UPDATE: Concerned over reports that the remaining content from The Clone Wars would not be made available to fans, a Lucasfilm spokesperson contacted me to assure you that the extra content will absolutely be made available to fans.
The bold was their emphasis, not mine.
So, at least we don’t have that to worry about.
Back to the original story:
Many outlets are reporting that Lucasfilm Animation is in the midst of layoffs, eliminating numerous positions held by the crews of Detours and The Clone Wars. Rumours spread that the creative team itself is going in separate directions.
While many assumed and hoped the crews behind these two shows would be reassigned other duties at Disney and in the Star Wars universe, their removal is not wholly unexpected. Downsizing after a major acquisition is an every day fact of life in the despicable world of corporate maneuvering.
TheForce.Net opines that the layoffs are a direct contradiction to the promise made on StarWars.Com that work would resume on episodes close to completion, but that might not be the case. If the plan for Disney is to work on doing the polish work on the last episodes, then, if their plan is to dismantle Lucasfilm Animation, for what reason would they need to retain all of the employees whose work happens before those final layers of polish?
I agree. It’s completely callous of Disney, but this decision makes perfect sense for a giant corporate conglomerate.
The one thing Disney does well is animation. They purchased Pixar for their animation. They didn’t purchase Lucasfilm for its animation department. They purchased it for Star Wars. They might well believe (in a good case of lying to themselves) that their animation departments produce work vastly superior to what Lucasfilm Animation produces. But let’s be honest, no Disney television show has ever or will ever look as good as The Clone Wars did. And it’s a testament to those who worked on it.
More alarming in the reports, however, is the notion that the “bonus content” promised in the release announcing this different direction for Star Wars might not ever actually see the light of day. This is something I’ve heard as well, but can’t seem to confirm it. Sources in the know claim that attempts to mollify fans with the news and pull the rug from them on this “bonus content” are baseless. But why would anyone in the know confirm it if the whole plan is a distraction?
At this point, I have to believe we’ll see the “bonus content,” but I will not–can not–be surprised if it doesn’t happen.
But renewed calls to panic in this case aren’t justified. This seems wholly consistent with the plan we were upset about a week ago. What’s being done to The Clone Wars is unfair, both to the fans and the artists who create the show, and it will never hurt to voice your support, but being upset at a cat for eating a mouse (or in this case a giant mouse eating a television show) is to deny the nature of the thing.
It can never hurt, though, to show your support of the show with a letter to Disney.
Bob Iger
Disney Studios
500 S Buena Vista St
Burbank, CA 91521
If you send a letter, be sure to remain civil and leave it to nothing more than your love of The Clone Wars. Don’t give in to hate. That leads to the Dark Side.
For more addresses to send letters to, visit Save The Clone Wars.
I’ve been asking since January, the first to raise the specter of this possibility, What if The Clone Wars Doesn’t Come Back? I’ve been bracing for this as a worst case scenario for a while now. I was called out for being an alarmist, but I was being a realist and am being a realist now. And I really hate to say, “I told you so.”
I don’t think we’re going to get The Clone Wars back.
Don’t focus on the possibility of getting it back, if it happens, it will be because we remained civil and showed our love and care. Anger isn’t going to help the situation. Enjoy what we’ve had and don’t dwell on the rest. Show your support and embrace all the Star Wars we have yet to come.
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