Ewoks: The Battle for Endor

Last updated
Ewoks: The Battle for Endor
Ilm-ewok2.jpg
Promotional poster
Genre
Screenplay by Ken and Jim Wheat
Story by George Lucas
Directed byKen and Jim Wheat
Starring
Theme music composer Peter Bernstein
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producerGeorge Lucas
Producers
Cinematography Isidore Mankofsky
EditorEric Jenkins
Running time94 minutes
Production company
Original release
Network ABC
ReleaseNovember 24, 1985 (1985-11-24)
Related
Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure

Ewoks: The Battle for Endor is a 1985 American fantasy adventure film set in the Star Wars universe and co-written and directed by Jim and Ken Wheat from a story by George Lucas. A sequel to Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure , it focuses on Cindel Towani from the first film, who after being orphaned joins the Ewoks in protecting their village and defeating the marauders who have taken control of the Endor moon.

Contents

Plot

Nearly six months have passed since the events of the first film; [2] the Towani family's star cruiser is almost completely fixed and Jeremitt is putting the final touches on the craft. While the family is preparing to leave the forest moon of Endor, the Ewok village is attacked by a Marauder group led by Terak and his witch-like sorceress Charal. Many Ewoks are captured, while Jeremitt, Catarine, and Mace are killed helping to defend the Ewok village. The marauders steal a power cell from the Towani's star cruiser believing it to have some sort of magic power over the stars.

While running away from the marauders, Cindel and Wicket meet Teek, a small, fast native of Endor. Teek takes them to the home of Noa Briqualon, a human male who is angered by their uninvited presence and throws them out. Eventually he proves himself to be kindhearted, letting Teek steal food for Cindel and Wicket, and inviting the two in when they attempt to build a fire for warmth outside.

At the Marauders' castle, Terak orders Charal to find Cindel, assuming she knows how to use "the power" in the energy cell stolen from Jeremitt's star cruiser. Meanwhile, Noa, Cindel, Wicket, and Teek are becoming friends. It is revealed that Noa is rebuilding his own wrecked star cruiser, only missing the energy cell, originally landing with a friend of his named Salak who disappeared while searching for another cell. Cindel is awakened one morning by a song her mother used to sing. She follows the voice to find a woman singing, who transforms into Charal and takes her to Terak. He orders Cindel to activate "the power", but she cannot, and is imprisoned with the Ewoks where it is revealed Salak was killed after telling Terak about "the power". Outside, Noa, Wicket, and Teek sneak into the castle, free Cindel and the Ewoks, and escape with the energy cell.

Terak, Charal, and the Marauders pursue them back to the ship, where Wicket leads the Ewoks in defense of the cruiser as Noa installs the energy cell. The Ewoks put up a valiant effort, and are nearly beaten by the time Noa powers up the ship and uses its laser cannons to fend off the Marauders. Cindel goes to save Wicket and is captured by Terak, as the other Marauders retreat. Terak and Noa face off, with Wicket finally coming to the rescue, killing Terak and simultaneously leaving Charal trapped in bird form. Shortly thereafter, goodbyes are said, and Cindel leaves Endor with Noa on his starship.

Cast

Production

Creation and crew

The film, shot in the middle of 1985 in Marin County, California, was directed by Ken and Jim Wheat, executive produced by Lucas, and written by the Wheat brothers, based on a story written by Lucas. Co-director Ken Wheat explained the production and inspiration of the film:

Lucas guided the creation of the story over the course of two four-hour sessions we had with him. He'd just watched Heidi with his daughter the weekend before these took place, and the story idea he pushed was having the little girl from the first Ewok TV movie become an orphan who ends up living with a grumpy old hermit in the woods. We'd been thinking about the adventure films we'd liked as kids, like Swiss Family Robinson and The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad , so we suggested having space marauders, which was fine with George — as long as they were 7 feet tall, of course! The rest of the brainstorming was done along those lines. Joe Johnston (the production designer and second unit director) and Phil Tippett (the creature supervisor) were involved in the second day's story session, and they contributed an assortment of bits and pieces. [3] [4]

Lucas’ involvement during production was primarily in the design and editing stages, according to Wheat. The film's working title was Ewoks II. [5]

Effects

Both Ewok films were some of the last intensive stop-motion animation work Industrial Light & Magic produced, as in the early 1980s, the technique was being replaced by go motion animation, a more advanced form with motorized articulated puppets that moved while the camera shutter was open, capturing motion blur in the otherwise static puppet, eliminating the harsh staccato movement often associated with stop motion. However, the budgets of the Ewok films were such that go motion was simply too expensive for the projects, so stop motion was used to realize creatures such as the condor dragon, the blurrgs, and the boar-wolves.

