Ewoks (TV series)
Ewoks is an American/Canadian animated television series featuring the Ewok characters introduced in ' and further explored in ' and its sequel '. The series was produced by Nelvana on behalf of Lucasfilm and broadcast on ABC, originally with its sister series ', and then by itself, as The All-New Ewoks.
Premise
The series focuses on the adventures of Wicket W. Warrick and his friends on the forest moon of Endor before the events of A New Hope and The Ewok Adventure. Unlike the Ewok 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.The penultimate episode, "Battle for the Sunstar", which was reaired as the series finale, shows the Ewok heroes leaving the forest moon's surface when they go aboard an Imperial Star Destroyer that has traveled to their system. An Imperial scientist attempts to destroy the Emperor, whose shuttle makes an appearance. The episode has been noted as forming a link with Return of the Jedi, which features the Empire using Endor as its base of operations for the second Death Star.
Cast and characters
The Ewok tribe
Warrick family- Wicket Wysteri Warrick – The youngest brother of the Warrick Family. He is headstrong and determined and often takes the initiative. Wicket really wants to be a great warrior, which often gets him into trouble. Has dark brown fur and wears an orange hood, but wears a green hood in season two.
- Widdle "Willy" Warrick – The middle brother of the Warrick Family. Originally called Widdle. He is clumsy, gluttonous and overweight, but exceedingly nice.
- Weechee Warrick – The eldest brother and the strongest of the Warrick Family.
- Winda Warrick – The youngest child of the Warrick Family.
- Deej Warrick – Father to Wicket, Weechee, Willy and Winda and his wife is Shodu. A very respected warrior of the Ewok tribe. Has dark grey fur and wears a purple hood.
- Shodu Warrick – Deej's wife and mother to Wicket, Weechee, Willy and Winda.
- Erpham Warrick – Wicket's great grandfather, 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. He was a golden-colored Ewok with a green hood.
- Princess Kneesaa a Jari Kintaka – Younger daughter of Chief Chirpa and Ra-Lee. Often the voice of reason and wisdom to her friends, but usually ends up in just as much trouble. She seems smitten with Wicket but no romantic relationship was proven during the series. Has white and grey fur and wears a pink hood with a blue gem dangling near her forehead.
- Asha – Older daughter of Chief Chirpa and Ra-Lee. Went missing during Ra-Lee's death and eventually was reunited with the Ewoks.
- Chief Chirpa – Widowed father to Kneesaa and Asha. He gives order to the warriors when they are fighting against the Duloks.
- Ra-Lee – Wife to Chief Chirpa and mother to Princess Kneesaa and Asha. Ended up killed by a hanadak.
- Paploo – Kneesaa's cousin, Great Chief Chirpa's nephew and son to Bozzie. 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. Has grey fur, with a white face and wears an orange hood with a feather.
- Bozzie – Chief Chirpa's sister / sister-in-law and mother to Paploo. She can be very bossy and domineering towards the young Ewoks.
- Teebo – Wicket's best friend and the older child of Warok and Batcheela. Fascinated by tales of sorcery and magic becomes his Master Logray's Apprentice. He is a bit of a dreamer, and sometimes a little clumsy. Teebo often lacks discipline, but this is something he learns to master over time from Logray, and eventually becomes a respectful young Ewok. Has ochre fur and he wears a tan, baggy hood with a feather.
- Malani – The younger child of Warok and Batcheela. She is a close friends with Wiley, Nippet and Winda. She has a crush on Wicket and desperately tries to impress him. Has beige fur and wears a blue hood with a flower in it.
- Latara – Has dark grey fur and wears a yellow hat with a pink feather in it in season one; in season two her fur is light brown and cream, and her hat is heather with a greenish-blue feather. She is 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 has a huge crush on Teebo, though he rarely notices it. In the second season, it's the other way round.
- Nippet and Wiley – Latara's younger siblings. At times, Latara has to stay home to watch over them.
- Zephee – The Mother of Latara, Nippet and Wiley. She was seen in three episodes: "The Haunted Village", "The Travelling Jindas" and "The Curse of the Jindas".
