ROCKS 7C: Star Wars Ewoks

WELCOME EVERYBODY TO THE THIRD AND FINAL DISCUSSION IN THE SEVENTH STRAND OF THE NEW CLUB "R.O.C.K.S." - REWATCHING OLD CLASSIC KIDS SHOWS!
A big thanks to everyone that are joining us through all of this.

Threads 7A through 7C will be doing a tie-in with Movie Club. Because we're doing the original Star Wars trilogy, and had talked about doing related cartoons, we figured we might as well combine them. So for each week we're watching a different cartoon adventure.

This week, we're watching a selection from the Ewoks cartoon, specifically the following episodes selected by Mark M

The Cries Of The Trees
Sunstar V Shadowstone
Asha

Just the usual friendly reminder to everyone that, whilst fans are obviously welcome to passionately discuss and give their views on these episodes, please remember to keep things on a friendly footing and respect your fellow posters.
Also, please do not post where or how to find the full episode online. And do not post asking others to PM it to you. You are however allowed to watch the show in whatever manner you want.

[USER=25043]@Wilycub[/USER] and [USER=25438]@LiamABC[/USER] I hope you like these episodes and it will be interesting to hear your and other members thoughts on these episodes.

I picked these three episodes as they are three of my favourites from season 1 or maybe it's more accurate to say series 1 as season 2 is more like and entirely new series rather than a continuation of the first season.

Well, I watched them earlier in the week, and on the whole I enjoyed them.

My memories of the show are a bit fragmented, I remember watching it as a kid, but only a few details of some episodes. Watching it again here, it took a little while to get into it, so I would probably appreciate the first episode more if I gave it another viewing.

The second episode, concerning Teebo and Logray, was the most interesting. Even though I wasn't that familiar with the characters, it was clear that the tale at the start was designed to challenge the young Ewoks' perception of Logray. And in Teebo's case it certainly worked. Right there in that little story is the moral about "you don't know what an old person did when they were young, don't make pre-suppositions". Beautifully done. The rest of the story with Morag unfolded pretty much as you'd expect it to, but worked just fine for all that.

Asha, I know Mark that's your favourite episode, so I knew upfront it was going to be one of your picks. The story was beautifully done, I agree. Usually, the set up for a story like this would have the equivalent to Asha come to the village in the middle and spend time with the regulars, and ultimately decide at the end that they had to return to the wild, so this made a refreshing change. Also, Kneesaa's emotions were very real. Asha's trust of the others - and theirs of her - was earned nicely.

While it's probably not a show I'm that fussed about watching again, I enjoyed it.

"LiamABC, post: 121104, member: 25438" said:

Well, I watched them earlier in the week, and on the whole I enjoyed them...While it's probably not a show I'm that fussed about watching again, I enjoyed it.

Glad you enjoyed them Liam. Now that you mention it ''Asha'' is a quite unique and doesn't just follow the regular idea of the character returning back to the wild but instead she goes back to her real home.

I just been thinking about Asha and realised something. I believe when I first seen ''Asha'' it must have been on a second showing on BBC as I am certain I seen the second series episodes before it. I know around Hallowe'en of 1989 that the second series episodes of Home is Where the Shrieks are along with some other ghost and Halloween inspired episodes I had on the same video tape. But I am fairly certain the ''Asha'' episode was broadcast around December as I am pretty sure I recorded one day in winter when it was snowing. Although I could be wrong as I did record it so maybe I am remembering watching it when it was snowing.

I really enjoyed the episodes The Cries of Trees and Sunstar Vs Shadowstone.
I recall first seeing them in school. A friend had a tape of four epiosdes, if I remember correctly TCOTT was second and SVS fourth. The First was The Haunted Village I believe and the third Rampage of the Phlogs.
We got to watch it one day in the assembly hall. We regularly got to watch movies in the assembly hall. Oddly enough we once got to watch the first Ewok movie the Caravan of Courage which is set after the Ewok Animated series.

''Asha'' is definitely my favourite Ewok episode...in fact one of my all time favourite episodes from every cartoon show I like. Even to this very day I can't watch it without getting a bit teary and emotional. I think it speaks volume at the amount of emotion Dini wrote into this episode and the excellent job the animators did animating it.

Paul Dini did such an amazing job writing for this series. It's a shame Lucas and the studio made so many changes for the second season which is just like a completely new series instead of a continuing season.

I think I had mentioned before that I was familiar with the "Ewoks" cartoon because I had two episodes from Season 2 recorded on a VHS of "Mixed Cartoons" that my dad got for me back in the 80s. Today is the first time that I saw more cartoons from the series. I gotta say I enjoyed all three of these episodes very much! :biggrin

There are a lot of things that I really liked about the cartoon series in general:
* The whole ambience of the show is very true to the look of "Return of the Jedi" (my favorite SW movie!). The backgrounds of the Forest Moon of Endor, the sounds of the various animals and birds etc. The show did a great job of transporting the viewer into that environment.
* The animation is very good. I'm guessing that this was done with a bigger budget compared to other 80s toy-related shows, and it shows. Very fluid animation.
* I really liked the Ewoks themselves. They have been given interesting personas. Wicket really sounds and acts like his movie counterpart. I can actually imagine that if we could understand the Ewoks in ROTJ they would act and behave and talk just like the ones in the cartoon. So a a very good job of transposing the movie Ewoks into the cartoon.
* I enjoyed the title song too but not the one that was used in the beginning of the first episode. I don't know if there were two title songs for the different seasons.

