Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III
Encyclopedia
Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III is a 2010 episode of the television comedy series Robot Chicken
, and the third and final installment in the Annie Award
-winning and Emmy-nominated Robot Chicken: Star Wars trilogy. It premiered on Cartoon Network
's Adult Swim
programming block on December 19, 2010. The special is 45 minutes long, as opposed to the usual 11-minute Robot Chicken runtime and the 21-minute runtime of the two previous Star Wars
specials. It was the final Robot Chicken: Star Wars special.
to after Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
. Emperor Palpatine, voiced by Seth MacFarlane
, acts as a narrator - chronicling his own rise to power, the questionable wisdom of his selection of Anakin Skywalker as an apprentice, the extermination of the Jedi
, and routine life aboard the Death Star
. Several skits feature Boba Fett
, voiced by Breckin Meyer
(who was nominated for an Emmy for his writing work on the first Robot Chicken: Star Wars), including his fall into and time spent in the Sarlacc
pit. Other skits feature more minor characters like Gary the Stormtrooper
, Max Rebo, and Prune Face - none of whom had speaking roles in any of the Star Wars films.
as Mace Windu, Zac Efron
as Anakin Skywalker, Billy Dee Williams
as Lando Calrissian
, and Anthony Daniels
as C-3PO
, Ahmed Best
as Jar-Jar Binks and the normal cast of Seth Green
, Breckin Meyer
, Seth MacFarlane
, Abraham Benrubi
and the writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root
.
and an 7.9/10 by IMDb reviewers. It was released on DVD
and Blu-ray Disc
on July 12, 2011.
Robot Chicken
Robot Chicken is an American stop motion animated television series created and executive produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. Green provides many voices for the show...
, and the third and final installment in the Annie Award
Annie Award
The Annie Awards have been presented by the Los Angeles, California branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood since 1972...
-winning and Emmy-nominated Robot Chicken: Star Wars trilogy. It premiered on Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
's Adult Swim
Adult Swim
Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
programming block on December 19, 2010. The special is 45 minutes long, as opposed to the usual 11-minute Robot Chicken runtime and the 21-minute runtime of the two previous Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
specials. It was the final Robot Chicken: Star Wars special.
Synopsis
Unlike the previous installments in the satirical trilogy, Episode III tells a more cohesive chronological tale stretching from before the events of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom MenaceStar Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace is a 1999 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. It is the fourth film to be released in the Star Wars saga, as the first of a three-part prequel to the original Star Wars trilogy, as well as the first film in the saga in terms...
to after Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand and written by George Lucas and Lawrence Kasdan. It is the third film released in the Star Wars saga, and the sixth in terms of the series' internal chronology...
. Emperor Palpatine, voiced by Seth MacFarlane
Seth MacFarlane
Seth Woodbury MacFarlane is an American animator, writer, comedian, producer, actor, singer, voice actor, and director best known for creating the animated sitcoms Family Guy, American Dad! and The Cleveland Show, for which he also voices many of the shows' various characters.A native of Kent,...
, acts as a narrator - chronicling his own rise to power, the questionable wisdom of his selection of Anakin Skywalker as an apprentice, the extermination of the Jedi
Jedi
The Jedi are characters in the Star Wars universe and the series's main protagonists. The Jedi use a power called the Force and weapons called lightsabers, which emit a controlled energy flow in the shape of a sword, in order to serve and protect the Republic and the galaxy at large from conflict...
, and routine life aboard the Death Star
Death Star
The Death Star is a fictional moon-sized space station and superweapon appearing in the Star Wars movies and expanded universe. It is capable of destroying a planet with a single destructive super charged energy beam.-Origin and design:...
. Several skits feature Boba Fett
Boba Fett
Boba Fett is a character in Star Wars. A bounty hunter hired by Darth Vader to find the Millennium Falcon, he is a minor villain in both Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi....
, voiced by Breckin Meyer
Breckin Meyer
-Early life:Meyer was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the son of Dorothy Ann , a travel agent and former microbiologist, and Christopher William Meyer, a management consultant. As a child of divorced parents, he lived in California, Texas, West Virginia and New Jersey. He has an older brother,...
