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STAR WARS: REBELS (animated tv series) - a general discussion thread — Page 37

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I binge watched the entire first season last night, and I wanted more. That is saying something.

Sure, it is made for kids, but it feels more like a made for the older 12-14 year old range, though I would've watched it as a 5 year old if it had existed.

I've gotten used to the art style. I think the thing that bothered me the most was the fact that hair looked like it was made out of rubber.

I also gotta give Frank Oz some props. He sounded much more like the wise, yet joyful character of the original trilogy. They didn't force the backwards talk as heavy as the prequels. The Clone Wars series is probably even more blatant, with Tom Kane taking over the role. Not every sentence Yoda udders has to be phrased like that. In ESB and ROTJ, it wasn't an awkward way of phrasing when you think about it. It just felt like an old way of speaking. Kind of like how a direct translation of something in Spanish is always phrased odd when looking at it from an English perspective. In the prequels, he sounds like he's trying to phrase it weird.

"The other versions will disappear. Even the 35 million tapes of Star Wars out there won’t last more than 30 or 40 years. A hundred years from now, the only version of the movie that anyone will remember will be the DVD version [of the Special Edition], and you’ll be able to project it on a 20’ by 40’ screen with perfect quality. I think it’s the director’s prerogative, not the studio’s to go back and reinvent a movie." - George Lucas

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I think it's kind of based on the Kenner action figure look. (Kenner versions of some cantina aliens and vehicles keep popping up.) And if you recall, TCW was initially criticized for it's characters looking like marionettes. Which was ironic, since Lucas said somewhere that Thunderbirds was a design influence.

I can't think of any modern shows in that age bracket that so casually kill off the bad guys, if at all. We've come a long way from the days of G.I. Joe. ;)

And Frank Oz is probably the only person on the planet who can go off script with Yoda.

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I was definitely surprised by the level of violence in it, especially now that everybody is afraid for their children to see death. I remember watching the early English dubs of Dragon Ball Z where an entire city would be destroyed, but they'd say something like "Good thing the city was evacuated" or a character would die, and they'd say "He was sent to another dimension".

The show doesn't show their death in great detail, but you know they didn't make it.

"The other versions will disappear. Even the 35 million tapes of Star Wars out there won’t last more than 30 or 40 years. A hundred years from now, the only version of the movie that anyone will remember will be the DVD version [of the Special Edition], and you’ll be able to project it on a 20’ by 40’ screen with perfect quality. I think it’s the director’s prerogative, not the studio’s to go back and reinvent a movie." - George Lucas

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The TBS dub of Gatchaman was even worse. There was a scene with a skeletal corpse in a dungeon that clearly was a missing monarch or something, and the son says something really stupid along the lines of "This skeleton must be a message from my father!" Yeah, because dad was into putting his clothes on dead people...

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I finished watching Season 1. Overall, I found it mediocre; the episode with Lando is the first and only episode from this season that I can say I truly enjoyed watching.

That said, now that the stupid one-dimensional Inquisitor and his stupid lightsaber are out of the picture and Ahsoka and Vader have been brought in, I am interested in seeing where the show goes with Season 2; Ahsoka was my favourite character from TCW, and this show definitely needs Vader's gravitas to bring some real sense of menace into the proceedings with the Empire.

Of course, I hope Vader doesn't become the only darksider in the show. The show did hint at the existence of other inquisitors, and I would like to see that avenue explored. They've really got to move past the pale-goth-with-red-lightsaber crap, though; Lucas is out of the picture, so there's absolutely no reason to keep holding to his myopic vision.  

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I'd like to see a bad Jedi, who doesn't look like a bad Jedi. Take a page from Sergio Leone's "blue eyed villain" book. Maybe somebody who, betrayed their fellow Jedi during Order 66 to save their own skin. Maybe Palpatine sensed anger in some of the Jedi while he was still Senator, and offered them a deal.

You could also have a Jedi character who left their training to do mercenary, bounty, muscle, bodyguard or any other similar work. They would certainly utilize the skills they learned while a jedi.

Too many Jedi seem to be exactly the same as one another. I think it's time we see some who are against the grain. Enough with the robes and ponytails.

Heck, you could have an third party Jedi group. One thing all societies have, are disagreements. I find it absurd that there is only good and evil in the world of the Jedi.

"The other versions will disappear. Even the 35 million tapes of Star Wars out there won’t last more than 30 or 40 years. A hundred years from now, the only version of the movie that anyone will remember will be the DVD version [of the Special Edition], and you’ll be able to project it on a 20’ by 40’ screen with perfect quality. I think it’s the director’s prerogative, not the studio’s to go back and reinvent a movie." - George Lucas

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They could always reintroduce Barriss Offee as an Inquisitor. Would be interesting seeing the interplay between her and Ahsoka given their history.