- Lumat – The father of Latara, Nippet and Wiley. He was seen in two episodes: "The Travelling Jindas" and "The Curse of the Jindas".
- Master Logray – The Ewoks' shaman, and often the dispenser of wisdom and knowledge about the world of Endor.
Others
- King Gorneesh – The leader of the Duloks
- Queen Urga – King Gorneesh's wife and the only female Dulok in the series
- Umwak – Gorneesh's right-hand man, a Dulok shaman
- Morag – The Tulgah witch and evil counterpart of Logray
- The Phlogs – A race of giants who live on Endor
- Baga – A young gentle bordok and Ewok's personal pet
- The Hanadak – A purple monster which is known to live in hollowed-out tree trunks
- The Jindas – A race of canid aliens who live on Endor, and are cursed to an eternal nomadic lifestyle by the Rock Wizard. The Ewoks free them from their curse. Notable Jindas include their leader, Bondo, and magician Trebla.
- The Raich – A tree demon that eats animals and was imprisoned by brave Ewok warriors with a magical hat, made by the Gonster, which was placed on its head, turning it into a tree. He is revived when Wicket takes the hat, but eventually defeated again.
- The Gonster – A two-headed magician whom Ewoks seek out for spells, potions and traps to defeat monsters. His two heads constantly argue.
- The Leaf Queen – A plantlike deity or spirit who dwells on Endor and is entrusted to the care of all its plants. Although kindly, she can be roused to great anger if her plants are harmed.
- Dr. Raygar – An Imperial scientist who wants to steal the Sunstar and use it to overthrow the Emperor. After Kazz eventually learns of his treachery, he is arrested for treason.
- Admiral Kazz – An Imperial officer tasked with assisting Raygar, who doesn't know his true intentions. Kazz thinks the Sunstar is a myth and considers the Ewoks not worth bothering over.
- PD-28 – An Imperial droid assisting Raygar and Kazz. He eventually tires of working for the abusive Raygar and becomes friends with the Ewoks.
Production and broadcast
Ewoks was broadcast on ABC, originally with its sister series ', and then by itself, as The All-New Ewoks. The series ran for two seasons of 13 half-hour episodes between 1985 and 1986 and was later shown in reruns on Sci-Fi Channel's Cartoon Quest.
Episodes
Season 1 (1985)
Season 2 (1986)
With this season, advertised as The All-New Ewoks, episodes are now shorted the 11-minute format meaning two segments per half-hour.Merchandising
In 1985, Star Comics, an imprint of Marvel, published a bi-monthly Ewoks comic based on the animated series. It ran for two years, with a total of 14 issues. Like the TV series, it was aimed towards a younger audience and produced parallel to a comic spun off from Droids. Issue #10 of Ewoks continued the "Lost in Time" crossover story from Droids #4. Additionally, Spanish comics publisher Editorial Gepsa produced two-page Ewoks comics as part of an anthology series.In 1985, a toy line was produced that was based on the series. This line included action figures, ship models, etc.
Home media
Along with , the entire series has yet to be released on home video. Some episodes were released on VHS in the 1980s and 1990s, most notably the UK PAL releases over six cassettes, which had the opening sequences and credits edited out. In 1996, Rick McCallum produced The Haunted Village, a direct-to-video movie compiled from four episodes, and while working on the Star Wars prequel trilogy, expressed hope for an eventual release of the series on DVD. In late 2004, McCallum produced a DVD titled Star Wars: Animated Adventures – Ewoks, which featured The Haunted Village and Tales from the Endor Woods, a new compilation film including narration from an "Adult Wicket". McCallum retired from Lucasfilm in 2012, and Ewoks went unmentioned in the 2014 rebranding of Star Wars canon, making the future of its release uncertain.Reception
According to David Perlmutter, Ewoks was "unremarkable both technically and creatively."Some controversy has resulted from the Ewoks' apparent mastery of Basic while appearing not to speak the language in the Ewok films or Return of the Jedi.