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"Clone Wars" Cartoon Shorts on Cartoon Network

snilloc writes "Starwars.com announces that Cartoon Network will carry "Star Wars: Clone Wars" cartoon shorts in order to bridge the gap between Episodes 2 and 3. I guess this means we won't be seeing the Clone Wars in Ep3, as many of us had hoped. On the bright side, we get our SW fix in twenty 2-3 minute shorts. We can only hope against hope that they won't suck."

48 of 233 comments (clear)

  1. Would this classify... by the_argent · · Score: 4, Funny

    As Cartoon Network: A new hope?

  2. cop out by madhippy · · Score: 5, Insightful

    sounds like they didn't get enough of the story told in ep1 and ep2, with ep4 a known entity they were either going to have a really long and sprawling ep3 or miss a huge amount of what happened between ep2 and ep3 or ep3 and ep4....

  3. More like by Mdog · · Score: 3, Funny

    more like Attack of The Clones

  4. This is horribly stupid by kaltkalt · · Score: 5, Interesting

    99% of people (or even Star Wars fans) are not going to watch the cartoon network to see 2-3 minute cartoons which are apparently necessary for Episode III to make sense. Yes, I'm sure that Lucas will stick all the cartoons on a $24 DVD for sale a week or so before Ep3 comes out, but that aside, this is simply idiotic. If he doesn't want to film the clone wars, or other necessary plot devices, that's fine (a shame, but fine) - just allude to them in the movie. Have a character talk about it and fill us in. But 2-3 minute cartoons on an obscure cable channel? What is Lucas smoking?

    --

    Stupid people make stupid things profitable.
    1. Re:This is horribly stupid by MoTec · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Nonsence, I'm sure Lucas will simply do both. In III he'll still allude to the events that happen in this micro-series. This just gives him an opportunity to milk a bit more from the cash cow that is StarWars.

    2. Re:This is horribly stupid by los+furtive · · Score: 2, Insightful

      How many commercials can you stick in a 2-3 minute cartoon?

      The answer is anywhere from 3 to 6. I will use Hockey Night in Canada's Coach's Corner as an example:

      • Commericals 1 and 2: At end of first period, anouncer says: stay tuned for Coach's Corner. Then they play one or two commercials.
      • Commercial 3: Intro/theme to Coach's Corner is played, and they will announce that Coach's Corner is brought to you by Ford of Canada.
      • Commercials 4 and 5: After the theme, one or two more commercials are played before we actually get to the Coach's Corner segment.
      • Commercial 6: At the end of the segment, theme music is played again and at the end Ford of Canada get's its logo printed on the screen.

      Actually, even after the closing theme and display of Ford logo, they show a (you guessed it) Ford commercial, so you could count that as a seventh commercial, but if you're like me by then you've already changed the channel. It's not much of a stretch to apply the same methodology to a 3 minute cartoon.

      --

      I'm a writer, a poet, a genius, I know it. I don't buy software, I grow it.

    3. Re:This is horribly stupid by Kaz+Riprock · · Score: 4, Funny

      99% of people (or even Star Wars fans) are not going to watch the cartoon network to see 2-3 minute cartoons

      99% of StarWars fans are going to watch them over the internet, download them, burn them to CD, burn them on the back of their retinas, memorize them, act them out on the streets of NY waiting in line 3 months for ep3 tickets ala the best.Triumph/Conan.skit.ever, download the new Triumph/Conan.skit that will be based on the acting out of the cartoons, memorize *those* lines, go write their own 8 page fanfic to replace and fill in between the cartoons....and still act like Lucas is a hideous beast for destroying the legacy of 4,5, and 6 once they see the cartoons and ep3....and buy all the toys.

      So, don't worry about the viewership...because you know Lucas isn't. There's plenty of time for these things to disseminate to everyone who wants to see them regardless if they are released as flipbooks, written in Lithuanian.

