The Clone Wars: Episode 7 - Duel of the Droids
Date: November 14, 2008 at 10:01 AM ET Topic: Movie and TV News
The
R2-D2 Story arc continues this week on The Clone Wars! Click
here for information on this weeks episode:
Duel of the Droids...
What is R2-D2 made of? Audiences will find out, both literally and figuratively, in "Duel
of the Droids," an all-new episode of the hit animated series STAR WARS:
THE CLONE WARS, premiering at 9 p.m. ET/PT Friday, Nov. 14, on Cartoon Network.
In the episode, Anakin, Ahsoka and replacement
droid R3-S6 (aka "Goldie") embark
on a dual rescue/sabotage mission when they discover R2-D2 is being held at General
Grievous's secret enemy listening post.
Writer Kevin Campbell ("Disney's House of Mouse," "Jackie
Chan Adventures") created a little extra work for the Lucasfilm Animation crew
when he used the unusually vivid word "splayed" to describe
how R2-D2's internal mechanisms would be removed and exhibited across an examining
table. That gave the production team ample opportunity to delve into Artoos’s inner
workings, as well as to have a little fun at director Rob Coleman’s expense.
"Dave (Filoni) and the designers – particularly Killian Plunkett – figured
out what was actually inside Artoo," Coleman says. "He's the ultimate
Swiss Army knife, and we all love the myriad things that come out of him, but having
to build and animate all of that is another story. Lucasfilm Animation's Gary Scheppke
got a box full of 'Artoo bits,' and the modelers – basing it off the actual
hardware – crammed it into the model inside the computer. There are definitely
some recognizable pieces on that table from the films, as well as all the things
that show up for the first time in this episode – a cutter wheel, suction cups,
etc. Then they animated in a few things like a pea shooter and a boxing glove
just to get my attention. They're funny guys."
Campbell says he took pride in the opportunity to add some history for Artoo
and his capabilities, showing some aspects of the droid that audiences
haven't seen before.
"I love that we’re adding back story to the back story. We discover
that when Princess Leia hides the Death Star plans inside Artoo in Episode IV, it's
not the first time he's been entrusted with important information," Campbell
says. "I also like that we get to play with Anakin's emotional side. The
Jedi are saying he gets too attached, that he's willing to risk everything to get
Artoo back. He's a Jedi, and yet he assigns sentimental value to an inanimate object.
I can relate to that, because that's real loyalty."
Loyal astromech droid R2-D2 is followed by his temporary replacement,
R3-S6, in a scene from "Duel of the Droids," an all-new episode of STAR
WARS: THE CLONE WARS, debuting at 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14, on Cartoon Network. ™ & © 2008
Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved
Ahsoka Tano finds herself in lightsaber combat with General Grievous
in a scene from "Duel
of the Droids"
Clone Capt. Rex and droid R3-S6 are caught in the midst of the action
in a scene from “Duel of the Droids”
Brand-New Episode This Friday Is Just the Beginning of CLONE
WARS Excitement
In addition to a brand-new episode this
Friday, “Duel of the Droids,” there
is a lot of excitement around STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS – not the
least of which is the addition of a new Saturday morning encore presentation. At
9:30 a.m. each Saturday, Cartoon Network will re-air the previous evening’s
30-minute episode. As fans know, a new episode premieres every Friday at 9
p.m..
And after each week’s premiere, StarWars.com
continues the CLONE WARS excitement. Complementing
each episode is an online comic, exclusive to StarWars.com and written by Star
Wars expert Pablo Hidalgo. Four different artists offer unique and intriguing
interpretations of the signature style of Lucasfilm Animation, and the stories serve
as a “prequel” to individual episodes, showcasing the backstory that
precedes the on-screen action.
The online comics are available only at StarWars.com, which debuts a new story
every Monday.
For fans who can't wait for the Cartoon
Network encore airings throughout the week, each episode is also available as streaming
video on both StarWars.com and CartoonNetwork.com beginning at 12 a.m. Saturday. Both
sites offer two streaming episodes at a time, so you never have to miss a moment
of the action-packed, animated excitement of STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS.
Fans also have an opportunity to put
the lightsaber in their hands and play the CLONE WARS adventures in Star Wars
The Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels on
Wii and Star Wars The Clone Wars: Jedi Alliance on Nintendo DS, available
this week in stores nationwide.
|