Karl Olson
03-16-2005, 07:04 PM
I wonder if Jedi mind tricks work over the web. Because if they did, you can bet everyone reading this would already be blank-faced and drooling, waiting patiently in front of their televisions for the Monday premiere of <i>Star Wars: Clone Wars</i> Season Three. These new episodes look like they'll top everything that's come before.
<a href="http://news.toonzone.net/images/clonewars/SWCWV2_PR03_M.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://news.toonzone.net/images/clonewars/SWCWV2_PR03_Final_Vert-Rthumb.jpg" align="right" border="0"></a>When the first and second season of the <i>Clone Wars</i> aired, most people were pretty satisfied. Genndy Tartakovsky's brilliant direction and sense of cinematography and pacing were taxed to their limit by the five-minute episode format, but the storytelling that resulted was still outstanding. He matched or perhaps exceeded his groundbreaking work on <i>Samurai Jack</i>, though some critics took umbrage at the close resemblence between Tartakovsky's two knightly sci-fi epics. Now, the third season of <i>Clone Wars</i> raises the bar up another level. Storytelling, action and raw visual quality have all improved. More importantly, the new twelve-minute episode format allows for much more dialogue than in the first two seasons, setting the series more clearly apart from other Tartakovsky efforts. This time, it really feels like a combination of Tartokovsky's style and action with George Lucas' visual and thematic vocabulary, and the result is pure greatness.
The first episode makes clear the expanded horizons of the new season. We see large cities that match the grandiosity of their live-action counterparts, jaw-droppingly awesome cel-CG (<i>Futurama</i>-quality or better) and some of the best darn action I've ever seen animated in America. The story is wonderfully paced, knowing when to pause for humor or tension and when to let it all come blasting through. The marriage between Tartakovsky's character design and the <i>Star Wars</i> universe is also happier than ever, and designs for most of the new characters very adeptly capture the look of their live action counterparts. The only glitch is Padme, who is a little too stylized for my taste.
All of it still bears the all the hallmarks of Tartakovsky's apt direction, but it's reinforced with some more Lucas-esque elements. Given that there are more opportunities to switch from scene to scene and planet to planet, <i>Star Wars</i>' signature wipe transitions are much more prominent this time around. It's a lovely touch that gives the series more of the feel of an actual <i>Star Wars</i> film instead of a series of shorts. In fact, by the end of the first episode, the pace feels so theatrical that it makes one wonder whether Genndy simply directed this new set of shorts as one piece, then sub-divided it into 5 episodes.
That added freedom helps the story develop a bit more naturally and traditionally as well, allowing for more extended banter between characters. We see some additional backstory as well, some of which is pretty crucial to the characters, especially Anakin, who not only gets some additional history with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, but also has a romantic moment with Amidala. It even allows for a little actual comedy from a surprising source: C-3PO.
<i>Clone Wars</i> Season 3 looks like it will raise the animated series fully and finally to the level of a genuine <i>Star Wars</i> film. It also makes me hope more than ever that Tartakovsky's live action <i>Astroboy</i> project gets off the ground. In fact, it seems so theatrical, I wish I could actually see it on the big screen. It's just that excellent. Cartoon Network will probably have a hard time ever matching <i>Clone Wars</i>, so I recommend you watch it.
Actually, scratch that. YOU WILL WATCH <i>CLONE WARS</i>.
It was worth a try.
Star Wars: Clone Wars Volume II<i> premieres next Monday, March 21 on Cartoon Network at 7 PM E/P and runs nightly until Friday, March 25.
See Toon Zone's other reviews of the new series:
<a href="http://news.toonzone.net/article.php?ID=2401">"'Clone Wars' Series 2: WOW." by Matt Wilson</a>
<a href="http://news.toonzone.net/article.php?ID=2397">"'Clone Wars' Returns in Explosive Premiere" by Bird Boy</a>
<a href="http://news.toonzone.net/images/clonewars/SWCWV2_PR03_M.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://news.toonzone.net/images/clonewars/SWCWV2_PR03_Final_Vert-Rthumb.jpg" align="right" border="0"></a>When the first and second season of the <i>Clone Wars</i> aired, most people were pretty satisfied. Genndy Tartakovsky's brilliant direction and sense of cinematography and pacing were taxed to their limit by the five-minute episode format, but the storytelling that resulted was still outstanding. He matched or perhaps exceeded his groundbreaking work on <i>Samurai Jack</i>, though some critics took umbrage at the close resemblence between Tartakovsky's two knightly sci-fi epics. Now, the third season of <i>Clone Wars</i> raises the bar up another level. Storytelling, action and raw visual quality have all improved. More importantly, the new twelve-minute episode format allows for much more dialogue than in the first two seasons, setting the series more clearly apart from other Tartakovsky efforts. This time, it really feels like a combination of Tartokovsky's style and action with George Lucas' visual and thematic vocabulary, and the result is pure greatness.
The first episode makes clear the expanded horizons of the new season. We see large cities that match the grandiosity of their live-action counterparts, jaw-droppingly awesome cel-CG (<i>Futurama</i>-quality or better) and some of the best darn action I've ever seen animated in America. The story is wonderfully paced, knowing when to pause for humor or tension and when to let it all come blasting through. The marriage between Tartakovsky's character design and the <i>Star Wars</i> universe is also happier than ever, and designs for most of the new characters very adeptly capture the look of their live action counterparts. The only glitch is Padme, who is a little too stylized for my taste.
All of it still bears the all the hallmarks of Tartakovsky's apt direction, but it's reinforced with some more Lucas-esque elements. Given that there are more opportunities to switch from scene to scene and planet to planet, <i>Star Wars</i>' signature wipe transitions are much more prominent this time around. It's a lovely touch that gives the series more of the feel of an actual <i>Star Wars</i> film instead of a series of shorts. In fact, by the end of the first episode, the pace feels so theatrical that it makes one wonder whether Genndy simply directed this new set of shorts as one piece, then sub-divided it into 5 episodes.
That added freedom helps the story develop a bit more naturally and traditionally as well, allowing for more extended banter between characters. We see some additional backstory as well, some of which is pretty crucial to the characters, especially Anakin, who not only gets some additional history with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, but also has a romantic moment with Amidala. It even allows for a little actual comedy from a surprising source: C-3PO.
<i>Clone Wars</i> Season 3 looks like it will raise the animated series fully and finally to the level of a genuine <i>Star Wars</i> film. It also makes me hope more than ever that Tartakovsky's live action <i>Astroboy</i> project gets off the ground. In fact, it seems so theatrical, I wish I could actually see it on the big screen. It's just that excellent. Cartoon Network will probably have a hard time ever matching <i>Clone Wars</i>, so I recommend you watch it.
Actually, scratch that. YOU WILL WATCH <i>CLONE WARS</i>.
It was worth a try.
Star Wars: Clone Wars Volume II<i> premieres next Monday, March 21 on Cartoon Network at 7 PM E/P and runs nightly until Friday, March 25.
See Toon Zone's other reviews of the new series:
<a href="http://news.toonzone.net/article.php?ID=2401">"'Clone Wars' Series 2: WOW." by Matt Wilson</a>
<a href="http://news.toonzone.net/article.php?ID=2397">"'Clone Wars' Returns in Explosive Premiere" by Bird Boy</a>