      --
      Mordor...a magical, mythical land where women are more rare than dragons--but where every man would rather find a dragon
    4. Re:This is horribly stupid by joshsisk · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Lucas will make money off this by:

      A. Cartoon network is probably paying for the rights to air these.

      B. These will be compiled onto DVD and released a few weeks/months before Ep 3.

      C. The compiled version will probably be played on TV right before Ep3 comes out.

  5. We can only hope against hope that they won't suck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    That's not A New Hope!

  6. I knew it! by natron+2.0 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I knew something like this was going to happen somewhere in the first three episodes...

    It is hard to write prequels for movies that have such a long expansive storyline. I think Lucas thought he could do it all in just three prequels, but now he has realized that he has got in over his head and these clone wars cartoons are just him saving grace. I doubt it will work though. I just hope the transitions from film to cartoon and back to film are seamless.

    Not a sermon, just a thought.

    1. Re:I knew it! by sgtsanity · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I just hope the transitions from film to cartoon and back to film are seamless.

      Well, the movies are already pretty much computer-animated cartoons, so I don't think the transition will be too terribly hard.

  7. Headlines like these make me think that . . . . by LazloToth · · Score: 2, Funny



    . . . . I really DO have a life.

    --


    It's only funny until someone gets hurt. Then, it's hilarious.
  8. Lucas just wants money by papasui · · Score: 4, Insightful

    He figure's it millions of dollars cheaper to have the cartoons show the clone wars rather than to film it all. That way he can make ep3 for a lot less and continue to milk all the money from Star Wars geeks with his crappy movies.

  9. "I have a very bad feeling about this" by Comrade+Pikachu · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Yeah, I think you're right. Full reverse! Chewie, lock in the auxiliary power."

    1. Re:"I have a very bad feeling about this" by shadowbearer · · Score: 3, Funny


      Cartoon Network executives:

      Exec #1: *He* is here.

      Exec #2: What makes you think so?

      Exec #1: A tremor in my balance sheets. The last time I felt this, it was in the presence of Disney...

      SB

      --
      It's old. The more humans I meet, the more I like my cats. At least they are honest.
  10. Will roak by bytor4232 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Given Genny's work on Samauri Jack I think it will rock hard. I am looking forward to it big time.

    --
    -- 4 8 15 16 23 42
    1. Re:Will roak by jcsehak · · Score: 2, Funny

      I agree. And given Lucas' work on eps 1 and 2, I expect ep 3 will indeed roak.

      --

      c-hack.com |
  11. Old News! by Amsterdam+Vallon · · Score: 5, Informative

    Go to START > RUN > and type "telnet://blinkenlights.nl"

    They have an animated Star Wars Episode IV in ASCII text!

    --

    Reply or e-mail; don't vaguely moderate. Ex-O'Reilly/MIT employee, now a full-time Google employee.
  12. Translation: Episode 3 will suck, too. by nate.sammons · · Score: 2, Insightful

    So I guess the moral of the story is that Episode 3, which I had hoped would be dark and actually good, with no shouts of "Yippee!" or "Yousa gonna...", will actually suck just like Episodes 1 and 2.

    At least we have The Matrix 2 and 3 the look forward to.

    -nate

  13. Hmm... by neurojab · · Score: 4, Insightful

    You're holding your breath for a Lucasfilm "Star Wars" cartoon that doesn't suck? Let's see where there's precedent. You've got the short in the Holiday Special, which actually seems good (even though it isn't) next to the wretched filth of the rest of the special. Then you've got "Ewoks" and "Droids", both of which that despite being based on the immensely popular star wars world and characters, failed miserably due to general suckage.

    Now, after "Phantom Menace" and "Attack of the clones", you expect these new shorts to be good? Sorry, the writing is on the wall, and that's not what it says. I'm not going to bother.

    Keep holding your breath though... it saves oxygen.

    1. Re:Hmm... by ryepup · · Score: 3, Insightful

      the thing is, Lucas isn't doing these. The animators behind Samuri Jack are in creative control. That means it will be Good. I think Lucas came up with some great ideas, but he lacks on the execution. Which was the best original movie? Which one did he have the least involvement in?