The Ewok movies proved an opportunity for Industrial Light & Magic to hone a new technique in photographing matte paintings, called latent image matte painting. In this technique, during live action photography a section of the camera's lens is blocked off, remaining unexposed, and a painting is crafted to occupy that space. The film would then be rewound, the blocked areas reversed, and the painting photographed. Since the painting now existed on the original film, there would be no generational quality loss.

Music

The musical score for Ewoks: The Battle for Endor was composed by Peter Bernstein. Selections from the score were released on LP by Varèse Sarabande in 1986. [6] The release was known simply as Ewoks, and also contained cues from Bernstein's previous score to The Ewok Adventure.

Alternate versions

Adaptations

In 1986, Random House published a children's book adaptation of The Battle for Endor called The Ring, the Witch, and the Crystal: An Ewok Adventure. The book was written by Cathy East Dubowski, and utilized the film's storyline and imagery.

Release

Ewoks: The Battle for Endor initially premiered as an ABC TV special on November 24, 1985. It was given a limited international theatrical release in 1986.[ citation needed ] After the run had disappeared due to low box office receipts, it appeared on home video in late 1987 on MGM/UA and re-issued for retail in 1988 and 1990. The U.S. later released on VHS and Laserdisc in 1990 through MGM/UA Home Video.

The film was released on DVD with its predecessor as a double-feature collection entitled Star Wars: Ewok Adventures on November 23, 2004, via 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. One film was on each side of a single double-sided disc, with no bonus material.

In January 2019, Disney and Lucasfilm released The Battle for Endor on Amazon Prime Video, where it was available to rent or buy in standard definition. As of December 2019, the film was no longer available through that service. [7]

Prior to 2021, Disney announced no plans to add the Ewok films to its streaming service, Disney+. This prompted Eric Walker to start a petition for Disney to add them. [8] In March 2021, it was announced that both films would begin streaming on Disney+ on April 2, 2021. [9]

Reception

At the 38th Primetime Emmy Awards, Ewoks: The Battle for Endor and the CBS documentary Dinosaur! were both juried-awarded Emmys for Outstanding Special Visual Effects. [10] The film additionally received two nominations for Outstanding Children's Program and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or a Special. [11] [12]

In his review for The New York Times John Corry faulted the production's source of inspiration, saying "The problem with Ewoks: The Battle for Endor isn't that it's badly done; on the contrary, it's wonderfully well done. But when it's over it's over, and there is no residue. Mr. Lucas and his colleagues find their inspiration in their own technology, and there should be other places to look." [13]

Pointing to the main characters and plot elements, one pair of writers concluded that both Battle of Endor and its predecessor Caravan of Courage are fairy tales despite occurring in a science fiction setting. They point to magical phenomena in both films, which is a fantasy element. They argue that in a science fiction story, the hero wants to disrupt or challenge the hierarchy of a supposed "utopian" society; whereas in both Ewok films, society is not challenged or disputed. Additionally, they argue, that while the Star Wars saga also has fairy tale tropes, it adhered more towards science fiction. [14] Another author agreed that the films are fairy tales, whereas "Science explains all magic." [15]

In contrast to his negative review of its predecessor, Aidan Mason of Pop Culture Beast stated the film, "manages to improve on the original" and felt much more like a Star Wars film, although he was still critical of the acting. [16]

Legacy

Several elements from the film have gone on to appear in other works of the Star Wars Expanded Universe, which was declared non-canon and rebranded as Legends in 2014. [17]

Canon appearances of elements introduced in the film include:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wicket W. Warrick</span> Star Wars character

Wicket Wystri Warrick, commonly known as Wicket W. Warrick, is a fictional character from the Star Wars franchise, first introduced and portrayed by Warwick Davis in the 1983 film Return of the Jedi. Warrick appeared in two made-for-television movies, an animated series, and promotional media for Star Wars from 1983 to 1986, all of which are a part of the Star Wars Legends continuity. Davis reprised the role in the 2019 theatrical film The Rise of Skywalker, appearing in a brief cameo. Wicket is a diminutive teddy bear-like creature known as an Ewok, living on the forest moon of Endor and eventually participating in the Battle of Endor as an ally of the Rebel Alliance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warwick Davis</span> English actor (born 1970)

Warwick Ashley Davis is an English actor and television presenter. Active within the industry since he was twelve, Davis is one of the highest grossing supporting actors of all time and has the highest average gross revenue of all time. He played the title character in Willow (1988) and the Leprechaun film series (1993–2003), several characters in the Star Wars film series (1983–2019), most notably Wicket the Ewok, and Professor Filius Flitwick and the goblin Griphook in the Harry Potter film series (2001–2011).

<i>Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure</i> 1984 TV film directed by John Korty

The Ewok Adventure is a 1984 American fantasy adventure film based in the Star Wars universe. It takes place on the moon of Endor, and features the Ewoks, who help two young human siblings as they try to locate their parents.