I can't remember if the Clone Wars hinted at a special prison for Force sensitives or not.

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My head canon had been Asohka lived a quiet life somewhere remote, helping people and teaching, and in her middle age she'd go and meet Luke, and tell him about his father. 

I became inordinately fond of that character. I hope (if she gets used more) they use her well.

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EyeShotFirst said:

I'd like to see a bad Jedi, who doesn't look like a bad Jedi. Take a page from Sergio Leone's "blue eyed villain" book. Maybe somebody who, betrayed their fellow Jedi during Order 66 to save their own skin. Maybe Palpatine sensed anger in some of the Jedi while he was still Senator, and offered them a deal.

You could also have a Jedi character who left their training to do mercenary, bounty, muscle, bodyguard or any other similar work. They would certainly utilize the skills they learned while a jedi.

Too many Jedi seem to be exactly the same as one another. I think it's time we see some who are against the grain. Enough with the robes and ponytails.

Heck, you could have an third party Jedi group. One thing all societies have, are disagreements. I find it absurd that there is only good and evil in the world of the Jedi.

 I liked the character of Dooku in the ROTS novel. 

Was a Jedi, left, and enjoyed being rich and powerful. Someone like that would be cool. 

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Sigh, I've always been an advocate for traditional animation. Though I've come to accept the nature of both the Clone Wars and Rebels, there are times I lament that it's not been like this.

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Star Wars done in a style similar to Cowboy Bebop would be a huge hit. People would go nuts for it. I would hope a Japanese studio develops it. They are doing animation on a level that America just doesn't do anymore. Even our cartoons are done in computer programs that do all the hard work for us.

"The other versions will disappear. Even the 35 million tapes of Star Wars out there won’t last more than 30 or 40 years. A hundred years from now, the only version of the movie that anyone will remember will be the DVD version [of the Special Edition], and you’ll be able to project it on a 20’ by 40’ screen with perfect quality. I think it’s the director’s prerogative, not the studio’s to go back and reinvent a movie." - George Lucas

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SilverWook said: Yeah, because dad was into putting his clothes on dead people...

So this isn't a thing where you live?

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EyeShotFirst said:

Star Wars done in a style similar to Cowboy Bebop would be a huge hit. People would go nuts for it. I would hope a Japanese studio develops it. They are doing animation on a level that America just doesn't do anymore. Even our cartoons are done in computer programs that do all the hard work for us.

I share your appreciation for non-CGI animation, but do know that computer programs most certainly do not do "all the hard work" for modern animators.

Standards have risen. The work is still fucking grueling.

The same goes for anabolic/androgenic steroid use. Professional bodybuilders have to work their asses off to look the way they do in competition. Steroids are not magic and neither are computers.

A picture is worth a thousand words. Post 102 is worth more.

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AntcuFaalb said:

EyeShotFirst said:

Star Wars done in a style similar to Cowboy Bebop would be a huge hit. People would go nuts for it. I would hope a Japanese studio develops it. They are doing animation on a level that America just doesn't do anymore. Even our cartoons are done in computer programs that do all the hard work for us.

I share your appreciation for non-CGI animation, but do know that computer programs most certainly do not do "all the hard work" for modern animators.

 Compare Bo on the Go to Big Hero 6.

Talent, hard work, time and money make all the difference. Compare GI Joe (from DIC) to Nausica. 

Talent, hard work, time, and money.

Or Mad Monster Party to The Box Trolls

Talent hard work time and money.

It's not the medium, it's the craft.

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I'm just saying a lot of stuff that's thrown out there for kids on American networks are done quick and without attention to detail, when you have studios in Japan that will take a lot of time and effort to make things look great. CGI has been used to great effect in Japanese films. In fact the film Steamboy featured CGI models that were penciled over to achieve better symmetry for mechanical things.

The old Fleischer Popeye cartoons featured miniature models for backgrounds, to great effect.

The talent is definitely not an issue in these studios, it's all about getting it out there as cheap and quickly as possible. I've seen some great work on Disney television programs in the past.  

Anybody that would complain about this animation style is crazy:

"The other versions will disappear. Even the 35 million tapes of Star Wars out there won’t last more than 30 or 40 years. A hundred years from now, the only version of the movie that anyone will remember will be the DVD version [of the Special Edition], and you’ll be able to project it on a 20’ by 40’ screen with perfect quality. I think it’s the director’s prerogative, not the studio’s to go back and reinvent a movie." - George Lucas

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Oh, Gargoyles looks great.  Disney had some really good good shading/shadow work when it came to their 90s block, comedy and drama alike.  Kept it from looking too static... and some of the shows looked better than their direct-to-video sequels.