  14. Oh dear... by moronga · · Score: 2, Interesting

    The character designs look TERRIBLE. :(

    Apparently, they got the Samurai Jack / Dexter's Laboratory guy to do the shorts. Who the hell made that decision? His goofy style is totally inappropriate, imo. I'll watch them, but I'm not too optimistic.

    If they had to pick someone totally out of left field, they should have gotten the Sealab 2021 guys to do it. :D

  15. Star Wars As Domestic Abuse by gonerill · · Score: 5, Funny
    "We can only hope against hope that they won't suck."

    I'm sure that, by now, the relationship between George Lucas and his fans is a standard case study in counseling handbooks, codependence manuals, psychotherapy training, etc.

    Fans (to counselor): I love him, he's really wonderful deep down, I know he means well and is a decent man.

    (Cut to videotape) Lucas: Take this, you stupid bitch! [Smack! Punch! Ewoks! Jar-Jar!]

    Fans (Sobbing): It must be my fault --- I just can't seem to please him. I know he doesn't mean to hurt me like this....

    It's awful, really.

  16. Hardware Clone Wars! by Text+Roller · · Score: 2, Funny

    I'd like to see the Millineum Toaster again.

  17. Re:Obscure??? by JaxGator75 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I would hardly call Cartoon Network obscure. Everyone with basic cable has heard of them, and those of us with non-food-stamp cable get it without exception. . . I still can't believe that people are continued to be shocked and appalled by Lucas' next moves. He's gonna do what he wants with his legacy, and we're stuck with the choice of watching or ignoring. My PERSONAL philosophy is that it's pretty cool if you don't try to take it so very literally (and dissect it with an electron microscope). E.G. Go get Ep 1 and Ep2, smoke a HUGE fatty and tell me it wasn't cool... They have LIGHTSABERS! C'mon. . . (PS - I'm an adult, not a 12-yr-old fanboy)

    --
    Come and see the violence inherent in the system!
  18. Look At It This Way... by superdan2k · · Score: 4, Funny

    How much suckitude can George Lucas cram into a 2-3 short? There's only so much bad dialogue and plot loopholes you could cram into that amount of time...

    --
    blog |
  19. Why bother by gmhowell · · Score: 4, Informative

    This is hardly worth the time. First, it's listed in the 'expanded universe' section of the website. That means it's not canon; it doesn't count. Second, there isn't even going to be a proper cartoon of ~30 minute length. These are 2-3 minute shorts that will be shown as filler between shows. Finally, they only expect 20 of them. Less than one hour.

    Why bother?

    --
    Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
  20. People actually care about Episode 3? by SystematicPsycho · · Score: 4, Insightful

    After George Lucas single handedly ruined episode 1 & 2 from poor directing and producing, not taking any advice from anyone as he was forced to do in 4,5 & 6 - I'm certainly not going to be lining up when 3 comes out. I'll go see it in order to say the line "and now his failure is complete". I recently caught episode 1 on tv, with the exception of roughly 10 scenes, every scene in the movie is poorly directed, the dialogue is horrible and does not pack the punch 4,5 & 6 half did.

    I certainly do think that the Lucas franchise has exploited viewers beyond any other films in history. This even beats the 10 versions of Blade Runner and Jurassic Park merchandise. A cartoon series to bridge the gap between numbers 2 & 3 shows they are aiming for a new generation of fans.

    I heard that he will be redoing 4,5 & 6 too, is this true?

    --
    Analytic & algebraic topology of locally Euclidean meterization of infinitely differentiable Riemmanian manifold
  21. Re:Cartoons????? by SystematicPsycho · · Score: 2, Insightful

    This is about reaching a _new audience, since most of the old audience have given up on Star Wars anyway, like me.

    --
    Analytic & algebraic topology of locally Euclidean meterization of infinitely differentiable Riemmanian manifold
  22. Damn straight by 0xdeadbeef · · Score: 4, Funny

    I mean, WTF? There aren't any saucer-eyed girls in school uniforms. You call that animation?