(who was nominated for an Emmy for his writing work on the first Robot Chicken: Star Wars), including his fall into and time spent in the Sarlacc
Sarlacc
The sarlacc is a fictional creature in George Lucas's science fiction saga Star Wars. It first appeared in the film Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi as a multi-tentacled alien beast whose immense, gaping mouth is lined with several rows of sharp teeth...
pit. Other skits feature more minor characters like Gary the Stormtrooper
Stormtrooper
Stormtroopers were specialist soldiers of the German Army in World War I. In the last years of the war, Stoßtruppen were trained to fight with "infiltration tactics", part of the Germans' new method of attack on enemy trenches...
, Max Rebo, and Prune Face - none of whom had speaking roles in any of the Star Wars films.
Cast
Notable cast members include Donald GloverDonald Glover
Donald McKinley Glover is an American actor, writer, comedian, and musician. Glover first came to attention for his work in the sketch group Derrick Comedy, and is best known for his role as community college student Troy Barnes on the NBC comedy series Community...
as Mace Windu, Zac Efron
Zac Efron
Zachary David Alexander "Zac" Efron is an American actor. He began acting professionally in the early 2000s and became known with his lead roles in the Disney Channel Original Movie High School Musical, the WB series Summerland, and the 2007 film version of the Broadway musical Hairspray...
as Anakin Skywalker, Billy Dee Williams
Billy Dee Williams
William December "Billy Dee" Williams, Jr. is an American actor, artist, singer, and writer.-Early life:Williams was born in New York City, New York, the son of Loretta...
as Lando Calrissian
Lando Calrissian
Lando Calrissian is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe. He is portrayed by Billy Dee Williams in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi...
, and Anthony Daniels
Anthony Daniels
Anthony Daniels is an English actor. He is best known for his role as the droid C-3PO in the Star Wars series of films made between 1977 and 2005.-Early life:...
as C-3PO
C-3PO
C-3PO is a robot character from the Star Wars universe who appears in both the original Star Wars films and the prequel trilogy. He is also a major character in the television show Droids, and appears frequently in the series' "Expanded Universe" of novels, comic books, and video games...
, Ahmed Best
Ahmed Best
Ahmed Best is an American voice actor and musician. He has won the Annie Award for Best Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production. He rose to prominence in the 2000s for providing the voice of Jar Jar Binks in the Star Wars franchise. He later turned to television, where he played Jar Jar...
as Jar-Jar Binks and the normal cast of Seth Green
Seth Green
Seth Benjamin Green is an American actor, comedian, voice actor, and television producer. He is well known for his role as Daniel "Oz" Osbourne in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as Dr. Evil's son Scott in the Austin Powers series of comedy films, Mitch Miller in That '70s Show, and the voice of Chris...
, Breckin Meyer
Breckin Meyer
-Early life:Meyer was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the son of Dorothy Ann , a travel agent and former microbiologist, and Christopher William Meyer, a management consultant. As a child of divorced parents, he lived in California, Texas, West Virginia and New Jersey. He has an older brother,...
, Seth MacFarlane
Seth MacFarlane
Seth Woodbury MacFarlane is an American animator, writer, comedian, producer, actor, singer, voice actor, and director best known for creating the animated sitcoms Family Guy, American Dad! and The Cleveland Show, for which he also voices many of the shows' various characters.A native of Kent,...
, Abraham Benrubi
Abraham Benrubi
Abraham Rubin Hercules Benrubi is an American character actor known for his appearances as Jerry Markovic on the long-running U.S...
and the writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root
Tom Root
Tom Root is a writer, producer, director and voice actor for Robot Chicken. He has been co-nominated for an Emmy Award for Robot Chicken. He was also the editor for prolific low-budget horror filmmaker and Bollywood character actor Stegath James Dorr during their employment with the newspaper CM...
.
Reception
The special was given a 9.5/10 by IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
and an 7.9/10 by IMDb reviewers. It was released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
and Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
on July 12, 2011.
External links
- Adult Swim Hatches Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III, StarWars.com, July 12, 2010
- Get Ready for Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III, StarWars.com, December 17, 2010
- Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III Review, IGN.com, December 19, 2010
- Seth Green talks 'Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III' and his desire to redeem Jar Jar Binks, Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
, December 16, 2010 - Robot Chicken High-Fives Palpatine in Final Star Wars Spoof, WiredWired NewsWired News is an online technology news website, formerly known as HotWired, that split off from Wired magazine when the magazine was purchased by Condé Nast Publishing in the 1990s. Wired News was owned by Lycos not long after the split, until Condé Nast purchased Wired News on July 11, 2006...
Underwire, December 17, 2010