopher Lee es el Conde Dooku; y Samuel L. Jackson es Mace Windu. 2

La producción de Lucasfilm Ltd. de "STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS" estuvo dirigida por Dave Filoni; escrita por Henry Gilroy, Steven Melching y Scott Murphy; y producida por Catherine Winder. George Lucas fue el productor ejecutivo.

La música de la película es de Kevin Kiner, con temas originales de STAR WARS y melodías de John Williams. El equipo creativo de "STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS" también incluyó al editor Jason W.A. Tucker; al supervisor editor de sonido Matthew Wood; y a los directores de animación Jesse Yeh y Kevin Jong. Gail Currey fue la ejecutiva de Lucasfilm Animation a cargo de la producción.

"STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS" será distribuida en cines de todo el mundo por Warner Bros. Pictures, una compañía Warner Bros. Entertainment.

Para descargar información general de prensa y fotos de "STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS" del Internet, por favor visite:www.starwars.com 3

STAR WARS Vuelve a la Pantalla Grande... Como Nunca Jamás

Completamente nueva, animada con

imágenes generadas por computadora, "STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS", se estrena el 15 de Agosto

En el año 2005, la película de acción en vivo "STAR WARS: EPISODIO III Revenge of the Sith", cerró un ciclo en la saga STAR WARS. Pero el creativo George Lucas, y los narradores de historias de Lucasfilm Animation aún tenían más relatos para contar sobre "la muy lejana galaxia".

En la pantalla, en "Revenge of the Sith" la cada vez más expansiva Guerra de los Clones, que cambia constantemente de galaxias, sólo se vio fugazmente al final del Episodio II: "Attack of the Clones". Sin embargo, su importancia con respecto a la galaxia de STAR WARS es enorme – pues fue la causa de que la República se convirtiera en un Imperio, lo que llevó a un "período de guerra civil", mencionado famosamente al comienzo del Episodio IV: "A New Hope".

Desde hace más de 30 años, cuando en la primera película de STAR WARS en un breve comentario de Luke Skywalker a Obi-Wan Kenobi se mencionó el tema, el público comenzó a imaginar de qué se trataba:

LUKE

¿Tú peleaste en la Guerra de los Clones?

OBI-WAN

Sí. Alguna vez fui un Caballero Jedi,

al igual que tu padre.

LUKE

Me gustaría haberlo conocido

OBI-WAN 4

Él era el mejor piloto estelar en la galaxia y un guerrero astuto.

Sé que tú también eres un gran piloto. Él era un gran amigo

-"Por muchos, muchos años, la gente se preguntó qué era la Guerra de los Clones, recordando esa breve mención"- comenta el director de CLONE WARS, Dave Filoni -"Las películas de acción en vivo se centraban mayormente en la familia Skywalker, y no se expandían en explicaciones sobre los límites del conflicto".

Ahora, en la nueva película animada "STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS", finalmente la gente va a enterarse del conflicto que cambia de galaxias, el cual simultáneamente amplía la visión de STAR WARS mucho más que cualquier otra película que hayan visto antes. Además, en "STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS" hay nuevos personajes, más drama y mucha más aventura.

-"La Guerra de los Clones"- explica Filoni -"ofrece la oportunidad de contra una historia sobre la lucha que convirtió a la República en un Imperio, y facilitó el camino hacia una guerra civil que, en última instancia liberó a la galaxia. Nos referimos a un espacio de tiempo muy pequeño, pero en la perspectiva de la Guerra – en especial la guerra de las galaxias – se vuelve más grande"- continúa comentando –"Pasan muchas cosas: hay héroes, villanos, intrigas, aventuras. Todo es parte de la historia que conocemos, pero siempre había quedado en brumas. Ya no".

Una de las cosas más importantes para llevar "STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS" a la pantalla, era encontrar el punto de salida. En las películas anteriores siempre estaba dentro de la saga Skywalker, pero THE CLONE WARS ofreció un sin fin de opciones.

-"Por naturaleza, una guerra tiene infinitas historias no contadas" – dice el creador de STAR WARS, George Lucas - "Para mí es fascinante que haya gente que motiva estos eventos de gran envergadura, increíblemente, muchas veces esos individuos quedan minimizados por esos mismos eventos. Sabemos lo que sucede a la galaxia, pero no sabemos exactamente cómo comenzó todo. Esas son las historias tras la gran historia". 5

"STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS" tiene un fresco y renovado aspecto, muy distinto del de la serie de películas que están en la mente de sus seguidores de varias generaciones. Lucas quiso darle a este film animado de STAR WARS una visión de estilo diferente, que si bien evocara el espíritu de la conocida serie, fuera único e inconfundible.

