The Clone Wars (film)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Star Wars: The Clone Wars'' is a 2008 American
computer-animated Computer animation is the process used for digitally generating animations. The more general term computer-generated imagery (CGI) encompasses both static scenes ( still images) and dynamic images (moving images), while computer animation refe ...
epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film with heroic elements Epic or EPIC may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and medi ...
space opera Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes space warfare, with use of melodramatic, risk-taking space adventures, relationships, and chivalric romance. Set mainly or entirely in outer space, it features technological and soci ...
film directed by Dave Filoni, produced by
Lucasfilm Ltd. Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC is an American film and television production company and a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is a business segment of The Walt Disney Company. The studio is best known for creating and producing the ''Star Wars'' and ' ...
and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, becoming the first ''Star Wars'' film to not be distributed by
20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
. It is the first fully animated film in the ''
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
'' franchise and takes place shortly after ''Episode II – Attack of the Clones'', at the start of the titular Clone Wars. In the film,
Count Dooku Count Dooku of Serenno, also known by his Sith, Sith name Darth Tyranus, or simply as Count Dooku, is a fictional Character (arts), character in the Star Wars, ''Star Wars'' franchise, created by George Lucas. One of the main antagonists of the St ...
and Jabba the Hutt's uncle Ziro orchestrate a plan to turn Jabba against the Galactic Republic by framing the Jedi for the kidnapping of his son. While
Anakin Skywalker Darth Vader is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. The character is the central antagonist of the original trilogy and, as Anakin Skywalker, is one of the main protagonists in the prequel trilogy. ''Star Wars'' creator George ...
and his newly assigned apprentice Ahsoka Tano attempt to deliver the child back to his father,
Obi-Wan Kenobi Obi-Wan Kenobi () is a fictional Character (arts), character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Within the Star Wars original trilogy, original trilogy, Obi-Wan is a Jedi Master as a supporting character and is portrayed by English actor Alec Guinn ...
and Padmé Amidala lead separate investigations to uncover Dooku and Ziro's plot. ''The Clone Wars'' premiered on August 10, 2008, at Grauman's Egyptian Theatre, followed by a wide release five days later. It received largely negative reviews mainly due to its storytelling and animation style, and grossed $68.3 million worldwide, making it the lowest-grossing ''Star Wars'' film to date. The film serves as a
pilot episode A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television network or other distri ...
to the television series of the same name, which premiered on
Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, Car ...
two months after the film's release.