Coming to the episodes themselves, the stories were all good and quite different form one another. They were simple but not boring. Of course the inspiration in some is quite clear like "Asha" is obviously a combo of "The Jungle Book" and "Tarzan". There were so many new characters in each episode that it was a bit overwhelming for a newbie like me. And their names aren't easy to remember either! ;)

All in all a very good series, kinda reminiscent of "Care Bears" and "The Wuzzles" but with a little bit more action and scarier villains. Nice choice, Mark! :thumbsup

I looked up the wikipedia page for the show the other day, the character list was quite long. That said, there's only a small number of main characters.

Btw did you notice that Kneesaa's voice is provided by Cree Summer, who voiced Panthera in Thundercats 2011?

"LiamABC, post: 121128, member: 25438" said:

I looked up the wikipedia page for the show the other day, the character list was quite long. That said, there's only a small number of main characters.

Btw did you notice that Kneesaa's voice is provided by Cree Summer, who voiced Panthera in Thundercats 2011?

Cree Summer has done a lot of voice work. Interestingly she and Will Friedle (2011 Lion-O) also worked together on Batman Beyond.
Wicket's second season voice actor also voiced Wicket in Return of the Jedi, Caravan of Courage and The Battle for Endor.

"Wilycub, post: 121127, member: 25043" said:

* I enjoyed the title song too but not the one that was used in the beginning of the first episode. I don't know if there were two title songs for the different seasons.

There was indeed two different theme tunes. Although I am a fan of the first season theme more. ''We are the E-E-E-Ewoks!'' I wasn't really a fan of the second theme.

[USER=25438]@LiamABC[/USER] and [USER=25043]@Wilycub[/USER] if you get chance you should watch the Ewok movies.

"LiamABC, post: 121128, member: 25438" said:

I looked up the wikipedia page for the show the other day, the character list was quite long. That said, there's only a small number of main characters.

Btw did you notice that Kneesaa's voice is provided by Cree Summer, who voiced Panthera in Thundercats 2011?

Definitely. A lot of characters per episode. I wonder if they re-used the villains or were they one-time only characters. So far I have seen 5 Ewoks episodes and each had a completely different villain.

I didn't know that Kneesa was voiced by Cree Summer. Summer is a voice legend. She has done so many cartoons that it can take you a good few minutes just to scroll through her credits on IMDb!! :00 I remember her as the voice of "Penny" on "Inspector Gadget" as well as "Crystal" in "The Care Bears 2" movie. She also did voices in many WB and DC animated shows.

"Mark M, post: 121129, member: 5058" said:

There was indeed two different theme tunes. Although I am a fan of the first season theme more. ''We are the E-E-E-Ewoks!'' I wasn't really a fan of the second theme.

That first season theme song just didn't click with me. It sounded a bit "creepy", like Vincent Price was singing it, and to me felt more suitable for a horror-based show like "The Addams Family". The second season theme song felt right for the "Ewoks" show as it was more peppy and more in line with their characters. But I guess our choices could be attributed to nostalgia as you grew up with the S1 song while I did so with the S2 song. :biggrin

"Mark M, post: 121129, member: 5058" said:

[USER=25438]@LiamABC[/USER] and [USER=25043]@Wilycub[/USER] if you get chance you should watch the Ewok movies.

How many movies were there? Can you give me their names and I'll check them out when I can. Are they chronologically linked with the episodes i.e. do I have to watch them after or before certain episodes or can I just watch them like that.?

"Wilycub, post: 121131, member: 25043" said:

That first season theme song just didn't click with me. It sounded a bit "creepy", like Vincent Price was singing it, and to me felt more suitable for a horror-based show like "The Addams Family". The second season theme song felt right for the "Ewoks" show as it was more peppy and more in line with their characters. But I guess our choices could be attributed to nostalgia as you grew up with the S1 song while I did so with the S2 song. :biggrin

I don't really like the second theme tune but I would admit it went well with the lighter tone of the second series episodes. Like I said watching season 1 and 2 is like watching two completely different shows.

"Wilycub, post: 121131, member: 25043" said:

How many movies were there? Can you give me their names and I'll check them out when I can. Are they chronologically linked with the episodes i.e. do I have to watch them after or before certain episodes or can I just watch them like that.?

There are two live action Ewoks movies Wilycub.
1. The Caravan Of Courage.
2 The Battle For Endor.
The movies are set after the animated series and before Return of the Jedi. You will need to Watch The Caravan of Courage first before The Battle For Endor.

"Mark M, post: 121132, member: 5058" said:

There are two live action Ewoks movies Wilycub.
1. The Caravan Of Courage.
2 The Battle For Endor.
The movies are set after the animated series and before Return of the Jedi. You will need to Watch The Caravan of Courage first before The Battle For Endor.

Thanks Mark! I'll probably watch a few more episodes of Season 1 before getting into the movies. Just to get a little bit well acquainted with the characters. I still haven't become fully familiar with all of them.

"Wilycub, post: 121127, member: 25043" said:

All in all a very good series, kinda reminiscent of "Care Bears" and "The Wuzzles" but with a little bit more action and scarier villains. Nice choice, Mark! :thumbsup

I am glad you enjoyed the episodes.

"Wilycub, post: 121133, member: 25043" said:

Thanks Mark! I'll probably watch a few more episodes of Season 1 before getting into the movies. Just to get a little bit well acquainted with the characters. I still haven't become fully familiar with all of them.

I watched the entire series the other week and I was quite surprised to discover some characters that are in the series.
I should probably re-watch the movies also as I haven't seen them in years.