-"No queríamos que fuera foto-realista"- explica Lucas -"Esto es animación, y en verdad queríamos utilizar este formato. Para eso debimos cambiar un poco nuestra mente, pues es una manera completamente distinta de contar historias. Utilizando animación tenemos la libertad de hacer cosas que serían imposibles de realizar en una película con actores en vivo".

Lucas supervisó la producción como productor ejecutivo, y como tal, incorporó a Dave Filoni al equipo como director, un veterano de "Avatar: The Last Airbender" y otros muchos trabajos animados. Filoni, un gran fanático de la serie, con conocimientos casi enciclopédicos sobre el universo de STAR WARS, resultó ser la persona justa para tomar las riendas del proyecto.

-"Soñaba con STAR WARS desde que era un niño, jugábamos con los juguetes de los personajes con mi hermano, en el patio de casa" – relata Filoni -"Para mí, trabajar en una película de STAR WARS, vas más allá de lo que jamás podría haber soñado. Me encanta ser parte de un mundo que amo tanto, y además hacerlo con George Lucas. Como yo mismo soy un fanático de STAR WARS, sabía la gran importancia que tenía hacer las cosas bien".

Filoni comenta que si bien STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS es una historia completamente nueva con personajes que se van desarrollando de manera significativa, sigue siendo fiel a las películas anteriores a ella. Este nuevo film da un nuevo sentido de aventura y emoción a la galaxia STAR WARS. -"Había algo muy importante, y era no olvidarnos que estábamos realizando una película de STAR WARS" - detalla Filoni -"Los personajes están significativamente estilizados, y sus entornos cobran vida de manera casi foto-realista, creando mundos en los cuales el público se siente sumergido. Eso es lo que uno espera al mirar una película STAR WARS". 6

Explorando la Galaxia

Dave Filoni director de CLONE WARS y George Lucas su productor ejecutivo, comentan sobre la última aventura de

STAR WARS

El 15 de Agosto, Lucasfilm Ltd. y Warner Bros. Pictures estrenarán la primera película animada de STAR WARS– "STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS". Esta aventura en el infinito espacio trata de la Guerra de los Clones, que cambia de galaxias, un período de intensas batallas y mucha aventura que sucede entre STAR WARS: Episodio II "Attack of the Clones" y STAR WARS: Episodio III "Revenge of the Sith". En esta entrevista, George Lucas, creador de STAR WARS y el director de CLONE WARS, Dave Filoni, comentan sobre esta revolucionaria película, de Lucasfilm Animation.

PREGUNTA: ¿Cómo se les ocurrió la idea de hacer una película animada de STAR WARS?

GEORGE LUCAS: Lo interesante de la Guerra de los Clones, es que nunca fue contada a lo largo de las seis películas de STAR WARS que cuentan la saga Skywalker. Nunca dijeron lo que pasó durante ese tiempo. Se lo saltean completamente. Se cuenta un poquito del principio de la Guerra en el Episodio II, y un poco del final en el Episodio III. Obviamente, durante una guerra hay miles de historias, con mucha acción, drama, corazones rotos y hasta humor. A mí me atraía la idea de hacer una versión animada de La Guerra de los Clones, porque la animación permite contar otras historias, mostrar otro Jedi, presentar nuevos personajes y hasta contar relatos de los clones mismos. Algunos de ellos tienen historias muy interesantes. La animación nos permite ampliar la tela en la que se pinta STAR WARS.

DAVE FILONI: Siempre me sorprendió la cantidad de historias que se pueden contar en lo que pareciera ser un lapso de tiempo muy limitado. El período 7

entre los Episodios II y III, era sólo de unos 3 años. Pero pudimos contar tantas nuevas historias, presentar tantos nuevos personajes y nuevos lugares, como jamás me lo hubiera imaginado.

¿Qué le da la animación a la saga de STAR WARS?

GEORGE LUCAS: Desde el principio sabíamos que queríamos utilizar animación generada por computadoras, pero de manera jamás vista. Creo que el resultado es algo nuevo y diferente. Las películas con animación generada por computadoras tienen un estilo muy distinto de las que son filmadas con actores en vivo. La animación ofrece muchas más posibilidades de poder lograr lo que uno imagina. La animación es como un bloc de dibujo.

DAVE FILONI: La animación ofrece infinita flexibilidad para realizar las escenas. No necesitábamos buscar utilería original o llamar a los actores para volver a filmar una toma. Con animación, podíamos mirar a una escena gráfica, volver a recrearla, o cambiarla completamente al día siguiente. Eso sería imposible en una película de acción en vivo. Con animación todos los escenarios, y todos los actores están disponibles en todo momento. Pudimos hacer las cosas exactamente como quisimos que se vean, y eso es realmente fantástico.