Plot

During the first year of the Clone Wars, Jedi Knight
Anakin Skywalker Darth Vader is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. The character is the central antagonist of the original trilogy and, as Anakin Skywalker, is one of the main protagonists in the prequel trilogy. ''Star Wars'' creator George ...
and his master,
Obi-Wan Kenobi Obi-Wan Kenobi () is a fictional Character (arts), character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Within the Star Wars original trilogy, original trilogy, Obi-Wan is a Jedi Master as a supporting character and is portrayed by English actor Alec Guinn ...
, lead a small battalion of
Republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...
Clone troopers against
Count Dooku Count Dooku of Serenno, also known by his Sith, Sith name Darth Tyranus, or simply as Count Dooku, is a fictional Character (arts), character in the Star Wars, ''Star Wars'' franchise, created by George Lucas. One of the main antagonists of the St ...
's Separatist droid army on the planet Christophsis. Awaiting reinforcements, the two Jedi greet a shuttle carrying a young Jedi Padawan named Ahsoka Tano, who insists that she has been assigned by Grandmaster Yoda to serve as Anakin's apprentice. Initially reluctant, Ahsoka earns Anakin's respect after the two succeed in deactivating the Separatists' energy field while Obi-Wan stalls the droid army commander, allowing a Republic victory. Following the battle, Yoda arrives and informs the Jedi that gangster Jabba the Hutt's son Rotta has been kidnapped. The kidnapping has been planned by Dooku's Sith master Darth Sidious, who hopes to blame the Jedi for Rotta's kidnapping in order to get Jabba to ally with the Separatists and fuel anti-Jedi sentiment from the Hutts. Anakin and Ahsoka are tasked with retrieving the Huttlet, while Obi-Wan is sent to Tatooine to negotiate with Jabba over a potential treaty between the Hutts and the Republic. Anakin and Ahsoka track the kidnapper and Rotta to the planet Teth, where they are ambushed by Separatist forces led by Count Dooku's assassin and former Jedi
Asajj Ventress Asajj Ventress () is a character from the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Originally intended to appear as an antagonist in the 2002 film '' Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones'', she was first introduced in the 2003 micro-series '' Star Wars ...
. The Jedi manage to escape along with R2-D2 and hijack a derelict transport, which they use to travel to Tatooine. Obi-Wan, alerted by Anakin, arrives on Teth and engages Ventress in a lightsaber duel. Though Obi-Wan manages to defeat her, Ventress escapes, knowing she has failed. Meanwhile, Anakin's wife Senator Padmé Amidala learns of her husband's mission. Fearing for his safety, she confronts Jabba's uncle Ziro on Coruscant. Ziro refuses to cooperate, apparently believing that it is the Jedi who are responsible for the situation. However, she soon discovers that Ziro has actually conspired with Dooku to have Rotta killed, so that Jabba would execute Anakin and Ahsoka, leading to his arrest by the Jedi Council, allowing Ziro to seize power over the Hutt Clan. Padmé is captured and imprisoned, but a chance call by C-3PO enables her to summon a squadron of clone troopers, and Ziro is arrested, despite revealing Dooku threatened to execute him if he did not cooperate with the conspiracy. Arriving on Tatooine, Anakin devises a ruse to confront Dooku carrying a fake Rotta, while Ahsoka takes the real Rotta to Jabba's palace. While Anakin fights off Dooku, Ahsoka is ambushed by the MagnaGuards, whom she defeats with ease. The two deliver Rotta safely to Jabba, who nonetheless orders the Jedi to be executed for their supposed kidnapping attempt. However, Padmé contacts Jabba in time and reveals Ziro and the Separatists' responsibility for the kidnapping. Acknowledging the Jedi's heroism and allowing the Republic to have Ziro punished for his crimes, Jabba, in gratitude, agrees to the treaty before Anakin and Ahsoka are picked up by Obi-Wan and Yoda. Meanwhile, Dooku reports the plot's failure to Darth Sidious, who assures him that the tide of the war is still in their favor.


