8:33AM, Oct 27, 2008
George Lucas is Star Wars™, having successfully turned a hit movie into a hit franchise, and then got really ambitious, creating a fully functioning Star Wars Universe embraced by fans around the globe. Lucas is now getting animated about Star Wars, literally, with cutting edge cartoon The Clone Wars™ filling the gap between Episode II Attack of the Clones and Episode III Revenge of the Sith.
Why is it important for you to tell the story of The Clone Wars?
George Lucas: The interesting thing about the Clone Wars is that in the films, in the normal course of the Skywalker saga, it's skipped over. You hear about it, but you only see the very beginning and the very end of the wars. But this was a turning point for the Republic.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars connects Episode II and III. As a TV series, it gives more depth and understanding about how Republic fell, and what a fantastic hero Anakin Skywalker was. We got so focused on him turning into Darth Vader that it's easy to forget that he was one of the biggest heroes of the entire Clone War.
I think seeing him as a great Jedi Knight reminds you that before it gets dark and tragic, Star Wars is a fun adventure story, too.
What does animation bring to Star Wars?
GL: I only wanted to do The Clone Wars if we could do something unique with computer-generated animation, and also tell great stories. Star Wars: The Clone Wars puts Star Wars in a very different light than the movies. The series and the features are all made pretty much for the same audience - so that, I hope, if you're someone who loves the movies, you'll enjoy the TV series.
Perhaps even more so, because within the CG-animated context, there are even greater possibilities for what we can accomplish.
Animation is like a wonderful, blank sketchpad. You can do all kinds of things, think more freely, have a lot more fun with it, and have a lot more flexibility than you can when you're dealing with live-action.
What makes Dave Filoni the right man to carry your vision into animation?
GL: Dave has all the qualities I was looking for in a director: he is talented, he has a huge passion for Star Wars, and he has a creative vision. Dave came up with a very different look for The Clone Wars, one that was almost retro in some ways, but at the same time really cutting edge.
On top of that, I think Dave knows more about Star Wars than I do! He can quickly reference things from other media, like the Star Wars books, comics, and video games, which are based on what I created but I don't actually get involved with too deeply. Dave loves them, and his knowledge gives us a better picture of this entire universe.
How does this series set itself apart from all other television animation?
GL: The Clone Wars is really a continuation of the feature films, and I wanted it to have the same look, feel and depth of the movies. I think we've succeeded in making it visually very different than anything else on TV.
We've put a lot of emphasis on the story and character, because we wanted to make a series that everyone could enjoy. Young people can enjoy the characters, the action and the humor; older kids will like the depth of the story and the quality of the animation. For parents and adults, and for people who have been Star Wars fans for a long time, the series is exciting because it's one-of-a-kind - a dramatic, action-oriented animated series, done in an interesting style.
Can you explain the inspiration behind the look of the series?
GL: I wanted to give it kind of a romantic, nostalgic feel. One of our inspirations was Gerry Anderson's 1960s TV series, Thunderbirds. We drew on that chiseled, painted look as a starting point to develop the characters. That inspiration from Gerry Anderson's marionettes, combined with the dramatic lighting and very aggressive framing of manga and animé, and some unusual, cinematic-style storytelling, created something completely different from anything else in animation.
What is your role in The Clone Wars television series?
GL: As the executive producer, I'm sort of the mentor of the project - I'm here to ensure consistency. In our story conferences, we run through several story ideas and work with the writers to get used to the style of Star Wars. I work with the creative talent, to bring them up speed so they're thinking more like feature filmmakers, rather than as "animation people."
The Clone Wars is an animated series, but starting with the concepts and scripts all the way through the completed episodes, I want everyone to work from the sensibility that this series is treated the same as if it were a feature film. It's another way of telling Star Wars stories, and we have to live up to the quality and expectation of everything that's come before.
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