I'm So Tired Of Star Wars Animation Getting Overlooked & Forgotten

Summary Star Wars animation often surpasses live-action in storytelling, with top-rated episodes belonging to animated shows on IMDb.

Animated projects like The Clone Wars and Rebels introduce fascinating characters and explore the Force in ways live-action does not.

Despite top-quality storytelling in animated shows, they are often overlooked in favor of live-action projects by the general audience.

Animated projects have been a major part of Star Wars since 2008, and I am tired of them being overlooked. Despite some earlier efforts that fell flat, Star Wars animation came to life with 2008's Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The timeline of The Clone Wars placed it between the latter two installments of the prequel trilogy, and while I admittedly did not watch the show until the late 2010s, it kickstarted an important phase of Star Wars stories being told via animation.

Upcoming Star Wars TV shows will likely continue reflecting this importance, with more animated shows expected in the near and distant future. Star Wars' upcoming movies will see the franchise return to its cinematic roots, but I am equally as excited about new animated projects being announced. Unfortunately, I do not find this excitement replicated by large sections of the Star Wars fanbase. While there are certainly those who respect Lucasfilm's animated projects as much as me, the ranking of Star Wars TV shows and movies often sees live-action projects being favored, and those that are animated overlooked.

Related Every Star Wars Movie, Ranked Worst To Best Looking at all nine Skywalker Saga entries and three spinoffs, we crown the best Star Wars movie in our full ranking of the galaxy far, far away.

Star Wars Animation Is Some Of The Franchise's Best Content

Star Wars' Animated Shows Ranks Among The Best Stories In A Galaxy Far, Far Away

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The main factor in my annoyance that Star Wars animation gets overlooked is that some of the stories told in this medium exceed the best in live-action. Of the 10 highest-rated individual TV episodes in the entire Star Wars franchise on IMDb, eight of them belong to animated shows. From Star Wars: The Clone Wars to Star Wars Rebels, some of the best storytelling that best captures the spirit of George Lucas exists outside of live-action. Although these high ratings may go against my point, Star Wars' animated shows receive less overall attention, with that lesser attention being skewed more positively.

As alluded to, Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels tell some of the more fascinating stories in the franchise. They include some of Star Wars' best original characters too, from Ahsoka Tano and Captain Rex to Kanan Jarrus, Ezra Bridger, and the rest of Star Wars Rebels' Ghost crew. The exploration of character in each show is second to none, and both include explorations of the Force and the Jedi in a way live-action rarely gets to delve into.

Star Wars' animated shorts, Tales of the Jedi, include some of the most succinctly profound, important aspects of the Skywalker Saga.

Aside from these two stories, there are heartwarming family tales like Star Wars: The Bad Batch, a spin-off of The Clone Wars. Not only does The Bad Batch provide the necessary context for major Skywalker Saga plot points, but it also tells an emotional story about the cost of war, found family, and fighting for what is right in a way George Lucas would be proud of. Then there is Star Wars: Visions, a non-canon animated show that showcases the best of what animation studios across the world have to offer, giving endlessly fascinating insights into how Star Wars is perceived from other perspectives.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars 4.0 Where to Watch stream

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buy Not available Not available Not available *Availability in US The animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars takes place between Episodes 2 and 3 of the Star Wars film saga. The fan-favorite series expands the story of the prequel trilogy through characters including Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, and more fan-favorite jedi. Release Date October 3, 2008 Seasons 7 Network Disney Channel Writers Dave Filoni , George Lucas Directors Dave Filoni Showrunner Dave Filoni Expand

Animation Is Always Overlooked In Favor Of Live-Action

Live-Action Shows Always Receive More Attention Than Animated Projects

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Unfortunately, I am left with the disappointing fact that the quality of Star Wars' animated projects does not bleed over into exposure. It remains the case that animation is often overlooked in favor of live-action, a reality that is not limited solely to the Star Wars franchise. Where the general audience is concerned, live-action will always take precedence over animation. One way this is evident is in theories that were raised before the release of live-action shows like Ahsoka and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Rather than accept that these scenes have already happened, audiences wanted them recreated in live-action. Why? Likely because live-action is regarded as more worthy...

For the former, many theorized a recreation of Star Wars Rebels' season 2 finale would be included, in which Ahsoka fought Darth Vader and figured out his identity as her old master, Anakin. Regarding Obi-Wan Kenobi, the same was theorized for the titular character's climactic showdown with Maul from Star Wars Rebels. Rather than accept that these scenes have already happened, audiences wanted them recreated in live-action. Why? Likely because live-action is regarded as more worthy of people's time and respect than animation; a sad reality that not only Star Wars faces.

Star Wars TV Shows Animated or Live-Action Number of IMDb Reviews The Mandalorian Live-action 598,000 Ahsoka Live-action 120,000 Obi-Wan Kenobi Live-action 237,000 Andor Live-action 174,000 The Acolyte Live-action 113,000 Star Wars: The Clone Wars Animated 124,000 Star Wars Rebels Animated 60,000 Star Wars: The Bad Batch Animated 57,000 Star Wars: Resistance Animated 7,800 Star Wars: Visions Animated 25,000

I Wish This Wasn't The Case, But It Always Will Be

Star Wars Animation Will Never Receive The Exposure & Respect It Deserves

Custom Image by Yailin Chacon

While I detest this reality, Star Wars' animation will always serve as second-best to live-action in the eyes of the general public. It remains the sad reality that live-action is simply taken more seriously than animation. The latter medium is often dubbed as being solely for children, and thus it holds no mature storytelling that makes it as worthwhile as live-action in regard to storytelling. This is evidently not the case, with Star Wars: The Clone Wars, for example, including some of the single-most mature stories ever told in the franchise.

This is not an issue reserved solely for Star Wars either, with many holding the view that animated properties are geared more toward children and that adults can enjoy them, but should not hold them in as high regard...

Despite this fact, animation will continuously be overlooked. This is not an issue reserved solely for Star Wars either, with many holding the view that animated properties are geared more toward children and that adults can enjoy them, but should not hold them in as high regard. If an animated project wants to tell a mature story, like Amazon Prime's Invincible, the gore and language and mature themes must be overtly prevalent to overcome the hurdle that is the lesser respect the medium receives. Unfortunately, Star Wars is no different.