July 16 2005

Lucasfilm Animation • The Studio Behind The Clone Wars-Era TV Show



• A large component of the future of Star Wars and Lucasfilm is digital animation. Sansweet announced that the new Lucasfilm Animation division is open for business. "I'm very excited to be able to break the news to you here this afternoon that preproduction has begun on the next generation of the Star Wars saga, a cutting edge 30-minute, 3-D computer-animation series based on the Clone Wars that take place between Episode II ... and Episode III."

• The new series, Sansweet explained, is planned for a TV debut in the Fall of 2007. "To get the series underway, Lucasfilm Animation has hired key production and creative talent to lead the development of its first animation project," said Sansweet. "Gail Currey, who's the Vice President and General Manager of Lucasfilm Animation couldn't be here today, but she asked me to tell you that the early episodic treatments for the series are absolutely amazing, and that she can't wait to share this treat with Star Wars fans."

• Sansweet described the look of the new series as a melding of Asian anime with unique 3-D animation styling. He identified key members of the new television team. Executive Producer of the series will be Catherine Winder, whose credits include Ice Age, "Aeon Flux," and "Spawn." Also hired is Dave Filoni, whose credits include "Avatar: The Last Airbender." The Head of Lucasfilm Animation's Singapore location, where a lot of the animation work will take place, will be Chris Kubsch. His credits include the ILM animated short Work in Progress, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Titanic.

• "Also on board is a guy who is already familiar to many Star Wars fans," said Sansweet. It's Henry Gilroy, who wrote the Dark Horse comic adaptations of both Episodes I and II.

"Over the next several years, Lucasfilm Animation will be hiring a total of about 300 digital artists and others in both [California and Singapore] locations to produce not only the series and animated feature films in the years ahead," said Sansweet.[/size]

Man, the prospect of 3D battles makes me salivate.

Animated feature films eh?

Seems they´re doing a Pixar (which is ironic, since Pixar originated with Lucasfilm. Guess the circle is complete).

Here´s hoping they will make some SW animated movies as well.

I agree this is what they should have done with the microseries in the first place.

Well, since it seems that was just a test-run, I don´t think they would have made them longer anyway.

I look forward to this, but I hope they rely less on stylistic hyperbole. The Cartoon Network microseries made the Jedi look like gods in flesh. Then the dream ended and they got their asses spanked in ROTS. I understand that some people liked it, that it was what they always expected the Jedi to be, but I preferred Jedi to be imperfect heroes.