Endor (<i>Star Wars</i>) Fictional moon in Star Wars

Endor is a fictional moon in the Star Wars universe, known for its endless forests, savannahs, grasslands, mountain ranges, and a few oceans. The moon was the site of a pivotal battle depicted in Return of the Jedi. It is the homeworld of the sentient Dulok, Ewok, and Yuzzum species, as well as the semi-sentient Gorax and Wistie species. The Endor solar cycle was 402 GSC days orbital, with a breathable earth-like atmosphere conducive for humans, 85% Standard Gravity and 8% surface water. It is where Darth Vader's funeral was held.

<i>Star Wars: Droids</i> American-Canadian animated television series

Star Wars: Droids: The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO is a 1985 animated television series spin off from the original Star Wars trilogy. It focuses on the exploits of droids R2-D2 and C-3PO between the events of Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. The series was produced by Nelvana on behalf of Lucasfilm and broadcast on ABC with its sister series Ewoks.

<i>Ewoks</i> (TV series) American/Canadian animated cartoon series

Ewoks, also known as Star Wars: Ewoks, is an animated series featuring the Ewok characters introduced in Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983) and further discovered in Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure (1984) and its sequel Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985). The series was produced by Canada-based Nelvana on behalf of Lucasfilm and broadcast on ABC, originally with its sister series Droids, and then by itself, as The All-New Ewoks.

<i>Star Wars: Clone Wars</i> (2003 TV series) American animated television series

Star Wars: Clone Wars is an American animated television series developed and directed by Genndy Tartakovsky and produced by Lucasfilm and Cartoon Network Studios for Cartoon Network. Set in the Star Wars universe, specifically between the Star Wars prequel trilogy films Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, it is amongst the first of many works to explore the Clone Wars. The show follows the actions of various prequel trilogy characters, notably Jedi and clone troopers, in their war against the droid armies of the Confederacy of Independent Systems and the Sith.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Star Tours</span> Former attraction at Disney theme parks

Star Tours was a motion simulator attraction at several Disney theme parks, based on the successful Star Wars film series created by George Lucas. Set in the Star Wars universe, the attraction sent guests on an excursion trip to Endor, whilst being caught in an altercation between the New Republic and an Imperial Remnant. The attraction featured Captain "Rex" RX-24 along with series regulars R2-D2 and C-3PO.

<i>Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy</i> 2004 documentary film by Kevin Burns

Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy is a 2004 documentary film directed by Kevin Burns and narrated by Robert Clotworthy. It documents the making of the original Star Wars trilogy: Star Wars (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Return of the Jedi (1983), and their impact on popular culture.

Return of the Ewok is an unreleased 1982 mockumentary short, written, produced and directed by David Tomblin, starring Warwick Davis as himself in a fictionalized account of how he got the role of Wicket W. Warrick in Return of the Jedi.

Tippett Studio is an American visual effects and computer animation company specializing in computer-generated imagery (CGI) for films and television commercials. The studio has created visual effects and animations on over fifty feature films and commercials, garnering an Academy Award, four Clio Awards and two Emmy Awards. The company currently consists of approximately 150 employees, with offices located in Berkeley, California.

<i>Return of the Jedi</i> (novel) 1983 novel by James Kahn

Return of the Jedi is a science-fiction novel, written by James Kahn and published on May 12, 1983 by Del Rey. It is based on the script of the film of the same name. According to Publishers Weekly, it was the bestselling novel of that year.

<i>Return of the Jedi</i> (soundtrack) Film score to the 1983 film "Return of the Jedi"

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi is the film score to the 1983 film Return of the Jedi, composed and conducted by John Williams and performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. The score was recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London between January and February 1983. Again, John Williams served as producer. Herbert W. Spencer, Thomas Newman and Gordon Langford served as orchestrators. Engineer Eric Tomlinson, music editor Kenneth Wannberg, and record supervisor Lionel Newman again reprised their respective duties. The score earned another Academy Award nomination for Williams. Return of the Jedi, which is the original trilogy's shortest score, was only released on a single-LP instead of a double-set like the Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back soundtracks before it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yuu Shimaka</span> Japanese actor and voice actor (1949–2019)

Yuu Shimaka was a Japanese actor and voice actor affiliated with Production Baobab, and subsequently with Production Aigumi. He was the Japanese voice of the Disney character Goofy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ewok</span> Fictional species in the Star Wars universe

The Ewoks are a fictional species of small, furry, mammaloid, bipeds in the Star Wars universe. They inhabit the forest moon of Endor and live in arboreal huts and other simple dwellings, being seen as primitive in comparison with other sentient species. Ewoks debuted in the 1983 feature film Return of the Jedi and have since appeared in two made-for-television films, The Ewok Adventure (1984) and Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985), as well as a 2D animated series, several books and games, and briefly in the 2019 feature film Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

