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The Star Wars movies you didn’t know existed.

You might think you’ve seen all the Star Wars movies, but chances are you haven’t seen this small selection of forgotten films.

Star Wars is a franchise that expands far beyond the obvious. With countless novels, comics, and derivative works, it is absolutely vast. It is perfectly possible to consume only related works in one way or another with Star Wars without always needing to be watching or reading exactly the same thing. This demonstrates its cultural importance for an entire generation.

That’s why there is so much Star Wars that you know and imagine. Something that is helped by the fact that a good part was taken out of the canon when the new trilogy came out. But even without taking that into account, there is a lot to talk about. Even if we only talk about the movies.

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There are many Star Wars movies that you probably don’t know about. And that’s what this article is about. All those movies that for one reason or another have gone unnoticed, have been semi-forgotten or have never had the impact of the others. Among them there are great movies, others terrible and everything in between. Although what there is the most are Ewoks. Many Ewoks. So, for your own good, we hope you like space teddy bears.

Star Wars Holiday Special

Perhaps the most forgotten movie when we talk about Star Wars is the Star Wars Holiday Special. Following the long tradition of Christmas special episodes of television shows, this time it was Star Wars’ turn with a story based on a very simple idea: Chewbacca and Han Solo go to Kashyyyk to celebrate Life Day. An equivalent to our Christmas. Of course, things don’t go well and the Wookiees have to save the day so that everyone can enjoy a meal together.

Even if we overlook the cameos, the peculiar mix of musical acts, comedy, and cartoons, or the vague connections between all of them, the result is disappointing. It had a terrible reception and to this day, it is considered one of the worst specials in television history. Not just in Star Wars. It is doubtful that we will see something like the Life Day again.

The Adventure of the Ewoks and Ewoks: The Battle for Endor

Another one of the attempts to bring Star Wars to television, more successful at the time without being a hit, was Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure. A story about a human family that crashes into the moon of Endor and must fight alongside the ewoks to escape from there. It will have a sequel, Ewoks: The Battle for Endor, where an orphaned child will help the ewoks defend their home.

Although they are now considered very simple movies, without cinematographic merits, at the time they were well received as interesting films. Particularly for the youngest viewers. But the fandom’s hatred towards the Ewoks and their simplicity themselves have made them two movies rarely referenced.

The Clone Wars

More recently, another unnoticed movie was Star Wars: The Clone Wars. This is a movie directed by Dave Filoni, set between Episode 2 and 3, following Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. With excellent animation, a fascinating script, and extremely solid direction, this was the movie that served as a pilot for the series of the same name, Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The series would go on to have six seasons, 133 episodes, and is the modern favorite of many fans.

So, why does it seem like the movie is forgotten? Once again, it had a rather questionable critical reception and, although it had a good box office performance, it didn’t become a resounding success. The nominations for ‘worst prequel’ didn’t help its case, but the reality is that it is an interesting film that is worth revisiting.

SP FX: The Empire Strikes Back

To end on a more positive note, it is important to highlight a documentary. In fact, one that many consider the best documentary about the making of Star Wars, especially The Empire Strikes Back. Because that’s what the television special SP FX: The Empire Strikes Back is about.

Presented by Mark Hamill, this documentary showcases the creation of various special effects sequences. Diving into many details, with interviews with those responsible for different aspects of the film, it is an excellent behind-the-scenes look at the most spectacular film of the original trilogy. One more reason why it’s worth watching again. Because sometimes, when a film is forgotten, it’s not necessarily because it was hated.

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The Chainsaw Man anime announces its first movie

Chainsaw Man has announced that, following the success of its series, it will have a movie adapting one of the arcs and beloved characters by fans.

Beyond the craziness of its plots and the carefulness of its animation, there is one element that has made people fall in love with Chainsaw Man: the charisma of its characters. It’s hard not to be captivated by them. They have their quirks, their weaknesses, and their strengths, feeling fully human. They are not mere fantasies. They are complex individuals, often pathetic, for whom it is easy to feel deep sympathy.

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Now Chainsaw Man has announced that it will have its first movie. Called Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc, as its name indicates, it will adapt the Reze arc. One that is especially beloved and known by manga readers.

The arc revolves around Reze, a girl whom Denji, the protagonist, will meet and quickly become close to. Focusing on the love story, grievances, and all the drama surrounding both characters, who consider themselves unlovable, the story is particularly dramatic and tragic. With several unexpected twists that slightly change the tone of what has been seen so far in the series.

