Disney+ has an impressive amount of material from the studio’s past, especially for those who remember what suffering under the “Disney Vault” was like. However, not EVERYTHING is there and waiting for the mysteriously missing shows and movies to appear is like watching molasses slowly pour from a glass bottle. Where is Aladdin: The Series already??
One glaring hole is about to be filled: Genndy Tartakovsky’s excellent Clone Wars series has been confirmed for release on Disney+ next month. The man’s incredible sense of timing and staging are in full force here, with intense battle scenes we wouldn’t see the likes of again until Primal on Adult Swim. The show’s first two seasons were released three minutes at a time (later sewn together on DVD), while the third season’s episodes were expanded to twelve minutes.
The series also introduced General Grievous, and explained why he was injured in the opening sequence from Revenge of the Sith. Despite this, the whole thing was later stricken from canon when Dave Filoni’s The Clone Wars series was created.
At the same time, Disney will be adding both seasons of Ewoks. This cartoon ran on ABC from 1985 through 1987, first in a package with the Droids cartoon and then by its lonesome. The show was retooled in Season 2 with a smaller cast and a new theme song. Opinions vary on which version of the show is better — I personally prefer Season 2; the second theme just sounds more Ewok-y.
There’s also something called “The Story Of The Faithful Wookie.” What’s that? It’s the technical name for the animated sequence from the Star Wars Holiday Special, and the very first time that SW characters were ever animated. “Faithful Wookie” was the only segment from the Holiday Special George Lucas would allow to be officially released (as a DVD bonus), and now you can see Nelvana’s weird, distorted caricature of Harrison Ford’s face whenever and wherever you want.
But it’s Tartakovsky’s Clone Wars that’s the real star here. All three things will be added to Disney+ on the same day, April 2.