Voice cast

*
Matt Lanter Matthew MacKendree Lanter (born April 1, 1983) is an American actor and model. He began his modeling career in 2004. The same year, he acted in the film '' Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius'' and the television series '' Point Pleasant''. He went o ...
as
Anakin Skywalker Darth Vader is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. The character is the central antagonist of the original trilogy and, as Anakin Skywalker, is one of the main protagonists in the prequel trilogy. ''Star Wars'' creator George ...
, a former Jedi Padawan who has recently been promoted to the rank of Jedi Knight, and a general in the Republic's army, who leads the 501st Legion. Hayden Christensen was considered to reprise his role as Anakin from the prequel trilogy before Lanter was selected. Lanter replaces Mat Lucas, who voiced the character in the 2003 micro-series, '' Star Wars: Clone Wars''. * Ashley Eckstein as Ahsoka Tano, Anakin's new Padawan apprentice and commander of the 501st Legion. * James Arnold Taylor as
Obi-Wan Kenobi Obi-Wan Kenobi () is a fictional Character (arts), character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Within the Star Wars original trilogy, original trilogy, Obi-Wan is a Jedi Master as a supporting character and is portrayed by English actor Alec Guinn ...
, a Jedi Master, Anakin's mentor, and general of the Republic, who leads the 212th Attack Battalion. Ewan McGregor was considered to reprise his role as Obi-Wan from the prequel trilogy before Taylor was selected. Taylor reprises his role from the ''Clone Wars'' micro-series. ** Taylor also voices 4A-7, a droid spy. * Catherine Taber as Padmé Amidala, the queen and senator of Naboo and Anakin's wife. Natalie Portman was considered to reprise her role as Padmé from the prequel trilogy before Taber was selected. Taber replaces Grey DeLisle, who voiced the character in the ''Clone Wars'' micro-series. * Tom Kane as Yoda, the Jedi Grandmaster and leader of the Jedi Council. Frank Oz was considered to reprise his role as Yoda from the prequel and original trilogies before Kane was selected. Kane reprises his role from the ''Clone Wars'' micro-series. ** Kane also voices the Narrator, who explains the film's events and plot, and Admiral Yularen, an admiral of the Republic Navy assigned to Anakin. * Dee Bradley Baker as the clone troopers, Captain Rex and Commander Cody. Baker replaces André Sogliuzzo, who voiced the characters in the ''Clone Wars'' micro-series. *
Christopher Lee Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee (27 May 1922 – 7 June 2015) was an English actor and singer. In a long career spanning more than 60 years, Lee often portrayed villains, and appeared as Count Dracula in seven Hammer Horror films, ultimat ...
as Count Dooku / Darth Tyranus, a Sith Lord and the puppet leader of the Separatist Alliance. Lee reprises his role from the prequel trilogy. The character is voiced by Corey Burton in the subsequent television series. * Samuel L. Jackson as Mace Windu, a Jedi Master, senior member of the Jedi Council, and general of the Republic. Jackson reprises his role from the prequel trilogy. The character is voiced by
Terrence C. Carson Terrence C. Carson (born November 19, 1958) is an American actor best known for portraying Kyle Barker on the FOX sitcom ''Living Single'' and voicing Mace Windu in various ''Star Wars'' media. He is also known for his long-running voice role as ...
in the subsequent television series. * Anthony Daniels as C-3PO, Anakin's protocol droid. Daniels reprises his role from the live-action films and also voiced C-3PO in other media. * Nika Futterman as
Asajj Ventress Asajj Ventress () is a character from the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Originally intended to appear as an antagonist in the 2002 film '' Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones'', she was first introduced in the 2003 micro-series '' Star Wars ...
, a Sith assassin, a former Jedi and Count Dooku's disciple. Futterman replaces Grey DeLisle, who voiced the character in the ''Clone Wars'' micro-series. **Futterman also voices TC-70, Jabba's protocol droid. * Ian Abercrombie as Chancellor Palpatine / Darth Sidious, the Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic who is secretly a powerful Sith Lord in disguise, Count Dooku's master, and the mastermind behind the Clone Wars. Ian McDiarmid was considered to reprise his role as Palpatine from the prequel and original trilogies before Abercrombie was selected. Abercrombie replaces Nick Jameson, who voiced the character in the ''Clone Wars'' micro-series. * Corey Burton as Ziro the Hutt, Jabba's uncle and a member of the Hutt Clan who is secretly in cahoots with Count Dooku and the Separatists. ** Burton also voices Whorm Loathsom, commander of the Separatist Droid Army occupying Christophsis, and KRONOS-327, an assassin droid working for Ziro. *
Kevin Michael Richardson Kevin Michael Richardson (born October 25, 1964) is an American actor. Known for his distinctively deep voice, he has mostly voiced villainous characters in animation and video games. In film, Richardson voiced Goro in ''Mortal Kombat'' (1995) ...
as Jabba the Hutt, a powerful and notorious crime lord, the leader of the powerful Hutt Clan, and Rotta's father. * David Acord as Rotta the Huttlet, Jabba's son. * Matthew Wood as the
battle droids In the ''Star Wars'' space opera franchise, a droid is a fictional robot possessing some degree of artificial intelligence''.'' The term is a clipped form of " android", a word originally reserved for robots designed to look and act like a huma ...
.


Production


Development

''Star Wars: The Clone Wars'' was made to serve as both a stand-alone story and a lead-in to the weekly animated TV series of the same name.
George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker. Lucas is best known for creating the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founding Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairm ...
had the idea for a film after viewing some of the completed footage of the early episodes on the big screen. Those first few episodes, originally planned for release on television, were then woven together to form the theatrical release.Force-Cast Clone Wars Roundtable
interview with Dave Filoni and Henry Gilroy, October 3, 2008
Warner Bros. had tracked the series' development from the beginning, and Lucas decided on a theatrical launch after viewing early footage declaring "This is so beautiful, why don't we just go and use the crew and make a feature?" This decision helped convince WB parent company Time Warner to distribute the movie, and to encourage its subsidiary
Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, Car ...
to air the series. Lucas described the film as "almost an afterthought." Howard Roffman, president of Lucas Licensing, said of the decision, "Sometimes George works in strange ways."Quenqua, Douglas
"The Force lives on, as do the toys."
'' The New York Times'', July 1, 2008. Retrieved September 3, 2008.
Producer
Catherine Winder Catherine Winder is a Canadian digital media producer and executive. Winder served as President of Rainmaker Entertainment from May 12, 2009 to June 30, 2012. Winder is a native of Toronto, Ontario, Canada and began her film career in Japan, whic ...
said the sudden decision added to an already large challenge of establishing a show "of this sophistication and complexity,"Lupick, Travis
"Clone Wars proved a galactic task for production team."
'' The Georgia Straight'', August 21, 2008. Retrieved August 21, 2008.
but she felt it was a good way to start the series, and thought budgetary constraints forced the production team to think outside the box in a positive way. The story of the kidnapped Hutt was inspired by the Sonny Chiba samurai film ''
Shogun's Shadow is a 1989 Japanese film directed by Yasuo Furuhata. Plot Takechiyo, the eldest son of shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu, is threatened by attacks from assassins. The attempts on his life are the result of a conflict for the succession for the shogunate. U ...
''.