  23. We weren't going to see the clone wars anyway... by djtremel · · Score: 2, Informative

    Lucas and TPTB (Rick McCallum and others) have said in interviews that the final climactic battle of the clone wars takes place at the beginning of EP III. If they want to give us some insite as to what actually happens during the clone wars then so be it. It's not like any of this stuff was going to be on film anyway! Don't get me wrong, it would be nice to see it in full CG with the power of ILM behind it but that's not going to happen so get over it and accept that Lucas has chosen to do anything at all.

  24. Clone Wars? by AnonymousCowheard · · Score: 2, Funny

    Lemme guess...the movie won a mere battle, but the war rages on! I despise hollywood's logic; anything to continue slugging kids' cereal boxes with wookies, jarjar, and pokemon...

    Now Slashdot Wars...that'll be one hell of a cereal box! It would be rockin' if I get buy a box of "Quaker Oaties" and I would receive..."Quake4:william_pen's_alien_outhouse!" or open a box of "William Wonker's Nerdz" and receive a free 30-day add-less subscription to "Slashdot: News for Nerdz, stuff that matters a bit!"

    That'll be the day...*cries*

    --

    But I'm sure you already Gnu that.
  25. This makes good sense. by Syncdata · · Score: 4, Funny

    After all, the only parts I liked in Ep:1 and ep:2 were roughly 2-3 minutes long. The opening chase in ep:2, yoda knife fight, all about 2-3 minutes long. The rest of the movie could have been cut all together. As a matter of fact, I nominate there not be a EP3: at all, that lucas just show a quick montage of lightsabers turning on, women with odd haircuts, and planets/planetoid bodies exploding. Maybe set it to techno music, rather than the john williams score. 10 minutes long, in total, no muss, no fuss, just give me my noisy splosions in space.
    I'm so tired of the train wreck of the star wars universe, I'm not even going to bother to preview this post before clicking submit.

    --
    "Inattention makes clowns of us all" -Bean
  26. Would you rather watch a 6 hour movie? by vgaphil · · Score: 3, Interesting

    If Lucas didn't do this Episode III would be about 6 hours long. It's a cheesy idea, but at least George is trying to fill in the gaps. I just hope I don't end up fighting over the remote with my 5 year-old. She loves SpongeBob on Nickelodeon, but who doesn't?

    --
    A clever person solves a problem. A wise person avoids it. -- Einstein
  27. Star Wars Trek by Helpadingoatemybaby · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Just like with Star Trek, another franchise that was exploited right down the toilet, Star Wars has performed poorer and poorer with each outing.

    Mark my words, when the franchises are really on the ropes, and no movies have been made for a few years, someone in Hollywood will propose "A combined Star Trek vs. Star Wars battle where Princess Leia has to fight against Jean Luc Picard" which thankfully will go nowhere. (Or worse yet: "Princess Leia falls in love with Jean Luc Picard...")

    Don't believe me? Remember "Alien vs. Predator" or "Superman vs. Batman"? Both projects that came at the ends of the franchises.

    Now that Hollywood has come out with just a few too many comic book movies (the Hulk, coming soon, with Archie and Veronica even being proposed) the whole comic trend will eventually collapse and like all good Hollywood things, will have been exploited to death.

    Cases in point: the meteor movie trend, that's cratered, the "virus" movie trend (Outbreak et al) has died, the space adventure (Star Wars, Star Trek) lasted longer than most, but appears to be having the air sucked out of it's lungs, and now the comic book movie trend is crumpling.

    The nice thing about Hollywood is that it is very predictable... almost as predictable as the mass market viewers.

    What's the next movie bandwagon? I predict five years of dog movies. :)

    --

    The baby's fine -- please stop sending business cards.

    1. Re:Star Wars Trek by corbettw · · Score: 2, Funny
      "What's the next movie bandwagon? I predict five years of dog movies. :)"

      You may be on to something here:
      Cats and Dogs, 2001
      Snow Dogs, 2002
      Cats and Dogs 2, 2003

      --
      God invented whiskey so the Irish would not rule the world.
  28. Grassroots Advertizing/Distribution by X-rated+Ouroboros · · Score: 3, Interesting

    20 two to three minute shorts...
    Bet you those will be all over the P2P networks soon enough.
    Bet you that's exactly what was intended, too.

