Summary
- Star Wars animation has produced some of the franchise’s best storytelling, with visually stunning and emotionally impactful episodes that tie into the larger Star Wars universe.
- Despite the success of animated projects like The Clone Wars and Rebels, Disney seems to be neglecting Star Wars animation in favor of focusing on live-action titles.
- This lack of attention to animated projects suggests that Disney may undervalue the animated medium for potential Star Wars stories, which is a disappointment given the brilliance of Lucasfilm’s animation.
Some of Star Wars’ biggest successes in recent years have come about because of the quality of storytelling in their animated projects, but it seems Disney is ignoring the medium. Animation in Star Wars goes back to the 1980s, when Lucasfilm released animated shows and movies surrounding different aspects of the original Star Wars trilogy. Many of these are considered part of the Star Wars Vintage Collection and can be found on Disney+, though they are considered part of the now non-canon Legends continuity.
Star Wars animation really took off in 2008 with the release of Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated television show. Not only is the show canon, but it also establishes new characters, such as Ahsoka Tano, while diving deeper into other characters, such as Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. The Clone Wars ran for five seasons on Cartoon Network before being canceled, and two years later, a shortened season came out on Netflix, dubbed “The Lost Missions.” The Clone Wars’ biggest success came in 2020 with the release of season 7, which intertwined the show with the events of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. Despite its success, Star Wars animation now seems to be getting brushed over.
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Star Wars Animation Is Often Star Wars At Its Best
Star Wars was made for animation. While all the live-action titles are amazing, there’s simply more that can be achieved in animation in less time. There are no worries about practical effects or actor safety if the entity is digitized. Animation has also brought some of the best Star Wars storylines in the entire franchise. The Siege of Mandalore arc in The Clone Wars season 7 is not only visually stunning, but it also brings together so much history, and ties into the larger frame of the Star Wars prequel films.
The original Darth Maul actor, Ray Park, returned to the role for The Clone Wars season 7 to provide the mocap for Maul’s duel with Ahsoka Tano.
One of the best episodes of Star Wars, live-action or animated, comes from Star Wars Rebels. Rebels season 3 sees the return of Darth Maul, and his efforts to try to turn Ezra Bridger to the dark side. This all comes to a climax in “Twin Suns,” which shows the final duel between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Maul, in which Maul dies at Kenobi’s blade. The episode is visually stunning, packs an emotional punch, and ties together Rebels, The Clone Wars, and the Star Wars movies. The show was Dave Filoni’s brainchild and has even continued the stories of most of the main cast of Rebels in live-action shows like Ahsoka.
Disney Refuses To Acknowledge Star Wars Animation In 2024
Star Wars has at least two animated titles slated for 2024, but hasn’t put much of an effort into advertising them or even teasing them. The Bad Batch season 3 will be premiering in 2024 and will conclude Clone Force 99’s story. The show has been so important for setting up a lot of the sequel trilogy and planting the seeds for Palpatine’s return in the days of the Empire’s infancy. Not only that, but the characters have become beloved, and audiences have a vested interest in what happens to them.
Another title that is likely coming out in 2024 is Tales of the Jedi season 2. Dave Filoni said at Star Wars Celebration 2023 that he was continuing the series because he wants to train the next generation of Star Wars animators, much like how George Lucas trained him. Tales of the Jedi brought a lot of context to characters like Count Dooku, as well as filled plot holes left by other titles. Between The Bad Batch and Tales of the Jedi, Dave Filoni has been working hard to fix the mistakes of other Star Wars entities while still respecting the source. That dedication should be celebrated by Disney, not ignored.
What This Means For The Future Of Star Wars Animation
The lack of attention to Star Wars animated titles likely means that Disney is putting their focus on live-action titles. This is presumably because of the success of shows such as The Mandalorian and Ahsoka. While Star Wars has had rousing hits with animated titles such as The Clone Wars and Rebels, other shows like The Bad Batch and the sequel trilogy tie-in show Star Wars Resistance weren’t quite as well received, likely undervaluing the animated medium for other potential Star Wars titles. In fact, besides the two upcoming titles in 2024, there doesn’t seem to be animated titles in the docket for Star Wars, which is quite upsetting given the brilliance of Lucasfilm’s animation.