Review: The Clone Wars
Special thanks to our guest Simpsons/Family Guy animator Joshua Taback and our returning audio editor Peter Fey!
Josh's Blog and Portfolio can be found at www.joshuataback.com. If you want to follow his blog you can put it into your RSS reader.
Pictured with this post: a still from the anime series Robotech featuring the character Roy Fokker (mentioned in this episode). For those interested in learning more about Robotech, visit Robotech.com
Ah, Ahsoka...now it's dark.
ReplyDeleteIf I consider the six Star Wars films as a whole that also includes both animated Clone Wars series, then it would seem that the current CGI series has brought us to the very start of Act II. It should get considerably darker from here on out, with an emphasis on SOMETHING that helps ignite the downfall of Anakin. Could that be the death of Ahsoka? Maybe, but it might be more tragic to have their relationship deteriorate as she begins to question, like Anakin, what is right and wrong. I'd like to see her go over to the dark side before him. He would have to fail in his effort to rescue her, and possibly even have to finish her off himself.
I'm diggin' Digging Star Wars, hahaha. Nice job, I've learned some things, and now I want to rewatch some movies to pick up on the things you've pointed out.
ReplyDeleteI know Josh, and he turned me on to the blog. After this latest entry, I'm going to notice the facial animation now.
And I never would've compared Robotech to Clone Wars, I guess cause Robotech is just a part of my child hood.
Can't wait for the next post, maybe you could take a little more time in you discussion? I would enjoy more time.
Wow, that was really interesting! I must admit that I had very little interest in The Clone Wars when the movie first came out, because I thought it was just an attempt to make more money off of a saga that was already good as a series of live-action films. (And it also came out before I became a fan of animation in general.) But lately, I've heard a lot of praise for the show and that, like you said in this episode, it's entertaining for kids and adults. After listening to this episode, I think I really need to go rent the DVDs and start getting caught up on it.
ReplyDeleteWith Ahsoka, I always assumed that she would have to die on the show at some point, because she's never even mentioned in Episode III. The only other possibility would be if she and Anakin went their separate ways for some reason, and it was heavily implied that she died during the Order 66 sequence.
I also enjoyed listening about the show from an animator's perspective. (And I liked the nickname you guys gave anime- Japanimation! :D) I especially liked hearing about the tricks the animators use for crowd scenes; I've heard that Pixar had to do similar things for movies like "The Incredibles" where they set up a few basic models for extra characters and then customized the features so that the same models looked like different people. It also makes me wonder: what are some of the differences between animating for television and animating for films? At the very least, the animators for television shows have different deadlines than film animators have to meet, so there's a slight difference in quality and how long they can work on each scene.
All in all, thank you for posting such an extensive review of "The Clone Wars!" One of these days, I'm definitely going to rent the movie and then start watching each season.
Thanks for the posts!
ReplyDeletePBF...I like your idea about Anakin and Ahsoka's relationship deteriorating. I always felt a bit gypped when it came to the deterioration of Obi-Wan and Anakin's friendship in Episode III. The Clone Wars crew have done a pretty good job at exposing Anakin and Obi-Wan's friendship that Obi-Wan so fondly recalls in A New Hope. Exploring Ahsoka and Anakin differences a little deeper may be in the works...seeds were certainly planted in the Mortis CW episodes.
Lookitseugene - WELCOME! So glad you've joined us. Our next episode is going to be slightly shorter than this one. But our Season Finale has the potential for running even longer than Josh's episode. So keep coming back and thanks for listening!
Lauren - WELCOME AS WELL! Definately check out the CW series on DVD. While the movie pales in comparison to what the CW crew is doing now, it is worth seeing for a setup of the Anakin/Ahsoka relationship. Looking forward to more posts from you, too!
I wanted to say +1 to PBF's comment, and to remark on Josh's comment RE: Ahsoka where he said- "what are the limitations" to the story, the models, etc. I think that PBF's ideas and desire for Ahsoka to go to the dark side before Anakin are decent, but in light of Anakin losing his mother to death and his fear of losing Padme later, I think there could very well be a situation where Anakin is unable to save Ahsoka, quite possibly because Obi-Wan or another Jedi has put Ahsoka in a perilous situation that's out of Anakin's control. Were Ahsoka to die in that situation, it would sow a seed of desperation to cheat death in Anakin, as well as the resentment he would feel toward Obi-Wan and the Jedi later. That said, this is a TV series, presumably with a planned life span, or at least a loose plan that leaves doors open in every direction, should the show either succeed better than expected or fall off more than expected. In other words, depending on the business success of the series, write so that these events can occur at almost any time. So yes, maybe this season we felt cheated that Ventress and Ahsoka kept narrowly escaping death, or some other momentous event, but probably that's in the back pocket of the shows' writers and producers, so that the giant events can be maximized later. 4 seasons (6 if you count the original animation) and a feature film length episode would make a great boxset, so I agree that this could be the last season. Love the blog, and I'm a fan of the discussion lasting about a half hour. Seems like a natural time frame for a conversation. Good job!
ReplyDeleteJoshjani - Thanks for your post and for listening! I agree with your take on the Ahsoka situation and, more importantly, the potential for a CW box set. What would be really cool is if the CW crew decided to end the TV series in a cliffhangar with a few loose ends, with the intent of a feature film that ties it all up right before Episode III. A feature at this point in the game, with writing and animation at the level they have reached, would be pretty awesome. Thanks again for posting.
ReplyDeleteWhat I really like about this installment is the fact that Chris has an industry expert to talk to this time. It creates an interesting discussion from a unique viewpoint and I also want to thank Josh for helping Chris out with this. Bravo guys!
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