does anyone want to make a bet that this will finish in the top 5 grossing animated films?

if not for all the PIxar crap, it probably would be #1.

Actually, Shrek 2 is the highest grossing animated feature of all times. It’s not a Pixar film.

I’m a huge Star Wars fan…and I think I’m now Star Wars’ed Out. All this Expanded Universe thing is killing it for me.

Oh boy, more Clone Wars. Someone convince me that the majority of fans want to hear more about the Clone Wars.

Variety is nutty for calling series “skeins”. NUTTY. I didn’t know they’d added “bow” to their list of creatively repurposed terminology.

Actually, Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs is the highest grossing animated film of all time when adjusted for inflation with total gross of over $730 Million. (It was originally released in 1937 after all)

I agree with some of the comments, this would have been great if it did come out around, during, and/or in between episodes 2 & 3. Ultimately I think that all these CLONE WARS stories should have been the real episode 2.

Its sad when fans become more creative than the creator, sorry George.

I mean after researching and reading what George’s intended views were for his franchise, I am convinced that Rick McCallum is the real braintrust for the franchise.

Looks great.
Can’t wait.
The end.

The live-action series that starts next year is supposed to cover that period, snikt.

“We’re trying to do something unprecedented — marrying TV series and theatrical release”.

I hate to say this, but not only is that not unprecedented… it’s something that Battlestar Galactica beat them to, decades ago. (I do find the thought that Star Wars is walking in the footprints of BG to be quite amusing.)

They made a mistake not getting Genndy and his friends to do this.

“Pixar crap?” Geez… The Toy Story movies, Monsters, Inc. & The Incredibles (the latter, one of the best superhero movies ever, easily surpassing most DC and Marvel films) are crap? Really?

Even films that weren’t quite up to the aforementioned ones: A Bug’s Life and Finding Nemo, are still pretty damned great. Cars looked like crap to me, but people tell me it was better than they expected.

Then there’s Ratatouille. Again, I wasn’t interested but I heard nothing but great things about it. I finally saw it a couple of weeks ago. Y’know what? I think it might be the *best* movie released in 2007, or at least right up there. I’d even aruge that the movie got robbed, and might’ve been worthy of a Best Picture nomination. Yes, it’s that good.

I have no idea if Clone Wars will be good or not, but considering how awful the SW prequels are (OK, Ep III has its moments) I can’t even begin to understand where you get off calling Pixar’s incredible body of work “crap.” You’re certainly entitled to that opinion, but I’d suggest you go back and watch some Pixar films again.

At the very least, Pixar’s animation is greatly superior to what CW will be, if the picture shown here is any indication.

I don’t know about Buck being on the big screen, but Battlestar did indeed do it nearly 30 years ago.
Still, it hasn’t been done much since, so Lucasfilm claiming that they are doing something unprecedented isn’t all that wacky.
And saying that Star Wars is following in BG’s footsteps…please. That is rediculous! (and I love the ORIGINAL Battlestar!)

Not to be super-pedantic or anything, but if memory serves, the BATTLESTAR GALACTICA movie was just the pilot episode with a minimum (if any amount) of extra unaired material. Maybe someone older than me remembers.

The Battlestar Galactica movie was indeed shown on TV as the first episode, but its theatrical version was released in various markets prior to the series launching on TV. (And yes, they did the same thing with Buck Rogers, but that was later.)

The Battlestar Galactica movie aired in theaters in the US some months after it aired on TV. Some people even went to the theater thinking it was a new movie not seen on TV before. The only difference between it and the TV version of the pilot was that Baltar died in the theatrical version whereas that scene had been cut for the TV version so that the character could stick around.

Looks like James is right, if the IMDB is to be believed … it shows the TV show debuting in September of 1978, with the movie being released in May of 1979:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077215/releaseinfo

It didn’t make any references to Buck Rogers being released in theaters first, but I do remember seeing it at the local dollar theater before it hit TV … so it might be the better example.

Old news. Buck Rogers & Battlestar Galactica did this in 1978 and 1980 respectively. And IIRC, BSG did it all “In SENSURROUND!”…

Turns out Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker’s father.

Man, that blows my mind!!!

The style looks a little off for Star Wars, but the Cartoon Network ones did too at first. And those were FAR better than the films proper!

So I’ll probably go see it in the theatre because it’s more fun that way.

It’s a TRAP!

Our fanboy minds can’t repell animated lightsaber action of that magnitude!

The really odd thing about Variety-grammar is that they really talk like that for some mad reason. I once had cause to phone Variety’s offices when I was working at the college paper and the girl I got on the phone went to check something for me. “Yeah, that vehicle preems in week 36,” she said when she picked my call back up.

Oh, there’s a better excample than Battlestar Galactica: BATMAN from 1966 had a theatrical release between seasons 1 and 2.

Jeff, I mentioned A Bug’s Life in my post and would have mentioned Cars had I thought of it. A Bug’s Life is as good as anything Pixar has done in my opinion and Cars was certainly enjoyable, but indeed one of their lesser efforts. However, most companies would love to have a “strong” effort that matches the “lesser” quality of Cars.

Kim, good point about the 1966 Batman. Same is true for The X-Files (although I didn’t care much for their movie) and (just this past year) The Simpsons.

Heck, we can even include Star Trek, since TNG was on the air and the original cast films continued (ST 6 even paving the way for TNG’s move to the big screen). Then, once Next Gen was doing movies DS9 and Voyager were in production (and ST: First Contact had a brief DS9 crossover).

Come to think of it, First Contact also had a brief Voyager cameo as well (the holodoc). I just tend to not think of Voyager much. I do miss my DS9 though…

I should really get some work done today. What are these people paying me for anyway?

I’ve heard the story in Cars is actually pretty good… “Touching,” even.

My biggest problem with it, aside from just not caring about talking cars… I refuse to give money to anything featuring a moron like Larry the Cable Guy. I guess the greatness of Paul Newman sort of balances the scales there, but I still couldn’t bring myself to see it.

…And even Nat Gertler’s wrong about BSG beating Star Wars to the punch. Between seasons one and two of the Batman TV series, there was this really neat movie that, 40 years later, is still better than the last three done before the Bale relaunch.

Bottom Line: If Lucasfilms claims they’ve done it first, it’s only so they can try to sue whoever really did it before they did.

Phillip said

“After the belated disappointment of Episodes 1-3 set in, I think I’m just gonna pirate this one…”

Personally, I’d rank Episode III with the original trilogy.

Yes, Episodes 1 and 2 were lame. Still, Revenge of the Sith is a more entertaining and even compelling sci-fi film than people give it credit.

Brenticles is a toolbox.

I love STAR WARS, but have zero interest in this, we’re all really waiting for the missing 20 years between EPS III and IV.

The Clone Wars have been done to death.

I hope I’m not the only one who see’s this movie is total and under s…or trash, for a better word. this loox like something i’d consider taking my little girls to see. i’m sorry, but if all you remember in the very first star wars movie, luke’s famly (what was left of them) was layed to waste. i doubt we’ll see anything like smoking skull corpses in this new installment.
and please someone tell me how the hell anakin can have a padawan under him? last i checked he was still calling obie 1 master in the finally. i’ve come to realize star wars’ weakest link is george lucas. if the nimrod was going to have an art company do this movie, he should have got the guys that did beowulf or the cg final fantasy flics or some anime company, but samurai jack?! why not samurai champloo or afro samurai?
man, enough with windu, enough with anakin, lucas needs to move on and create what he was destined to create…….SMURFS VS THE SNORKS……..THE MOVIE….IN CG……yeah, i think that’s it.
peace yall