Animation

Lucasfilm Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC is an American film and television production company and a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is a business segment of The Walt Disney Company. The studio is best known for creating and producing the ''Star Wars'' and ' ...
and Lucasfilm Animation used Autodesk software to animate both the film and the series using the Maya
3-D modeling In 3D computer graphics, 3D modeling is the process of developing a mathematical coordinate-based representation of any surface of an object (inanimate or living) in three dimensions via specialized software by manipulating edges, vertices, an ...
program to create highly detailed worlds, characters and creatures. The film's animation style was designed to pay homage to the stylized looks of both Japanese anime and
manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
, and the
supermarionation Supermarionation (a portmanteau of the words "super", "marionette" and " animation")La Rivière 2009, p. 67. is a style of television and film production employed by British company AP Films (later Century 21 Productions) in its puppet T ...
of the British 1960s series '' Thunderbirds''. At a Cartoon Network-hosted discussion, Lucas said he did not want the ''Clone Wars'' film or television series to look like such movies as ''
Beowulf ''Beowulf'' (; ang, Bēowulf ) is an Old English epic poem in the tradition of Germanic heroic legend consisting of 3,182 alliterative lines. It is one of the most important and most often translated works of Old English literature. The ...
'', because he wanted a stylized look rather than a realistic one. He also felt it should not look like the popular Pixar movies such as '' The Incredibles'' and '' Cars'', because he wanted the film and characters to have its own unique style.Weprin, Alex
"George Lucas Talks 'Clone Wars'
'' Broadcasting & Cable'', April 3, 2008. Retrieved August 17, 2008.
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. Essentially, it "meant using long camera shots, aggressive lighting techniques, and relying on editing instead of storyboards." Animators also reviewed designs from the original 2003 ''Clone Wars'' series when creating the animation style for the film and the new series. In charge was Steward Lee, working as the storyboard artist during filming. Actors Samuel L. Jackson,
Christopher Lee Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee (27 May 1922 – 7 June 2015) was an English actor and singer. In a long career spanning more than 60 years, Lee often portrayed villains, and appeared as Count Dracula in seven Hammer Horror films, ultimat ...
, Anthony Daniels, and Matthew Wood vocally reprised their respective roles as Mace Windu,
Count Dooku Count Dooku of Serenno, also known by his Sith, Sith name Darth Tyranus, or simply as Count Dooku, is a fictional Character (arts), character in the Star Wars, ''Star Wars'' franchise, created by George Lucas. One of the main antagonists of the St ...
, C-3PO and the B1 Battle Droids. However, Jackson and Lee did not reprise their roles in the television series.


Music

The musical score for ''Star Wars: The Clone Wars'' was composed by Kevin Kiner. The original motion picture soundtrack was released by Sony Classical on August 12, 2008. The disc begins with the
main theme In music, a subject is the material, usually a recognizable melody, upon which part or all of a composition is based. In forms other than the fugue, this may be known as the theme. Characteristics A subject may be perceivable as a complete m ...
by
John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (15 November 2022)Classic Connection review ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who wa ...
, followed by more than 30 separate music cues composed by Kiner. Kiner is known for his work on such television series as '' Stargate SG-1'', '' Star Trek: Enterprise'', '' Superboy'' and '' CSI: Miami''. The soundtrack uses some
instruments Instrument may refer to: Science and technology * Flight instruments, the devices used to measure the speed, altitude, and pertinent flight angles of various kinds of aircraft * Laboratory equipment, the measuring tools used in a scientific l ...
never heard before in a ''Star Wars'' score, including erhus,
duduk The duduk ( ; hy, դուդուկ ) or tsiranapogh ( hy, ծիրանափող, meaning “apricot-made wind instrument”), is an ancient Armenian double reed woodwind instrument made of apricot wood. It is indigenous to Armenia. Variations of th ...
s and ouds.