¿Qué pueden decirnos de la nueva heroína de STAR WARS, Ahsoka?

GEORGE LUCAS: Anakin y Obi-Wan tienen una muy buena relación, pero ya habíamos visto su dinámica en las películas anteriores.

DAVE FILONI: Siempre nos pareció que era importante tener un personaje cuyo temperamento fuera algo intermedio entre el de Anakin y el de Obi-Wan. Anakin salta y se mete en cualquier parte, pero Obi-Wan prefiere pensar las cosas profundamente antes de actuar. Si bien Ahsoka aprecia la impulsividad de Anakin, admira la paciencia y la prudencia de Obi-Wan. Ella tiene mucho que aprender de los dos, si bien es fuerte y muy capaz por sí misma. Muchas veces sorprende a Anakin con su visión especial de las situaciones en las que ambos se meten. Es una buena contraparte para Anakin, inclusive visualmente, como personalidad y por su actitud. De muchas maneras lo vuelve loco, pero él comienza a sentirse muy unido a ella, como se verá en la película.

GEORGE LUCAS: En las películas de STAR WARS, hay una especie de tradición, de que alguien es llevado en un viaje increíble en el cual aprende cómo volverse Jedi. Luke era un joven granjero que se vio arrastrado hacia la Alianza Rebelde. Anakin era aún un niño en Tatooine. En la Guerra de los Clones, Anakin ya no es un Padawan. Es un Jedi. Entonces Ahsoka toma ese rol, la muchacha aprendiz, que da la dinámica que un "estudiante" brinda a la historia. Todos tiramos varias ideas sobre ella, como por ejemplo: ¿ella era 8

humana o no? ¿era hombre o mujer? Finalmente decidimos que una muchacha iba a ser más divertida en la historia.

La Guerra de los Clones les dio una gran oportunidad de crear personajes fuera de la saga Skywalker. ¿Cuáles son algunos de sus favoritos?

GEORGE LUCAS: Siempre me gustaron los Duros, los extraterrestres azules en una escena en la cantina en "A New Hope". Ellos derivan de los Neimoidianos, que son verdes, y arrugados.

DAVE FILONI: Para mí, es el Consejo Jedi. Me encantó tener la oportunidad de explorar esos personajes que antes se vieron tan brevemente. En su tiempo son legendarios: Kit Fisto, Ki-Adi-Mundi, Luminara, Plo Koon.

GEORGE LUCAS: Si fuera por Dave, Plo Koon estaría en todas las escenas. Fue muy bueno que Dave pudiera trabajar con personajes que le importaban, y que no tenían que estar solamente en batallas, o escenas cortas, o en el fondo de algún lado.

DAVE FILONI: ¡Eso es lo importante! A mí me importan esos personajes, lo que les sucede, y cómo van evolucionando en el filme. ¡Estamos listos y muy entusiasmados por mostrarlos en esta película!

¿Cómo describiría las imágenes de La Guerra de los Clones?

GEORGE LUCAS: En La Guerra de los Clones todos los personajes y sus entornos parecen estar pintados, lo cual le da a la película una imagen única. También utilizamos algunos dibujos con influencias de manga y anime en nuestro propio estilo de filmación, las cuales tienen luz muy dramática y un cuadro muy agresivo.

DAVE FILONI: STAR WARS ya está diseñada brillantemente, si uno mira la dirección de arte de las películas. Era importante mantener la integridad, y al mismo tiempo ofrecer a los espectadores algo completamente nuevo, que no hubieran visto antes. El aspecto ahora es más estilizado, sin preocuparse por ser foto-realista. Más bien el foco estaba en establecer una realidad visual propia, a la manera que un pintor usa distintas técnicas para crear imágenes únicas. Nosotros utilizamos imágenes generadas por computadora para crear una realidad estilizada.

GEORGE LUCAS: Creo que creamos un estilo cinematográfico poco común para contar historias, algo completamente diferente comparado con cualquier otra animación. 9

DESCRIPCIÓN DE LOS PERSONAJES

Anakin Skywalker

Aunque su naturaleza temeraria y rebelde un día lo llevará por un oscuro camino, en esta etapa de su viaje Anakin Skywalker es un Caballero Jedi muy idealista. El es el líder y campeón de la República Galáctica. Su guía es su confianza en sí mismo, tanta que casi llega a ser arrogancia Es audaz y agresivo. Pero ahora ha madurado y ha aprendido que a veces la estrategia y la moderación pueden llegar a ser más efectivas que blandir un destellante sable de luz. Aún así, dado lo impulsivamente arriesgado que puede ser Anakin, el Maestro Yoda lo pone en pareja con una nueva aprendiz, tratando de contener de esta manera, los impulsos salvajes de joven Jedi.