    It's nice to see someone finally tapping into a viral distribution model. Let's hope that they don't suck and the mocking spoofs don't become more popular than the originals.

    --
    Simple Machines in Higher Dimensions
  29. Sick thing by Picass0 · · Score: 2, Interesting


    It would be ironic if these cartoons turned out to have better charater and story development than the EPs 1-3. I've thought for a long time that Lucas' directing is part of the problem, and now we will see what these characters can do in somebody else's hands.

  30. Re:(insert witty "you insensitive clod" reference) by Politburo · · Score: 2, Funny

    You're right! There's absolutely no way they could transmit a 2-3 minute cartoon across the internet for easy viewing. Kill em all!

  31. Don't watch them if you're going to complain by SlashdotLemming · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Its easy to be greedy if people are so willing to give you money. If I could make a few million by selling out, you don't think I would? Would you?

    Look at the Joe Millionare crap. Fox sneaks an extra episode in, people bitch and moan about being ripped off, yet they still keep watching, and Fox gets even more $$$. Lucas should do the same thing, milk it man. Everyone will scream and cry, but they'll still watch, and they'll still buy the cartoon DVDs, and the Special Edition cartoon DVDs with extra footage, and cartoon DVDs with the bonus episdoe bundled with the movies.

    Lucas reads his bank statement, not /.

  32. Re:Obscure??? by anonymous+loser · · Score: 2, Informative
    I would hardly call Cartoon Network obscure.

    You're right. To anyone living outside the US it's non-existent. That's EVEN BETTER.

  33. Re:SW cartoons: a reaction to the Animatrix? by Daniel+Baumgarten · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I agree that the anime tie-in works for the Matrix. However, anime is targeted towards a more mature audience than the style of cartoon being presented by Lucas, here. Major break of protocol for Star Wars. They're making a big mistake by kiddifying it.

    --
    "Screw slashdot." -- Linus Torvalds
  34. Re:You totally forgot about the best pt: Samurai J by Daniel+Baumgarten · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Nonetheless, Star Wars looks best presented on the big screen, filmed by a camera. I think it's going to lose some of its impact as a cartoon. Outrageous stuff happens in cartoons every day, so without its name, this one is just another face in the crowd.

    --
    "Screw slashdot." -- Linus Torvalds
  35. Re:SW cartoons: a reaction to the Animatrix? by flauntbaby · · Score: 2, Funny
    They're making a big mistake by kiddifying it.
    Oh, so NOW they are kiddifying it. Yippiiieeee!
  36. From the creator of Dexter's Lab and Samurai Jack by Polyphemis · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Did no one notice that these shorts are being created by the guy that did Dexter's Laboratory and Samurai Jack? I don't know about most people, but imo, those cartoons seriously kick ass. Samurai Jack's one of the most visually interesting cartoons I've ever had the pleasure of seeing (anime excluded, haven't seen much of that).

    I can't wait to see what he does for Star Wars. I know that it will at least be interesting visually. Rock on, looking forward to it! :)

  37. Re:Obscure??? by clem · · Score: 2, Informative

    To anyone living outside the US it's non-existent.

    BZZZZT! I'm sorry, that's incorrect.

    While I was living in England the Cartoon Network was available on cable. Dexter's Laboratory, Pinky and the Brain, the whole lot.

    --
    Your courageous and selfless spelling corrections have made me a better person.
  38. No Clone War in Ep 3. by Vinnie_333 · · Score: 2, Interesting
    Lucas has already stated that Ep 3 won't feature much of anything about the clone wars. Maybe a bit of the aftermath. This is a bit disapointing, since many invisioned the Clone Wars as being a battle on the epic scale (generations long over several solar systems). Now, it appears to be more of a skirmish.

    So, this cartoon series could turn out to be more interesting them ep3. Especially since more people than just George are coming up with the stories.

    --

    "We shall party like the Greeks of old! You know the ones I mean." - HedonismBot
  39. George Lucas says, by tuxedo-steve · · Score: 2, Funny

    "I find your lack of faith... disturbing."

    --
    - SMJ - (It's not just a name: it's a bad aftertaste.)