Marketing


Merchandise

''Star Wars: The Clone Wars'' merchandise was first released on July 26, 2008. Hasbro released several 3-inch ''Clone Wars'' action figures, an electronic clone trooper helmet, a customizable lightsaber, and an electronic All Terrain Tactical Enforcer (AT-TE). Target and KB Toys also devoted shelf space for ''Clone Wars'' toys, but did not hold midnight releases or pursue the branding opportunities Toys "R" Us did. Toys "R" Us mounted digital clocks in all 585 of its stores that counted down to the release of the ''Clone Wars'' toys, and more than 225 of the stores opened at midnight for the debut of the ''Star Wars'' products. Two of the Toys "R" Us flagship outlets in Mission Bay, San Diego and Times Square in Manhattan, New York City held costume and trivia contests on July 26, and gave away limited-edition ''Star Wars'' toys with every purchase. A section of the Toys "R" Us website was also dedicated to ''The Clone Wars''. The toy line continues with The Clone Wars figures being well received by collectors for their detail to the characters and vehicles.


Food partnership

Due to Lucas' sudden decision to produce the film, Lucas Licensing did not have time to enter into agreements with previous ''Star Wars'' marketing partners like Pepsi,
Burger King Burger King (BK) is an American-based multinational chain store, chain of hamburger fast food restaurants. Headquartered in Miami-Dade County, Florida, the company was founded in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida–based res ...
and
Kellogg's The Kellogg Company, doing business as Kellogg's, is an American multinational food manufacturing company headquartered in Battle Creek, Michigan, United States. Kellogg's produces cereal and convenience foods, including crackers and toaste ...
, with which the Lucasfilm licensing company had a ten-year marketing plan for the other films. When questioned by '' The New York Times'' about ''Star Wars'' merchandising in July 2008, a Pepsi spokesperson was unaware a new ''Star Wars'' film was being released. On August 15, McDonald's held its first ever Happy Meal promotion for a ''Star Wars'' film and for four weeks, 18 exclusive toys came in specially designed Happy Meal boxes.


Print media

Dark Horse Comics published a six-issue digest-sized
comic book miniseries In the field of comic books, a limited series is a comics series with a predetermined number of issues. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is finite and determined before production, and it differs from ...
. Randy Stradley, vice president of publishing for Dark Horse, said the sudden decision to release the ''Clone Wars'' film required the company to temporarily delay plans for two other ''Star Wars'' comic book series, '' Dark Times'' and ''Rebellion''. The ''Clone Wars'' comics did not receive the promotional campaign it otherwise would have due to the abruptness of the theatrical and comic book releases. Topps, the
trading card A trading card (or collectible card) is a small card, usually made out of paperboard or thick paper, which usually contains an image of a certain person, place or thing (fictional or real) and a short description of the picture, along with other ...
s company, released a series of 90 ''Clone Wars'' cards on July 26, which also included foil cards, motion cards, animation cel cards and rare sketch cards by top ''Star Wars'' artists and Lucasfilm animators. DK Publishing and the Penguin Group released books, activities and other merchandise that tied in with the film. Also released was the ''Clone Wars: The Visual Guide'', published by DK, and ''Star Wars: The Clone Wars'' in the UK, published by Puffin and in the U.S. by Grosset & Dunlap. The publishers also released a storybook, picture books and an activity book. At the
American International Toy Fair The North American International Toy Fair (formerly the American International Toy Fair and also known as Toy Fair New York) is an annual toy industry trade show held in mid-February in New York City's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center and at t ...
,
Lego Lego ( , ; stylized as LEGO) is a line of plastic construction toys that are manufactured by The Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of variously colored interlocking ...
announced a product line for the film and the TV series, to be released in July 2008 in the United States and in August 2008 in the United Kingdom.


Video games

The LucasArts
video game developer A video game developer is a broad term for a software developer specializing in video game development – the process and related disciplines of creating video games. A game developer can range from one person who undertakes all tasks to a large ...
adapted the film into '' Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Jedi Alliance'' for the
Nintendo DS The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens working in tan ...
and '' Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Lightsaber Duels'' for
Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America and in December 2006 for most other Regional lockout, regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major ho ...
.''Star Wars: The Clone Wars'' video games.
LucasArts.com. Retrieved September 3, 2008.
A reviewer from PocketGamer.co.uk said his expectations for ''Jedi Alliance'' were low due to poor ''Clone Wars'' movie reviews, but he found the game "a varied and well-paced experience."Jordan, Jon
"GC 2008: Hands on with ''Star Wars The Clone Wars: Jedi Alliance''

PockerGamer.co.uk
', August 24, 2008.
'' Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars'' adapted the film, along with episodes from seasons one and two of the 2008 TV series. The game released on all platforms in 2011.


