There’s a bigger „Star Wars“ universe out there than you may realize.
If you are only familiar with the 11 feature films and „The Mandalorian,“ …
There’s a bigger „Star Wars“ universe out there than you may realize. If you are only familiar with the 11 feature films and „The Mandalorian,“ the Baby Yoda-happy live-action series, you may be missing out on some of the best storytelling in a galaxy far, far away. And it’s all in cartoons. „Star Wars“ has a long history with TV animation, from terrible 1980s projects like „Droids“ and „Ewoks“ to the latest Disney+ series, „Star Wars: The Bad Batch,“ a glossy action series unveiled this month with an epic,75-minute premiere (new episodes streaming Tuesdays). The modern run of „Star Wars“ animation, which began with Cartoon Network’s „Star Wars: Clone Wars“ in 2003, has none of the hacky, cringeworthy awfulness of the older cartoons. While some of the series are designed for children, all are smart and mature enough to be enjoyed by fans young and old. Characters and ships introduced in some have wound up in the „Star Wars“ films and „Mandalorian,“ and the series have dedicated fan followings and rich histories and mythologies. For those who don’t know „Star Wars: Rebels“ from „Star Wars: Resistance,“ we offer a guide to the modern animated series. All episodes are available to stream on Disney+. „Ewoks“ and „Droids“ are there too, if you really want to see them all. Bold, visually stunning and like nothing else in the „Star Wars“ universe, this short-lived animated series from „Samurai Jack“ creator Genndy Tartakovsky is something to behold. The precursor for the computer-animated „Clone Wars“ series, this show is set in the timeline between „Attack of the Clones“ (2002) and „Revenge of the Sith“ (2005), and aired on Cartoon Network between their theatrical releases. While the plots in its short episodes are not as sophisticated as some of the others, its animation is unique and striking, offering a visual feast for those who miss the thrill of „Star Wars“ on the big screen. The longer running, more widely seen iteration of „Clone Wars“ is also a superb series that looks very different from its traditionally-animated predecessor. The first to use the CGI animation that would come to dominate the world of „Star Wars,“ the series, created by George Lucas, is also the first from writer-director Dave Filoni, who went on to work on the rest of the shows, as well as „Mandalorian.
