| Star Wars: Ewoks | |
|---|---|
| Genre: | Sci-Fi |
| Format: | Animation |
| Runtime: | approx. 30 min (per episode) |
| Created by: | George Lucas Raymond Jafelice Dale Schott Bob Carrau (writer) Paul Dini (writer). |
| Company: | Nelvana Lucasfilm Ltd. |
| Country: | USA Canada |
Star Wars: Ewoks is an American/Canadian animated television series featuring the Ewok characters introduced in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. It aired for two seasons between 1985 and 1986.
The series was produced by Nelvana on behalf of Lucasfilm and broadcast on ABC, both by itself and later, as part of The Ewoks and Droids Adventure Hour. The first season was advertised as simply Ewoks, but the second season was advertised as The All New Ewoks. The series lasted 35 episodes.
Plot[]
The series focuses on the adventures of Wicket W. Warrick and his friends on the forest moon of Endor during the years before the events in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.[1] Unlike the films, the characters speak English instead of their native language. The primary recurring villains are Morag the Tulgah Witch, who had a personal grudge against the tribe's shaman, Master Logray, and the Duloks, a rival species that is related to the Ewoks.[2]
Characters[]
The Ewok Tribe[]
Wicket W. Warrick (Voiced by Jim Henshaw then Denny Delk) - A young Ewok with a headstrong and determined attitude, who often takes the initiative. Wicket wants desperately to be a great warrior, which often gets him into trouble. He is the youngest of three, his older two brothers being Weechee and Willy. Son of Deej and Shodu. Often plays around with some of the other young Ewoks: Kneesaa, Latara and Teebo. Wicket is a dark brown Ewok with an orange hood. He later gets a green hood in season two.
Princess Kneesaa (Voiced by Cree Summer then Jeanne Reynolds) - The daughter of the Chief of the Ewok tribe, Chirpa. Her mother was killed by a Hanadak while protecting Kneesaa and her lost sister Asha, who was dragged downstream while trying to escape. Kneesaa plays with her friends Wicket, Teebo and Latara, and is often the voice of reason and wisdom on their adventures, but usually ends up in just as much trouble. She often appears smitten with Wicket, although there is no evidence that they ever become romantically involved during the series. Aside from her sister, Kneesaa is an only child. She is a White and Grey Ewok, and wears a pink hood with a blue gem dangling near her forehead (which, we later learn was given to her by Asha, shortly before her disappearance.)
Teebo (Voiced by Eric Peterson then James Cranna) - Wicket's best friend, and is fascinated by tales of sorcery and magic, idolizing the village shaman, Master Logray, and becomes his Apprentice early in the series. He is a bit of a dreamer, and sometimes a little clumsy. Latara is smitten with him in the first season (which Teebo takes no notice of), but during the second season, he is constantly trying to get her attention, but fails miserably. Teebo often lacks discipline, but this is something he learns to master over time from Logray, and eventually becomes a respectful young Ewok. Notably, Teebo has a little sister named Malani, who is head over heels in love with Wicket. Teebo's fur is a bright yellow-brown, and he wears a tan, baggy hood with a feather.
Latara (Voiced by Taborah Johnson then Sue Murphy) - Kneesaa's best friend, and dreams of being a great musician with her flute, though her main job appears to be looking after her younger siblings. She even runs away with the Travelling Jinda circus for a time, but learns that hard work is necessary in show business just as much as with taking care of her family. She has a huge crush on Teebo, though he rarely notices it. Her fur is dark grey, and her hat is yellow with a pink feather in it.
Paploo (Voiced by Paul Chato) - Kneesaa's cousin and he is Great Chief Chirpa's nephew. He is close friends with Wicket and Teebo. He sometimes joins in when the young Ewoks go on their adventures. He is older, but often acts with less maturity than the younger Ewoks like Wicket and Kneesaa. His fur is grey, with a white face and orange hood with a feather.
Malani (Voiced by Alyson Court) - Teebo's little sister. She is a close friends with Latara's little brother and sister, Wiley and Nippet, and Wicket's little sister Winda. She has a crush on Wicket and desperately tries to impress him. She has beige fur, and a blue hood with a flower in it.
Weechee (Voiced by Greg Swanson) - Wicket's eldest brother, and the bravest of the Warrick Family.
