Animated Star Wars

Many Star Wars fans in their 30's and 40's, who grew up with the original movies, were mildly disappointed by the prequel films.  But while those movies didn't capture the spirit of adventure we enjoyed as children, our own kids have been watching a better Star Wars on television.   

"The Clone Wars" ran on the Cartoon Network for the last five years.  It was an animated series based between Episodes II and III, focusing mostly on a scarred and increasingly conflicted Anakin Skywalker as he and the other Jedi led the clone army in battle.  Running 108 episodes, this has been some of the best offerings from the Star Wars universe and is very watchable as an adult (though I claimed I was recording it for my kids, of course).

Then Disney bought Star Wars and let the "Clone Wars" contract with Cartoon Network expire and announced that production would be "winding down," basically canceling the series.  New material has been scripted and produced and it seems that this material will be released on the Star Wars website.

Now Disney is announcing that Lucasfilm Animation will launch "Star Wars: Rebels," produced and animated by much of the same team that did "Clone Wars," set to debut Fall 2014.  The series will be set between Episodes III and IV, when Darth Vader is hunting down the remnants of the Jedi.  The show will of course move from the Cartoon Network over to the Disney Channel.

It looks like I'll have to record it for my kids.  I wouldn't want them to miss it.