Adapting it into a movie is particularly interesting because, in fact, the inspiration for this manga arc was a movie. The manga author, Tatsuki Fujimoto, has stated that his main influence for this arc was the movie Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade, by Hiroyuki Okiura and Mamoru Oshii. Something evident given that both works start in a very similar way, besides having a similar tone in certain moments.

We still don’t have more information about the movie, except that the actress who will voice Reze is Reina Ueda. It is expected that the movie will be released, or at least we will have more information, throughout 2024. And if you want to catch up with the series, you have its complete first season available on Crunchyroll.

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A good bomb in the anime world: trailer for Mari Okada's new film

Mari Okada returns to directing with an absolutely fascinating fantasy drama about one of her favorite themes: love and the end of the world.

“While stories with happy endings often perform better at the box office, the stories that become immortal are the great tragedies. They are larger-than-life stories that make us cry until we’re dehydrated, as if there is nothing else in the world but what’s happening on screen. It’s something quite normal if we think about it. Happy stories satisfy us in the moment, but sad stories leave us with deep wounds. And a specialist in the latter is the screenwriter and director, Mari Okada.”

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Mari Okada is the screenwriter of famous anime such as Toradora!, Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day, and Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans. In addition, in 2018, she made her directorial debut by writing and directing “Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms,” an absolutely captivating fantasy film. Although it went relatively unnoticed in the West, it was a critical and commercial success in Asia and had a strong presence in the animation festival circuit.

Now, her next film has been announced, titled “Alice to Therese no Maboroshi Kōjō,” which can be translated as “Alice and Therese’s Illusion Factory.” She promises a story that is no less fantastical and certainly not less emotionally charged.

The movie focuses on a teenager named Masamune who lives in a town that has been isolated from the rest of the world due to an explosion at a steel factory. To prevent any further changes and perhaps one day return to normalcy, all the town’s inhabitants are forbidden from changing themselves. This leads to a monotonous and depressing life that changes when Masamune and a classmate named Mutsumi discover a feral girl inside the factory that exploded in the past. They are driven by their adolescent impulses, leading the town towards the destruction of the world.

With a release date in Japan set for September 15th, it will have to compete with the latest Miyazaki film. But if anyone can compete with the master, it’s Mari Okada and her perhaps sad, but undoubtedly memorable stories about love and memory.

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Epic Revival: Beloved Anime Makes a Cinematic Comeback After 17-Year Hiatus

Mononoke, the cult anime from 2007, is going to have a continuation in the form of a movie after seventeen years of silence, to the delight of its fans.

In the world of anime, things move slowly. It’s rare for a series to have consecutive seasons within two years, for spin-offs to materialize quickly, or for shows to return after a decade in the freezer. This is normal because we’re not talking about an industry like Hollywood, especially when it comes to original projects, which are financed out of the studios’ pockets. That’s why every new anime that isn’t an adaptation of a successful manga should be considered a small miracle.

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That’s the case with Mononoke. Produced in 2007 by the small studio Twin Engine, this series with a single season and a vibrant, distinct aesthetic followed the adventures of a man only known as the Medicine Seller, who traveled throughout Japan during the Edo period, exorcising demons that feed on negative human emotions. Directed by Kenji Nakamura, known for series like Gatchaman Crowds or Tsuritama, and written by the now-controversial Chiaki J. Konaka, the scriptwriter of series such as Serial Experiments Lain or The Big O, the anime managed to become a cult classic due to its avant-garde style.

Now we know that this series will have a continuation next year, with a date yet to be determined. This is because, although it was supposed to be released this year, a change in the voice actor due to an extramarital affair led the team behind the movie to decide to replace the lead actor.

Setting aside the peculiarities of the Japanese culture, as in the Western world, infidelity might not typically be a reason for someone to lose their job, the movie seems to be continuing its production without any issues. The director in charge will once again be Kenji Nakamura, and while Takashi Hashimoto won’t reprise his role as animation director and character designer, that position will be taken over by Yuichi Takahashi, who previously fulfilled the same role in the excellent Cyberpunk: Edgerunners.

The exact release date or whether it will be screened in cinemas in our country remains a mystery. But in the meantime, what we can do is watch the twelve episodes of this unique cult series, available on Netflix.

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