Portable media players

A ''Star Wars: The Clone Wars''
MP3 player A portable media player (PMP) (also including the related digital audio player (DAP)) is a portable consumer electronics device capable of storing and playing digital media such as audio, images, and video files. The data is typically stored o ...
was released in August 2008. The player includes one gigabyte of memory, which holds 200 songs or 20 hours of music and comes with three interchangeable faceplates: a green one with Yoda and a lightsaber on it, a silver one with Captain Rex and a Galactic Empire logo on it, and one with two clone troopers on Coruscant. One review claimed it improved upon a Darth Vader MP3 player released in July 2008, which featured only 512
megabyte The megabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information. Its recommended unit symbol is MB. The unit prefix ''mega'' is a multiplier of (106) in the International System of Units (SI). Therefore, one megabyte is one million bytes o ...
s of memory and a dated visual display. A ''Star Wars''
iPod The iPod is a discontinued series of portable media players and multi-purpose mobile devices designed and marketed by Apple Inc. The first version was released on October 23, 2001, about months after the Macintosh version of iTunes ...
iSpeaker (a speaker/dock for iPods, iPhones and MP3 players) was also released. The speaker includes an image of Captain Rex and three other Clone Troopers.


Racing sponsorship

A ''Star Wars: The Clone Wars''
open wheel car An open-wheel single-seater (often known as formula car) is a car with the wheels outside the car's main body, and usually having only one seat. Open-wheel cars contrast with street cars, Sports car racing, sports cars, Stock car racing, stock ca ...
for the IndyCar Series was unveiled at the 2008 San Diego
Comic-Con International San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is c ...
. The No. 26 car, which also included Blockbuster Inc. decals was driven by Andretti Green Racing driver Marco Andretti in the
2008 Peak Antifreeze Indy Grand Prix The 2008 Peak Antifreeze & Motor Oil Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma County was the fifteenth round of the 2008 IndyCar Series season. It took place on August 24, 2008. Race

{{s-end 2008 in IndyCar, Peak Antifreeze Indy Grand Prix 2008 in spo ...
, Andretti later said of the spnsorship, "I'm hoping that my upcoming battle at Infineon will be as exciting as anything in a ''Star Wars'' movie so I can win it for both Blockbuster and Lucasfilm." The car finished 14th at Infineon on the lead lap, which Andretti attributed to a slow pit stop early in the race; he added, "I just don't think it was a very good performance for us today." The ''Clone Wars'' car was the second collaboration between Lucasfilm, Blockbuster and Andretti Green Racing. The first collaboration was an ''
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull ''Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'' is a 2008 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg and the fourth installment in the ''Indiana Jones'' series. Released and taking place 19 years after the previous ...
'' car which was also ran by Andretti in the 2008 Indy 500 where it would finish in third place.


Novelization

A novelization of the film by Karen Traviss was released by Del Rey Books on July 26, 2008. In addition to narrating the film's plot from various points of view, it includes some of Anakin's memories of his early childhood as a Hutt slave, as well as some of Dooku's recollections of battling the Mandalorians (previously explored in the 2002 comic book '' Jango Fett: Open Seasons'').


Release


Theatrical

''The Clone Wars'' premiered on August 10, 2008, at Grauman's Egyptian Theatre, followed by a wide release five days later. It received largely negative reviews for its story, animation and repetitive action sequences and grossed $68.3 million worldwide, making it the lowest-grossing ''Star Wars'' film to date, but still a financial success due to its small budget.


Home media

The film's two-disc DVD and
Blu-ray Disc The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and c ...
was released on November 11, 2008, in the United States and on December 8, 2008, in the United Kingdom. The film was released as a single-disc DVD, two-disc Special Edition DVD, and Blu-ray Disc. The standard-definition versions include the film in widescreen format with Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround EX sound, and with feature-length audio commentary. The film is also available on the Disney+ streaming service, which launched on November 12, 2019.


