Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Star Wars: The Clone Wars is a 2008 American computer-animated epic science fiction/space opera action film directed by George Lucas and co-directed by Dave Filoni and screenplay by Henry Gilroy, Steven Melching, and Scott Murphy. It is based on the original idea made by George Lucas for the CGI-animated Star Wars spin off film, which he serves as an executive producer. It is the first fully animated film in the Star Wars franchise and takes place shortly after Episode II – Attack of the Clones, at the start of the titular Clone Wars. Samuel L. Jackson and Anthony Daniels returns for the animated prequel spinoff film following the Star Wars franchise. In the film, Count Dooku and Jabba the Hutt's uncle Ziro orchestrate a plan to turn Jabba against the Galactic Republic by framing the Jedi for the kidnapping of his son. While Anakin Skywalker and his newly assigned apprentice Ahsoka Tano attempt to deliver the child back to his father, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Padmé Amidala lead separate investigations to uncover Dooku and Ziro's plot.
The Clone Wars served as an introduction to the animated series of the same name that premiered on Cartoon Network on October 3, 2008; not to be confused with the similarly titled Star Wars: Clone Wars series from 2003. George Lucas was inspired to make the movie while reviewing footage from the show and described the film as "almost an afterthought." The film was released on August 15, 2008 by Warner Bros. Pictures in United States. The film grossed $68.3 million worldwide against its $8.5 million budget, making it a box office success but lowest grossing Star Wars film series to date and received negative reviews.
== Plot ==
During the first year of the Clone Wars, Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker and his master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, lead a small battalion of Republic Clone troopers against Count Dooku's Separatist droid army on the planet Christophsis. Awaiting reinforcements, the two Jedi greet a shuttle carrying a young Jedi Padawan named Ahsoka Tano, who insists that she has been assigned by Grandmaster Yoda to serve as Anakin's apprentice. Initially reluctant, Ahsoka earns Anakin's respect after the two succeed in deactivating the Separatists' energy field while Obi-Wan stalls the droid army commander, allowing a Republic victory.
Following the battle, Yoda arrives and informs the Jedi that gangster Jabba the Hutt's son Rotta has been kidnapped. The kidnapping has been planned by Dooku's Sith master Darth Sidious, who hopes to blame the Jedi for Rotta's kidnapping in order to get Jabba to ally with the Separatists and fuel anti-Jedi sentiment from the Hutts. Anakin and Ahsoka are tasked with retrieving the Huttlet, while Obi-Wan is sent to Tatooine to negotiate with Jabba over a potential treaty between the Hutts and the Republic. Anakin and Ahsoka track the kidnapper and Rotta to the planet Teth, where they are ambushed by Separatist forces led by Count Dooku's assassin and former Jedi Asajj Ventress. The Jedi manage to escape along with R2-D2 and hijack a derelict transport, which they use to travel to Tatooine. Obi-Wan, alerted by Anakin, arrives on Teth and engages Ventress in a lightsaber duel. Though Obi-Wan manages to defeat her, Ventress escapes, knowing she has failed.
Meanwhile, Anakin's wife Senator Padmé Amidala learns of her husband's mission. Fearing for his safety, she confronts Jabba's uncle Ziro on Coruscant. Ziro refuses to cooperate, apparently believing that it is the Jedi who are responsible for the situation. However, she soon discovers that Ziro has actually conspired with Dooku to have Rotta killed, so that Jabba would execute Anakin and Ahsoka, leading to his arrest by the Jedi Council, allowing Ziro to seize power over the Hutt Clan. Padmé is captured and imprisoned, but a chance call by C-3PO enables her to summon a squadron of clone troopers, and Ziro is arrested, despite revealing Dooku threatened to execute him if he did not cooperate with the conspiracy.
Arriving on Tatooine, Anakin devises a ruse to confront Dooku carrying a fake Rotta, while Ahsoka takes the real Rotta to Jabba's palace. While Anakin fights off Dooku, Ahsoka is ambushed by the MagnaGuards, whom she defeats with ease. The two deliver Rotta safely to Jabba, who nonetheless orders the Jedi to be executed for their supposed kidnapping attempt. However, Padmé contacts Jabba in time and reveals Ziro and the Separatists' responsibility for the kidnapping. Acknowledging the Jedi's heroism and allowing the Republic to have Ziro punished for his crimes, Jabba, in gratitude, agrees to the treaty before Anakin and Ahsoka are picked up by Obi-Wan and Yoda. Meanwhile, Dooku reports the plot's failure to Darth Sidious, who assures him that the tide of the war is still in their favor.
== Cast ==
* Matt Lanter as Anakin Skywalker
* Ashley Eckstein as Ahsoka Tano
* James Arnold Taylor as Obi-Wan Kenobi
* Tom Kane as Yoda
* Samuel L. Jackson as Mace Windu
* Christopher Lee as Count Dooku
* Dee Bradley Baker as the count troopers
* Anthony Daniels as C-3PO
* Nika Futterman as Asajj Ventress
* Ian Abercrombie as Chancellor Palpatine
* Catherine Taber as Queen Padme Amidala
* Corey Burton as Ziro the Hutt
* Kevin Michael Richardson as Jabba the Hunt
* David Acord as Rotta the Huttlet
* Matthew Wood as the battle droids
Category:20th Century Fox films
Category:20th Century Fox animated films
Category:Lucasfilm films
Category:Lucasfilm animated films
Category:George Lucas films
Category:Star Wars
Category:Animated films
Category:2008 films
Category:Animation
Category:2010s animated television series
Category:2000s animated television series
Category:2008 American television series debuts
Category:Star Wars animated television series
Category:Computer-animated television series
Category:American science fiction television series
Category:Space adventure television series
Category:Sci-Fi
Category:Space adventure films
Category:Adventure films
Category:2000s animated films
Category:CGI films
Category:Star Wars films
Category:Films with opening only narration
Category:Rated PG
Category:2:35:1 Aspect Ratio Films