Ezra Bridger and Kanan Jarrus return to Lothal. Copyright Lucasfilm Ltd. and the Walt Disney Company.
Well, this week’s episode of Star Wars Rebels, “An Inside Man,” fulfilled one or two of the things that I wanted to see from the rest of season three. More than that, it was an enjoyable episode, one that I enjoyed more than last week’s “The Wynkahthu Job” or the dud that was “The Iron Squadron” that came two weeks earlier. This episode, whose title has several relevant meanings to the story, had somewhat higher stakes and actually ended on a bit of cliffhanger, likely in preparation for the midseason finale next week and to set the stage for the rest of the season afterwards. By the way, I will be discussing plot details from this episode, so that is a solid *spoiler alert*.
“Star Wars Rebels” logo. Copyright Lucasfilm Ltd. and The Walt Disney Company.
Star Wars Rebels is nearing its mid-season finale on December 10th, and I, for one, am looking forward to these upcoming episodes. However, recent episodes of Rebels have been somewhat lacking, so my excitement is tempered. Looking to the future, both in the short and long term, here are, in no particular order, five things that I want from the rest of Star Wars Rebels season three, as well as the series as a whole:
The salvage crew in the Star Wars Rebels episode “The Wynkahthu Job.” Copyright Lucasfilm Ltd. and The Walt Disney Company.
Last week’s episode of Star Wars Rebels, “The Iron Squadron,” was, in my mind, the first real dud of the show’s third season. This week’s episode, “The Wynkahthu Job,” doesn’t help matters much, even though it is marginally better than “The Iron Squadron.” I really feel like the “one episode, one story arc” mentality that is infused into the DNA of this show may slowly be catching up with it. Suffice it to say, I hope there are some higher stakes in the episodes to come.
Poster for “Star Wars Rebels” season three. Copyright Lucasfilm Ltd. and The Walt Disney Company.
The Walt Disney Company not only rules the world, but also a galaxy far, far away. The company’s acquisition of Lucasfilm Ltd. in 2012 brought news of a new series of Star Wars films, which excited many fans the world over. However, this change behind the scenes also brought about the eventual cancellation of the popular animated television series, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (TCW), which takes place between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, and introduced fan-favorite characters like Ahsoka Tano, Anakin Skywalker’s teenaged Jedi apprentice, and clone captain CT-7567, better known as Captain Rex.
Ahsoka Tano (right) and CT-7567 a.k.a. “Captain Rex” (left) in “Star Wars: The Clone Wars.” Copyright Lucasfilm Ltd.
TCW ran for five seasons on Cartoon Network, and 13 completed episodes from the planned sixth season, entitled “The Lost Missions,” were made available to stream on Netflix in March 2014. In addition, several unfinished episodes were made available on StarWars.com and unused scripts from the series have served as the basis for comic books and novels. Later that same year, in October 2014, Disney premiered a new Star Wars animated series on DisneyXD, entitled Star Wars Rebels (SWR), which begins five years beforeA New Hope. This new series follows the crew of the freighter ship The Ghost, which consists of Jedi-in-hiding Kanan Jarrus, pilot Hera Syndulla, warrior Garazeb “Zeb” Orrelios, Mandalorian explosives expert and artist Sabine Wren, and Force-sensitive street orphan Ezra Bridger, as they work to disrupt Imperial activities in the Outer Rim Territories and later become drawn into a larger rebellion that will eventually become The Rebel Alliance seen in the original trilogy.
Winnie the Pooh with Christopher Robin in the Hundred Acre Wood. Copyright The Walt Disney Company
Can we stop calling films like Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland or the upcoming live-action Winnie the Pooh “remakes” or “reboots”? Because that’s not what they are. 2010’s Alice in Wonderland and its 2016 sequel Alice Through the Looking Glass were sequels that counted on the audience’s familiarity with both Lewis Carroll’s original story and Disney’s 1951 animated version. And given the release of the synopsis of the Winnie the Pooh movie coming up in the near future, it looks like this “remake” is going to follow the same path. It’s not a remake or a reboot: it’s a sequel, and I just have one thing to say about this sequel to a story I loved growing up: oh, bother.
Promotional image for “Moana,” featuring the titular character alongside the demigod Maui, Hei Hei the chicken, and Moana’s pet pig, Pua. Copyright The Walt Disney Company.
The latest film from Disney Animation, Moana is a worthy addition to the Disney canon, combining a respect for the culture of the Pacific Islands while bringing audiences an action-packed and beautifully animated story of self-discovery. This film has a lot of heart and wit behind it, and is the second animated film I’ve seen this year to make heavy and good use of the Hero’s Journey archetype, adding another face to the Hero with A Thousand Faces.
Randy Marsh and other residents of South Park watching the election results. Copyright Viacom Inc.
Just as I thought it would, last night’s episode of South Park lampooned this week’s unexpected election results while keeping to its season-long story arc.
I started this blog back in September with the mission statement of reviewing and celebrating animated movies. As you can tell from three of my previous articles, which cover TV shows like South Park and the recently-revived Young Justice, that statement has changed ever so slightly. I am now expanding my blog to cover animation in all of its forms, from films to television shows to all other kinds of animation. The reason for this is that I love seeing where people can take animation with different mediums, and I can’t limit myself to movies for that animation fix. So, be on the lookout for further articles from Sack, Animated, now on a wider range of topics. The Circle of Life continues to move us all, even my blog.
DC Comics has a history of producing some of the best animated superhero TV shows that audiences have ever seen, from 1992’s Batman: The Animated Series and other shows in the DC Animated Universe (DCAU) to more recent shows like Teen Titans and Green Lantern: The Animated Series.
Young Justice Season 1 lineup, featuring Robin, Superboy, Aqualad, Miss Martian, and Kid Flash. Copyright Warner Bros. Entertainment.
One of the most popular DC Animated shows of recent memory, one that was pulled from the air far too soon, was Young Justice, which aired from 2010 until 2013 on Cartoon Network, before being cancelled after two excellent seasons. But after three years of fan petitions, pleas from both producers and voice actors, as well as fans binge watching the first two seasons on Netflix, Warner Brothers announced this past Monday that a third season of Young Justice is starting production.
South Park Season 20 Premiere Logo. Copyright South Park Studios, Comedy Central, and Viacom Inc.
I won’t be able to watch Wednesday’s episode of South Park right when it airs, but since it will be airing the day after the end of one of the most heated presidential races our country has ever seen, we can only hope that the episode will make fun of whatever the result is, while keeping to the excellent season-long arc about social media, trolling, nostalgia, and politics.
