What I've boldfaced is precisely what makes it seem like it could be a junior Super Friends version of the OT. Ugh.
New Star Wars animated show "Rebels" coming fall 2014
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What I've boldfaced is precisely what makes it seem like it could be a junior Super Friends version of the OT. Ugh.
And it's unfair to assume anything about the fully animated work based on a couple of single-frame excerpts. Context is important.
When I saw the first character design drawings and still frames from Batman: The Animated Series back in the '90s, I thought they looked awful -- ridiculously crude and cartoony. But once I saw them in motion, once I saw the full creation of which the still image was just a tiny cross-section, I thought it was the most gorgeous thing I'd ever seen on TV. The same with X-Men Evolution -- the still character designs looked ugly to me, but once they were brought to life, I was amazed at how beautiful the animation was. You can't judge an animated film from a single frame any more than you can judge a piece of music from a single note. Animation is designed to be seen in motion -- that's why it's called that.
I'm curious as to how they'll handle defeating the 'bad guys'. If the redshirts are stormtroopers are they really going to show them being lightsaber'd and blasted left and right in a kid show? Droids as cannon-fodder are one thing...
^ They did precisely that in Clone Wars. Though, with the move from Cartoon Network to Disney XD, it's safe to consider that there would be a reduction in the amount and nature of on-screen violence and death.
I'm not sure why you're contradicting yourself.
Also, while the more simplistic designs do not appeal to me as much as the more detailed, grittier look of Clone Wars (they aren't bad, actually), I've also stated:
I'm not sure why you're contradicting yourself.In any case, I'm not sure what your point is since I've already stated:
Since I've restricted my comments to the artistic style of the promotional material thus far, and since I've already stated that what we've been given may not represent the final result, your notion that I'm making assumptions on the final animation is incorrect.
Also, while the more simplistic designs do not appeal to me as much as the more detailed, grittier look of Clone Wars (they aren't bad, actually), I've also stated:
The point is that even if the stills show the fully rendered level of detail, that doesn't actually tell us how effective that level of detail will look in motion. What works in stills and what works in animation are two different matters. As I said, the low level of detail in Batman: TAS's designs looked bad to me in stills, but it looked far richer in motion. In animation, with the images in rapid motion, with less time to study each frame, a more impressionistic approach can work better. Collectively, all the different images and motions coming together in our minds contain richer information than a single frame. So what looks "not detailed enough" in a still frame can be just the right amount of detail in motion, because the motion itself adds so much.
And I don't really see any difference in detail or "grittiness," whatever that means, between the two design styles. The TCW design style was very simplified and marionettish, often to an ugly degree; if anything, this seems about equally detailed, just less angular and blocky, more naturalistic. TCW's art style seemed to draw on a mix of Genndy Tartakovsky's hyperstylization and Gerry Anderson's puppet characters, while this is more a 3D rendering of Ralph McQuarrie's design style.
And I don't really see any difference in detail or "grittiness," whatever that means, between the two design styles. The TCW design style was very simplified and marionettish, often to an ugly degree; if anything, this seems about equally detailed, just less angular and blocky, more naturalistic. TCW's art style seemed to draw on a mix of Genndy Tartakovsky's hyperstylization and Gerry Anderson's puppet characters, while this is more a 3D rendering of Ralph McQuarrie's design style.
I'm willing to give the animation style a chance. Honestly, when Clone Wars premiered in '08 I thought the animation looked like crap at first and it took me a little while to warm to it. And if you've seen any episodes of Droids or Ewoks from the mid-eighties then this new show looks like classical artwork compared to that style.
The animation isn't the issue for me. I just want good writing that doesn't seem too sanitized and dumbed down for a Disney-owned cable channel catering to younger viewers.
The animation isn't the issue for me. I just want good writing that doesn't seem too sanitized and dumbed down for a Disney-owned cable channel catering to younger viewers.
Well, look at it this way: The first time Disney and Greg Weisman worked together, we got Gargoyles.
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qogqaJ2aXQc[/yt]
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cAwLmyARpE[/yt]
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cAwLmyARpE[/yt]
Snips actually.
Looks good, like the logo shaped a bit like a phoenix, tis very fitting.
Those clips looked and felt great. The animation style looks fine by me based on the teaser footage and the show does have a very strong OT feel that I'm liking. So far, so good.
I get the feeling that Ezra will see some significant character development as the show progresses. I very much doubt they'll leave him a raw teenage kid who annoys much of the audience, as that's not a very good strategy with any lead character in a dramatic storyline. Ahsoka was my least favorite Clone Wars character for a good long while but the writers gave her some great and meaty material as the seasons passed that made her a much more likable and interesting person.
I get the feeling that Ezra will see some significant character development as the show progresses. I very much doubt they'll leave him a raw teenage kid who annoys much of the audience, as that's not a very good strategy with any lead character in a dramatic storyline. Ahsoka was my least favorite Clone Wars character for a good long while but the writers gave her some great and meaty material as the seasons passed that made her a much more likable and interesting person.
Great, I'm probably never going to unhear this now...
What I'm a little uneasy with is the narration implying that Ezra is the spark that ignites the rebellion. If they're going to do a story about the formative events behind the Rebel Alliance, shouldn't it be focused on people like Mon Mothma and Bail Organa? It seems kind of awkward to introduce a brand new character and declare him the founder of the Rebellion.
Of course, promos often misrepresent or oversimplify things, so maybe that's not what they're actually doing here.
Of course, promos often misrepresent or oversimplify things, so maybe that's not what they're actually doing here.
That's my thinking on the matter. It's just dramatic language thrown into the teaser to capture the viewer's attention. Deleted scenes from Episode III depicted the embryonic beginnings of the future Rebel Alliance and former Republic luminaries like Bail and Mon Mothma would certainly be the more likely characters to officially trigger an armed rebellion against the Empire.
They're just building up Ezra's character a little, that's all.
They're just building up Ezra's character a little, that's all.
That story has changed as often as convenience has needed it to change. For the Thrawn novels it became Bel Iblis, who had never been mentioned before because he was an original creation. For The Force Unleashed Galen Marek became involved.
There is no filmed canon around the genesis of the rebellion and they're presumably pitching anything in the EU that doesn't fit their new narrative so I guess all bets are off.
It's just that, as I said before, I'm curious about Leia's backstory and was hoping the series would focus more on the Organa family. So far it seems to be focused entirely on new and unfamiliar characters, unlike The Clone Wars, which was centered on established characters alongside various new characters. I think what a lot of people have found promising about this series idea is its closer connection to the original trilogy, and it seems to run counter to that if the characters are mostly people we've never seen before.
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