Willy (Voiced by ) - Wicket's older brother and little brother to Weechee. Originally called Widdle. He is clumsy, gluttonous, and overweight, but exceedingly nice.
Deej (Voiced by Richard Donat) - A very respected warrior of the Ewok tribe, and is also a father to his four children; Wicket, Weechee, Willy and Winda. In the episode, "To Save Deej", Wicket and his two brothers set off on a journey to collect ingredients to save their father from a terrible sickness. His wife is Shodu. He is a dark grey ewok with a purple hood.
Shodu (Voiced by Nonnie Griffin then Esther Scott) - Warrick is Deej's wife and Wicket's mother.
Nippet and Wiley (Voiced by Leanne Coppen and Michael Fantini) are Latara's younger siblings. At times, Latara has to stay home to watch over them.
Chief Chirpa (Voiced by George Buza then Rick Cimino) - Father to Kneesaa and Asha, He gives order to the warriors when they are fighting against the Duloks.
Master Logray (Voiced by Doug Chamberlain) - The Ewoks' shaman, and often the dispenser of wisdom and knowledge about the world of Endor.
Other characters[]
Asha (Voiced by Tabitha St. Germain) - Kneesaa's older sister. When Kneesaa was a wokling, a beast known as a Hanadak killed their mother and Asha was dragged down a river and went missing. She was later reunited with her family after helping Kneesaa and Wicket free animals trapped by the Duloks.
Urga (Voiced by Melleny Brown) - King Garneesh's lover and the only female Dulok in the series.
King Garneesh - The leader of the Duloks.
Morag (Voiced by Jackie Burroughs) - The Tulgah witch and evil counterpart of Logray.
The Phlogs - A race of giants who live on Endor.
The Hanadak - A purple monster which is known to live in hollowed-out tree trunks
Erpham Warrick (Voiced by Anthony Parr) - Wicket's Great Grandfather and was once a great warrior for the Ewok tribe and is still looked up to by young Ewoks. Not much is known about Erpham, as he died years ago, but he makes a brief appearance as a ghost when Wicket tries to repair his old battle wagon and instructs him. In the years before he died, he was a golden-colored Ewok with a green hood.
Locations[]
- The forest moon of Endor
- Outer space
- Aboard an Imperial Star Destroyer
Production history[]
The series is a follow up to the two Ewok films: Caravan of Courage (1984) and The Battle for Endor (1985), which were themselves spin-offs of Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. The first season of the show aimed for a more sophisticated style, but in the second, the writing style was geared toward a much younger audience, with less sophisticated characters.[citation needed]
Unlike the rest of the series, the last two episodes were originally aired out of story order. The correct order was Party Ewok/Malani the Warrior and Battle for the Sunstar, respectively. However, the episodes were originally aired in the order of Battle for the Sunstar and Party Ewok/Malani the Warrior. Storywise, the series ends with Battle for the Sunstar, which depicts the Empire discovering the Endor moon, where it would later construct the second Death Star. The episode Battle for the Sunstar re-aired separately on January 10, 1987, and that marked the official end of the series.[citation needed]
Comic book series[]
In 1985, Star Comics, an imprint of Marvel Comics published a bi-monthly Ewoks comic, based on the animated series, which ran for two years, ending with issue #14. Like the TV series, this was aimed towards a younger audience. It was produced along with Droids, which was based on the Droids animated series. Issue #10 of Marvel Ewoks was a cross-over with Star Wars: Droids issue #4 story "Lost in Time". For more on this series, see this link.
Toy line[]
In 1985, a toy line was produced that was based on the series. This line included action figures, ship models, etc.