Reception


Critical response

''Star Wars: The Clone Wars'' received mostly negative reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of based on reviews, with an average rating of . The site's critical consensus reads: "Mechanical animation and a less-than stellar script make ''The Clone Wars'' a pale shadow of George Lucas' once great franchise." This constituted the lowest Rotten Tomatoes rating of any ''Star Wars'' film; all nine theatrical films ranged from 51% to 95% and the made-for-television Ewok films and the '' Star Wars Holiday Special'' garnered higher ratings, although their averages encompassed far fewer reviews. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 35 out of 100 based on 30 critic reviews, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". Audiences polled by
CinemaScore CinemaScore is a market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts based on the data. Background Ed Mintz founded Ci ...
gave the film an average grade of "B−" on an A+ to F scale. '' Entertainment Weekly'' listed ''Star Wars: The Clone Wars'' as one of the five worst films of 200810 Best Films of 2008: Owen Gleiberman's Picks
Panel 17: Worst films, No. 2
with critic
Owen Gleiberman Owen Gleiberman (born February 24, 1959) is an American film critic who has been chief film critic for ''Variety'' magazine since May 2016, a title he shares with . Previously, Gleiberman wrote for ''Entertainment Weekly'' from 1990 until 2014. ...
saying,
It's hard to tell the droids from the Jedi drones in this robotic animated dud, in which the George Lucas Empire Strikes Back—at the audience. What wears you out is Lucas' immersion in a Star Wars cosmology that has grown so obsessive-compulsively cluttered yet trivial that it's no longer escapism; Because this movie has bad lightsaber duels and the lack of the original cast, it's something you want to escape from.
'' Ain't It Cool News'' posted two reviews of the film during the week before its release, but pulled them down due to an embargo placed on those attending the screening its writers attended. The same reviews were re-posted on the site, on the day of the film's release. The retraction prompted some readers to allege a conspiracy by Lucasfilm to keep negative press out of circulation until the release of the film, but although the review by site creator Harry Knowles was negative, Drew McWeeny said that his review was positive and that no such conspiracy existed. Several critics compared ''The Clone Wars'' to a
Saturday morning cartoon "Saturday-morning cartoon" is a colloquial term for the original animated series programming that was typically scheduled on Saturday and Sunday mornings in the United States on the "Big Three" television networks. The genre's popularity had a br ...
Puig, Claudia
"'The Clone Wars': Cartoonish, in a bad way,"
''USA Today'', August 14, 2008, Life (section). Retrieved August 17, 2008.
and described it as little more than a plug for the upcoming animated series.Barnard, Linda
"'Star Wars: The Clone Wars' a clunky effort"
''
Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...
'', August 15, 2008. Retrieved August 17, 2008.
Rickey, Carrie
"Animation adds little to 'Clone'"
'' The Philadelphia Inquirer'', August 15, 2008. Retrieved August 17, 2008.
Linda Barnard, of the ''
Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...
'', said the movie "pretty much drives a stake into the heart of every loyal fan of the movies. And now eorge Lucas is/nowiki> out to stick it to those too young to know about Jar Jar Binks." '' Variety'' magazine reviewer Todd McCarthy said, "This isn't the ''Star Wars'' we've always known and at least sometimes loved." Joe Neumiar, of the ''
New York Daily News The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in ta ...
'', wrote, "If this were a true ''Star Wars'' film, right about now somebody would say, '...I've got a bad feeling about this.'" In his review for ''Entertainment Weekly'', critic Owen Gleiberman gave the film an F grade and wrote, "George Lucas is turning into the enemy of fun." Gleiberman, Owen
"Movie Review: 'Star Wars: The Clone Wars' (2008)"
'' Entertainment Weekly'', Iss. #1007/1008, August 22/29, 2008. Retrieved August 17, 2008.
Carrie Rickey, of '' The Philadelphia Inquirer'', said, "The best that can be said about the movie is that it's harmless and mostly charmless. ''The Clone Wars'' is to ''Star Wars'' what karaoke is to pop music." The main criticism toward the film was the animation. Many criticized it as cheap, wooden, non-engaging and out-of-date;Stasi, Linda
'More like 'Clone Bores'
'' New York Post'', August 15, 2008. Retrieved August 17, 2008.
Rechtshaffen, Michael
"Film Review: 'Star Wars: The Clone Wars'"
'' The Hollywood Reporter'', August 10, 2008. Retrieved August 17, 2008.
some reviewers drew negative comparisons to 1960s marionette-based shows ''Thunderbirds'' and '' Fireball XL5'',Germain, David
"Review: Clone Scripts"
''
Clone Script Clone or Clones or Cloning or Cloned or The Clone may refer to: Places * Clones, County Fermanagh * Clones, County Monaghan, a town in Ireland Biology * Clone (B-cell), a lymphocyte clone, the massive presence of which may indicate a pathologi ...
''
although George Lucas previously said the animation style was a deliberate homage to such shows. Tom Long of '' MediaNews'' said the animation "is downright weak compared to what's generally seen onscreen these days"Long, Tom.
Review: Wooden 'Star Wars: The Clone Wars' just another stiff
. '' MediaNews'', August 14, 2008. Retrieved December 23, 2021 – via ''East Bay News''.
and that the characters are so stiff they look like they were "carved by Pinocchio's father."
Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
gave the film 1.5 stars out of 4 and said "the characters have hair that looks molded from Play-Doh, bodies that seem arthritic, and moving lips on half-frozen faces—all signs that shortcuts were taken in the animation work." McCarthy said "the movements, both of the characters and the compositions, look mechanical, and the mostly familiar characters have all the facial expressiveness of
Easter Island statues Moai or moʻai ( ; es, moái; rap, moʻai, , statue) are monolithic human figures carved by the Rapa Nui people on Rapa Nui in eastern Polynesia between the years 1250 and 1500. Nearly half are still at Rano Raraku, the main moai quarry, but ...
." However, some of the same reviewers who criticized the animation acknowledged some positive elements about it; McCarthy said it allowed for "somewhat more dramatic compositions and color schemes," and Carrie Rickey, of ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', said the scenery and backgrounds were "vivid and alive", although she said the characters "move as you would imagine the statues at a waxworks might." Reviewers also criticized the dialogue, which Ebert said was limited to "simplistic declamations" and Claudia Puig of '' USA Today'' described as "stilted and overblown, a problem also in some of the live-action incarnations." Many critics also said that the battle scenes were repetitive and lacked tension; McCarthy described the action sequences as "a little exposition, an invasion; some more exposition, a lightsaber fight; a bit more blah-blah, a spaceship dogfight, and on and on." Linda Stasi, of the '' New York Post'', also described the lack of character development in the film, writing that whereas the original ''Star Wars'' films dedicated time to allowing viewers to get to know the characters, "Director Dave Filoni is so concentrated on the action that we're never given the chance to care who lives and who is blown into spare parts." Jason Anderson, of the '' Globe and Mail'', wrote that although ''The Clone Wars'' is intended for younger audiences, "parents may be perturbed by the film's relentless violence." Ebert also found protagonist Ahsoka Tano "annoying," and Michael Rechtshaffen, of '' The Hollywood Reporter'', said the attempts of humor amid the bickering between Ahsoka Tano and Anakin Skywalker are "strained". Puig said she enjoyed the character, and that "her repartee with Anakin enlivens things."


