Cartoon Network snags 'The Clone Wars'

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Cartoon Network snags 'The Clone Wars'
Tim Goodman, Chronicle TV Critic
Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Turner Broadcasting and Lucasfilm Ltd. announced Tuesday that Cartoon Network has landed the much-anticipated and fiercely battled over new "Star Wars" animated series, "Star Wars: The Clone Wars."

In addition, there will be an animated feature film by the same name set for release Aug. 15. The television series - scheduled for the fall but with no official date yet - will pick up where the new movie leaves off.

George Lucas has created 30 episodes, each running 30 minutes. The show's first season will comprise 22 of the 30 episodes. And more are in production ("The Clone Wars," mentioned in the original "Star Wars" movie, takes place between the big-screen versions of "Episodes II" and "III"). The new animated movie and TV series will feature some new characters as well as returning favorites.

No doubt the new series will send "Star Wars" fans into a frenzy. But what could be potentially confusing to the casual viewer is that Cartoon Network also previously aired the Emmy-winning and critically praised animated series "Star Wars: Clone Wars." That was a more traditional, 2-D form of animation, and Lucasfilm reiterated that the two are completely different.

"Star Wars: The Clone Wars" is different not only because it has "The" in the title - it's CG animated. It's new school. You can see a trailer at http://www.starwars.com/. Also, there will be more and longer episodes than the first 2-D incarnation. (Though anyone unfamiliar with version 1.0 of "Star Wars: Clone Wars" should order up a copy of the two-volume DVD. It's action packed, coherent and in some ways better than the later movies.)

Also on Tuesday, the "Star Wars" Web site put up a mini-documentary (one in a series) about the making of the movie and the TV series. There's also a sneak trailer of the movie. Let the marketing, merchandising and, fans would hope, joyful entertainment begin.

The TV series set off something of a bidding war in Hollywood to get rights to air it, which Turner aggressively pursued for its Cartoon Network channel.

"I felt there were a lot more 'Star Wars' stories left to tell," Lucas, executive producer of the new series, said in a statement. "I was eager to start telling some of them through animation and, at the same time, push the art of animation forward."

Chronicle news services contributed to this report. E-mail Tim Goodman at tgoodman@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page E - 3 of the San Francisco Chronicle