Star Wars has been expanded to media other than the original films. This spin-off material is licensed and moderated by Lucasfilm, though during his involvement with the franchise Star Wars creator George Lucas reserved the right to both draw from and contradict it in his own works. Such derivative works have been produced concurrently with, between, and after the original, prequel, and sequel trilogies, as well as the spin-off films and television series. Commonly explored Star Wars media include books, comic books, and video games, though other forms such as audio dramas have also been produced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Walker (entertainer)</span>

Eric Walker is a former actor, music producer and occasional film/television producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warwick Davis filmography</span>

Warwick Davis is an English actor. He made his acting debut as Wicket W. Warrick in the Star Wars film Return of the Jedi (1983). He reprised the role in two television spin-offs: Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure (1984) and Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985). He has since appeared in several Star Wars films, portraying numerous different characters, usually in cameos. He appeared in the cult-classic Labyrinth (1986). He then played the protagonist in the Ron Howard-directed Willow (1988). In 1993, he portrayed the villainous Lubdan in Leprechaun. He returned to the role in Leprechaun 2 (1994), Leprechaun 3 (1995), Leprechaun 4: In Space (1996), Leprechaun in the Hood (2000), and Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood (2003).

References

  1. ↑ "Ewoks: The Battle for Endor is a Weirdly Dark Star Wars Movie". 20 March 2021.
  2. ↑ Alter, Ethan (December 15, 2015). "Star Wars: How the Ewoks Came to TV 31 Years Ago". Yahoo! . Retrieved March 1, 2017.
  3. ↑ Robb, Brian J. (2012). Star Wars : the unauthorised inside story of George Lucas's epic. London: Robinson. ISBN   978-1780333991.
  4. ↑ "Battle for Endor Writer Interview". TheForce.Net. February 11, 2000. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  5. ↑ Robb, Brian J. (2012). A Brief Guide to Star Wars. Little, Brown Book Group. p. 84. ISBN   9781780335834.
  6. ↑ Osborne, Jerry (2010). Movie/TV Soundtracks and Original Cast Recordings Price and Reference Guide. Port Townsend, Washington: Osborne Enterprises Publishing. p. 175. ISBN   978-0932117373.
  7. ↑ "Watch Star Wars Ewok Adventures the Battle for Endor | Prime Video". Amazon.
  8. ↑ Walker, Eric (September 24, 2019). "Disney+ May Not Be The Home To All of Star Wars – All For SciFi". All For SciFi. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  9. ↑ Ridgely, Charlie (March 16, 2021). "Disney+: Every Movie and TV Show Arriving in April 2021". ComicBook.com. Retrieved 2021-03-16.
  10. ↑ Leverence, John. "Outstanding Special Visual Effects — 1986". 38th Primetime Emmy Awards, September 21, 1986. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  11. ↑ "Outstanding Children's Program — 1986". 38th Primetime Emmy Awards, September 21, 1986. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  12. ↑ "Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or a Special — 1986". 38th Primetime Emmy Awards, September 21, 1986. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  13. ↑ Corry, John (November 24, 1985). "New Shows For Children: Should We Expect More?". The New York Times. Vol. 135, no. 46, 603. p. H29. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  14. ↑ Douglas Brode; Leah Deyneka (14 June 2012). Myth, Media, and Culture in Star Wars: An Anthology. Scarecrow Press. pp. 130–131. ISBN   978-0-8108-8513-4.
  15. ↑ Charles, Eric (2012). "The Jedi Network: Star Wars' Portrayal and Inspirations on the Small Screen". In Brode, Douglas; Deyneka, Leah (eds.). Myth, Media, and Culture in Star Wars: An Anthology. Scarecrow Press. pp. 129–131. ISBN   978-0-810-88513-4 . Retrieved May 20, 2016.
  16. ↑ "Star Wars: Every Movie Ranked". Pop Culture Beast. 4 May 2021.
  17. ↑ "The Legendary Star Wars Expanded Universe Turns a New Page". StarWars.com. April 25, 2014. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  18. ↑ Veekhoven, Tim (September 3, 2015). "From Wicket to the Duloks: Revisiting the Star Wars: Ewoks Animated Series". StarWars.com. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
  19. ↑ Anderson, Kevin J. (1995). The Illustrated Star Wars Universe. New York: Bantam Books. pp. 115, 132–134. ISBN   0-553-09302-9.
  20. ↑ Lussier, Germain (August 29, 2019). "The Mandalorian Is Bringing a Deep Cut Star Wars Creature Back to Live-Action". io9. Retrieved August 31, 2019.

Further reading

Official sites

Reviews

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.