Box office

''The Clone Wars'' earned $68,282,845 worldwide, including $35,161,554 in North American domestic box office grosses and $33,121,290 in international grosses. The film earned $14,611,273 on 3,452 screens in its opening weekend, including $6,228,973 on its opening day, August 15. It was the third-highest earning film of the weekend in spite of negative critical reception, behind '' Tropic Thunder'' and '' The Dark Knight'', which earned $25.8 million and $16.3 million, respectively. Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner Bros., said that the box office performance met expectations because two-thirds of the audience were families and the budget for the film was $8.5 million, frugal considering it was a CGI film and because the film 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." When ''The Clone Wars'' dropped to $5.6 million in its second week of release, ContactMusic.com described it as "the first bona fide ''Star Wars'' flop." The film also earned $23,428,376 from DVD sales in the US.


Accolades

The film was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award in the category "Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel", but lost to ''
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull ''Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'' is a 2008 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg and the fourth installment in the ''Indiana Jones'' series. Released and taking place 19 years after the previous ...
''.


References


External links

* * at * * * {{Authority control Star Wars: The Clone Wars 2008 films 2000s English-language films 2008 computer-animated films 2000s adventure films 2000s science fiction action films 2000s American animated films American sequel films American animated science fiction films American science fiction action films American science fiction war films American science fantasy films American space adventure films Animated science fiction films Animated space adventure films Animated war films Films about cloning Military science fiction films 2000s science fiction adventure films Films scored by Kevin Kiner Interquel films Star Wars spin-off films Lucasfilm films Lucasfilm animated films Warner Bros. films Warner Bros. animated films American children's animated science fiction films Films with screenplays by Henry Gilroy American prequel films