A Goon in a Gaggle of 'em

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EyeShotFirst said:

Anybody that would complain about this animation style is crazy:

Does not compute. I'm crazy and I still like this style. =P 

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I just don't understand why Star Wars wasn't big on television, until recently. Books, movies, and in some respects games, it has done pretty well. We could've had some amazing television programs in the 80's and 90's. Droids sort of fell by the wayside.

Maybe Lucas was worried they would tarnish his vision, like the Holiday Special. Maybe the failure of Droids was something he didn't want to repeat, but Droids wasn't near the cartoon we could've gotten.

"The other versions will disappear. Even the 35 million tapes of Star Wars out there won’t last more than 30 or 40 years. A hundred years from now, the only version of the movie that anyone will remember will be the DVD version [of the Special Edition], and you’ll be able to project it on a 20’ by 40’ screen with perfect quality. I think it’s the director’s prerogative, not the studio’s to go back and reinvent a movie." - George Lucas

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EyeShotFirst said:

I just don't understand why Star Wars wasn't big on television, until recently. Books, movies, and in some respects games, it has done pretty well. We could've had some amazing television programs in the 80's and 90's. Droids sort of fell by the wayside.

Maybe Lucas was worried they would tarnish his vision, like the Holiday Special. Maybe the failure of Droids was something he didn't want to repeat, but Droids wasn't near the cartoon we could've gotten.

 Possibly. Animation in the 80s wasn't the market for decent storytelling, and maybe Lucas thought if they focused to much there it would cheapen the whole phenomenon.

Or maybe it was his vision. He didn't want to do "Star Wars" half assed on a live-tv budget. "Young Indiana Jones" was practically a testing ground for all his new digital experiments to pull off the stuff he wanted to do. 

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Ewoks got a second season though. And we got two live action Ewok movies as well. George might simply have been burned out on Star Wars by the mid 80's, and just didn't pursue any other SW projects as he turned his attention to Willow and other things.

There was also the danger of over saturating the market, even back then, which Disney ought to keep in mind.

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I think George Lucas never wanted to make any more star wars anything after return of the jedi.

Not sure how he got convinced to make more movies.

“Always loved Vader’s wordless self sacrifice. Another shitty, clueless, revision like Greedo and young Anakin’s ghost. What a fucking shame.” -Simon Pegg.

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There's a great article all about that:

How Disney Bought Lucasfilm—and Its Plans for 'Star Wars'

The gist of it is that he was getting ready to retire and knew selling to a parent company was the best bet to make sure it survived without him. So he started working on an outline for a new trilogy of films to help sweeten the pot.

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In other news:

Disney XD Soars to Record First Quarter Ratings Highs in Primetime

Disney XD Soars to Record 1Q Highs in Prime Time Among Total Viewers and Target Demographics

1Q 2015 was Disney XD's most watched 1Q ever in Primetime in Total Viewers (408,000) and across target Boys 2-11 (150,000/0.7 rating), Boys 6-11 (121,000/1.0 rating) and Boys 6-14 (154,000/0.8 rating) demographics, bolstered by the hit original animated series “Star Wars Rebels” and “Gravity Falls” and the live action original series “Lab Rats.” In the U.S., the advertiser-supported Disney XD channel launched in February 2008.

During 1Q15, “Star Wars Rebels” reached an impressive 33 million Total Viewers across Disney XD and Disney Channel, including 8.1 million Kids 6-11 and 4.4 million Boys 6-11, representing over one-third of all Boys 6-11 in the U.S.

Source

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I think the animated short Tie Fighter everyone went nuts about was created in CGI.  Not done traditionally.  He only shaded it to make it look like it was cel based.

I highly doubt he physically drew it on cels and shot it on film.

“Always loved Vader’s wordless self sacrifice. Another shitty, clueless, revision like Greedo and young Anakin’s ghost. What a fucking shame.” -Simon Pegg.

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skyjedi2005 said:

I think the animated short Tie Fighter everyone went nuts about was created in CGI.  Not done traditionally.  He only shaded it to make it look like it was cel based.

I highly doubt he physically drew it on cels and shot it on film.

No.

Wether he drew it with a digital-stylus, or an ink-pen, cell by cell... it makes little difference, it's still Cell-Based trad-animation.

CGI means "Computer Generated Imagery". Images rendered by a computer based on human instructions. The final 2D images in a CGI show like Rebels are a computer rendered representation of 3D models. The tie fanfilm was drawn in 2D originally, just like animation was been done a century ago.

It's just dfferent tools. Just because a computer was involved doesn't make something "CGI".

Although he did use a 3D refrence to underpin some shots as he describes in this video...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0taAlZ_MxA

...still every pixel you see in those shots are drawn by his hand.

VIZ TOP TIPS! - PARENTS. Impress your children by showing them a floppy disk and telling them it’s a 3D model of a save icon.