Episodes[]
Season 1[]
| Overall episode # |
Season episode # |
Episode title | Directed by | Written by | Original U.S. air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "The Cries of the Trees" | Template:MONTHNAME 7, 1985 | |||
| Morag captures the Queen of the Wisties and forces her to set fire to the forest. Wicket and his friends extinguish the flames via glider. | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "The Haunted Village" | Template:MONTHNAME 14, 1985 | |||
| 3 | 3 | "Rampage of the Phlogs" | Template:MONTHNAME 21, 1985 | |||
| 4 | 4 | "To Save Deej" | Template:MONTHNAME 28, 1985 | |||
| 5 | 5 | "The Traveling Jindas" | Template:MONTHNAME 5, 1985 | |||
| 6 | 6 | "The Tree of Light" | Template:MONTHNAME 12, 1985 | |||
| 7 | 7 | "The Curse of the Jindas" | Template:MONTHNAME 19, 1985 | |||
| 8 | 8 | "The Land of the Gupins" | Template:MONTHNAME 26, 1985 | |||
| 9 | 9 | "Sunstar vs. Shadowstone" | Template:MONTHNAME 2, 1985 | |||
| 10 | 10 | "Wicket's Wagon" | Template:MONTHNAME 9, 1985 | |||
| 11 | 11 | "The Three Lessons" | Template:MONTHNAME 16, 1985 | |||
| 12 | 12 | "Blue Harvest" | Template:MONTHNAME 23, 1985 | |||
| 13 | 13 | "Asha" | Template:MONTHNAME 30, 1985 | |||
Season 2[]
| Overall episode # |
Season episode # |
Episode title | Directed by | Written by | Original U.S. air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 1 | "The Crystal Cloak" | Template:MONTHNAME 13, 1986 | |||
| 15 | 2 | "The Wish Plant" | Template:MONTHNAME 13, 1986 | |||
| 16 | 3 | "Home Is Where the Shrieks Are" | Template:MONTHNAME 20, 1986 | |||
| 17 | 4 | "Princess Latara" | Template:MONTHNAME 20, 1986 | |||
| 18 | 5 | "The Raich" | Template:MONTHNAME 27, 1986 | |||
| 19 | 6 | "The Totem Master" | Template:MONTHNAME 4, 1986 | |||
| 20 | 7 | "A Gift for Shodu" | Template:MONTHNAME 4, 1986 | |||
| 21 | 8 | "Night of the Stranger" | Template:MONTHNAME 11, 1986 | |||
| 22 | 9 | "Gone with the Mimphs" | Template:MONTHNAME 18, 1986 | |||
| 23 | 10 | "The First Apprentice" | Template:MONTHNAME 18, 1986 | |||
| 24 | 11 | "Hard Sell" | Template:MONTHNAME 25, 1986 | |||
| 25 | 12 | "A Warrior and a Lurdo" | Template:MONTHNAME 25, 1986 | |||
| 26 | 13 | "The Season Scepter" | Template:MONTHNAME 1, 1986 | |||
| 27 | 14 | "Prow Beaten" | Template:MONTHNAME 8, 1986 | |||
| 28 | 15 | "Baga's Rival" | Template:MONTHNAME 8, 1986 | |||
| 29 | 16 | "Horville's Hut of Horrors" | Template:MONTHNAME 15, 1986 | |||
| 30 | 17 | "The Tragic Flute" | Template:MONTHNAME 15, 1986 | |||
| 31 | 18 | "Just My Luck" | Template:MONTHNAME 22, 1986 | |||
| 32 | 19 | "Bringing Up Norky" | Template:MONTHNAME 22, 1986 | |||
| 33 | 20 | "Battle for the Sunstar" | Template:MONTHNAME 6, 1986 | |||
| NOTE: Re-aired on January 10, 1987 to end the series | ||||||
| 34 | 21 | "Party Ewok" | Template:MONTHNAME 13, 1986 | |||
| 35 | 22 | "Malani the Warrior" | Template:MONTHNAME 13, 1986 | |||
DVD release[]
The cover of the 2004 DVD release of Ewoks
- An edited compilation DVD with the title Star Wars Animated Adventures: Ewoks was released on November 23, 2004. The DVD contained eight episodes of the series, edited together as two full length movies.
- Episodes 2, 1, 3 and 9 were edited together to make The Haunted Village (which was previously released on VHS in 1996),[3] and Episodes 10, 5, 4 and 13 were edited together to make Tales from the Endor Woods.
- The entire original series has yet to be released on any home video format. Some of the original episodes were released in the 1980s and 1990s on VHS.
References/Notes[]
- Star Wars: Ewoks 1985, George Lucas
- Star Wars Insider #27
- A Guide to the Star Wars Universe,
- The Star Wars Encyclopedia by Stephen J. Sansweet, ISBN 0-345-40227-8 Del Rey; first edition (June 30, 1998)
External links[]
- Template:Imdb title
- Template:Bcdb title
- Star Wars: Ewoks at TV.com
- An informative fan site
- An article from the Star Wars Insider on the series
- A history of home video releases of Star Wars: Ewoks