may the force be with tartakovsky
The latest Star Wars venture.
Genndy Tartakovsky emigrated to the United States in 1977, the same year as the initial release of Star Wars: A New Hope. Of course, in those days it had no subtitle - like so much of Lucas's recently much maligned universe the first Star Wars movie has undergone a certain amount of revision by its creator over the years. Newly arrived from the Soviet Union, and aged 7, Tartakovsky quickly immersed himself in the worlds of television and superhero comics.
Tartakovsky developed this love for comics into a career as an animator, and in August 2001 his Samurai Jack debuted on the Cartoon Network. Samurai Jack tells the story of a Bushido warrior cast thousands of years into the future by a supernatural villain called Aku. Jack's quest to return to his own time and defeat Aku is beautifully drawn and painted, with a stylish but accessible cinematic style.
Recently, Lucasfilms and the Cartoon Network announced plans for a series of 20 short animated films chronicling the adventures of Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi titled Star Wars: Clone Wars and animated by Tartakovsky. The pairing of Star Wars and the Russian-American animator should result in some fine storytelling matched with compelling visuals. Both Samurai Jack and Star Wars derive much of their inspiration from Kurosawa's Shichinin no samurai. All are epic tales of warriors honoring ancient philosophies in a struggle against seemingly unbeatable foes, where the values of dedication and tradition ultimately triumph.
Star Wars: Clone Wars debuts in the fall on Cartoon Network.
25.03.2003 © ljr