Anakin toma entonces el papel de maestro, y finalmente puede ver el lado de la relación Maestro –Padawan. Así llega a ver las dificultades que él mismo había presentado a su antiguo Maestro Obi-Wan Kenobi. Utilizando sus propias experiencias como estudiante testarudo, Anakin se promete ser un buen ejemplo para su propio aprendiz, pero en situaciones de riesgo, sigue confiando en sus propios instintos e impulsos. 10

Obi-Wan Kenobi

Si bien él es letal cuando empuña un sable de luz y es diestro en el arte de la guerra, el Maestro Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi tiene alma pacífica, guiada por un espíritu de paz en medio de la violencia y la devastación causada por la Guerra de los Clones. El reconoce que muchas veces existen alternativas antes de pelear, y sólo toma las armas para defender los valores e ideales de la República Galáctica. A diferencia de su último y muy volátil Padawan, Anakin, Obi-Wan se mantiene calmo y con mente fría, aún en las más riesgosas situaciones, confiando en su moderación, disciplina y gran ingenio. Todo lo contrario, Anakin en igual situación, recurriría automáticamente a la violencia. Hace poco vio a Anakin graduarse de Caballero Jedi. Ahora, Obi-Wan disfruta infinitamente al observar a su amigo, que alguna vez había sido su alumno, debatirse al instruir a su obcecada aprendiz, la Padawan Ahsoka Tano. 11

Ahsoka Tano

Cuando era poco más que una beba, el Maestro Jedi, Plo Koon la encontró, y la crió en el Templo Jedi. Ahsoka es una dedicada estudiante de todo lo Jedi, y quiere demostrarle a su Maestro Anakin Skywalker, que ella es digna de ser Jedi. Ella es testaruda y entusiasta, muy inocente y optimista, y no duda en expresar exhuberancia adolescente. Pero ella debe aprender las sutilezas de la diplomacia y los tiempos. Ahsoka es formidable con el sable, muy despierta para las tácticas, muy lista y rápida de mente. Sin embargo todavía es muy joven y no tiene edad suficiente para graduarse. Pese a ello, el creciente conflicto galáctico ha dejado a los Jedi con pocos recursos, entonces el talento de Ahsoka logrará para ella una temprana graduación.

En medio del abismo de diferencia entre el impulsivo Anakin y las profundas deliberaciones de Obi-Wan, Ahsoka desarma a ambos dos con su increíble ingenio, con el cual muchas veces aligera las angustias de la guerra, con bromas oportunas y comentarios profundos. Como resultado de su rigurosa educación, Ahsoka se atiene a las reglas más que su Maestro, pero rápidamente debe aprender que en muchas situaciones lo mejor es utilizar una sana dosis de valentía improvisada. Pese a su poca experiencia, ella frecuentemente cuestiona las órdenes y expresa su opinión, para gran disgusto de Anakin. 12

Los Soldados Clones

Criados y entrenados en el oceánico planeta Kamino, exterior a la galaxia, los soldados clones nacieron para servir a la República con lealtad incuestionable. Fueron creados con el formidable patrón genético de Jango Fett, un caza recompensas temido en toda la galaxia, por su reputación de despiadado y por sus letales destrezas. Pese a que los clones tienen sus mismos genes y su misma misión, no son en absoluto zánganos que no piensan o simples copias de Fett. Cada soldado clon está orgulloso de su personalidad única, y muchas veces hacen lo imposible para demostrar su individualidad. Es común que los clones se pongan nombres y traten de diferenciarse entre sí con distintos cortes de pelo y tatuajes. Si bien su entrenamiento intensivo los condiciona a no cuestionar su rol, al mismo tiempo tienen un costado humano que muchas veces les hace dudar y sentir remordimientos. 13

Asajj Ventress

Ágil y mortal, Asajj Ventress es la asesina de confianza del villano Conde Dooku, sirviéndolo desde las sombras, mientras que él teje su red de engaños en todas partes de la Guerra de los Clones. Si bien ella no es oficialmente una aprendiz Sith, fue bien entrenada en las artes del Lado Oscuro, y puede blandir sus dos sables de luz con asombrosa precisión y fuerza letal. Además, su gracia serpenteante y su retorcida astucia, la convierten en un enemigo mortal aún para los más experimentados Caballeros Jedi.

Tras una vida de soportar crueldades y grandes dificultades, no hay compasión en su duro corazón, forjado en el crisol de su sangriento mundo. Consumida por profunda furia y quemante amargura, va por el camino oscuro de la vida el cual a su vez, refuerza sus poderes de la oscuridad.

 

 

 

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