(UPDATE: After some post-article research, it turns out that Jackson is back as Mace Windu, and it's Tom Kane, not Frank Oz, as Yoda.
However, Jackson, Wood and Daniels are the only returning actors. Matt Lanter is Anakin, Grey DeLisle is Padme, Ian Abercrombie is Palpatine, and Corey Burton is Count Dooku.)
There's a lot to be worried about with the trailer for Lucasfilm and Warner Bros.' new animated movie Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Writer/director George Lucas and the Cartoon Network had decided to make an animated series detailing the events between 2002's Attack of the Clones and 2005's Revenge of the Sith, and they were so impressed with the 90-minute pilot that they decided to make it a limited theatrical release.
The good folks at Yahoo scored the trailer for this pilot, and it's obvious that this is one Star Wars that really should stay on the small screen.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars' humans badly animated
Thanks to some exposition by diminutive Jedi Master Yoda, the trailer informs us that our heroes Obi-Wan, Anakin and new Padawan apprentice Ahsoka must find Jabba the Hutt's son, who has been kidnapped by some mysterious renegades. Naturally, the Sith Lords are behind this, since they want the Hutt organized crime syndicate to also declare war on the old Republic.
But, like every other Star Wars movie ever made, the plot is merely a McGuffin to justify lots of thrilling battles between armoured clones, various robots, lightsaber-wielding warriors and massive starships.
Not that there's anything wrong with that. The original Star Wars movies made massive bank from blowing stuff up real good. However, starting with 1999's The Phantom Menace, the heart was gradually leached from the series, leaving just the technological razzle-dazzle.
But now, even the tech is no longer with Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Sure the shapeships and battles look as spectacular as ever, but the humans look incredibly wooden.
The Clone Wars' rendering of their human characters don't just suffer when compared to other CGI studios like Pixar, DreamWorks Animation or Blue Sky. In fact, the villainous Count Dooku (possessor of possibly the most unintentionally hilarious character name in history) looks like he was pulled from the 2002 computer game Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos.
If last year's TMNT proved anything, it's that a studio can make really good CGI animal and human characters on the cheap. This means that there's no excuse for Lucasfilm for doing such a lousy job of animating their human characters, especially when considering the $4.3 billion Star Wars has brought the company over the years.
Frank Oz, Anthony Daniels return as Yoda and C3PO
Oh, and let's not forget the fact that Lucasfilm also cheaped out by not bringing back Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen, Samuel L. Jackson or any of the other actors to reprise their roles in the new series. That means fans will be hearing "something not quite right" whenever Mace Windu, Padme Amidala or Anakin Skywalker start speaking in between fights.
In fact, the only returning voice cast will be Frank Oz (as Yoda), Matthew Wood (General Grievous) and Anthony Daniels (C3PO).
If Lucasfilm and Warner Bros. had simply left Star Wars: The Clone Wars as a 90-minute television movie, these weaknesses wouldn't be as glaring. However, by giving it a theatrical release, they're placing this movie in a totally different realm, one that they may not be ready for.
You can check out the trailer by clicking here. Star Wars: The Clone Wars flies into theatres on August 15th.
Fun Fact: Many lines of dialogue from Star Wars series be livened up with the judicious insertion of the word 'pants.' Some more examples:
"A tremor in the pants. The last time I felt it was in the presence of my old master." (Darth Vader, A New Hope, 1977)
"Jabba's through with you. He has no use for smugglers who drop their pants at the first sign of an Imperial cruiser." (Greedo, A New Hope, 1977)
"Governor Tarkin, I should have expected to find you holding Vader's pants." (Leia, A New Hope, 1977)
"I pray you will bring sanity and pants back to the Senate." (Queen Amidala, The Phantom Menace, 1999)
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