ILM CLASSIC IMAGE: EPISODE II BLU-RAY TASTER?

Click the pic to fully enjoy this great ultra high res image from ILM for EPISODE II, featuring Obi-Wan and the Kaminoans inspecting the early battalions of Clone Soldiers, which clearly shows the kind of picture quality improvements/difference we should get when the film makes it's debut on Blu-ray in September. Made on digital video from the outset, the Prequel should look even more incredible to look at than ever before and be the closest we'll ever get to seeing how it was meant to be watched from the outset...

CLASSIC IMAGE: CLONE TOUR

Within Tipoca city, on the secret storm laden world of Kamino, Prime Minister Lama Su proudly takes Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi on a tour of its highly successful cloning facilities. The Republics pre-order of Clone Trooper armies is well underway and on target for delivery in this all-important scene from EPISODE II: ATTACK OF THE CLONES, which celebrates it's ninth birthday this week.

THE CLONE WARS RAGE ON. SEASON THREE - SECRETS REVEALED!

Let's hope we see a lot more of Yoda in Season Three

Its not long now- mere weeks- until UK viewers get to see the brand new third series of THE CLONE WARS exclusively on SKY MOVIES PREMIERE and HD. In the meantime, SKY has very kindly sent AFICIONADO some great new LUCASFILM ANIMATION images from the new series as a little taster.

Cad Bane makes an appearance at Jabba's Court. Does this signal the start of the Hutt Clan war?

A Republic gunship heads towards Tipocca City with urgent news.

Keep checking the AFICIONADO blog for more THE CLONE WARS updates.

CELEBRATION V: "THE CLONE WARS" SEASON THREE NEWS...

With THE CLONE WARS then still under wraps, aside from some early art and a wow factor trailer, for the most part of the previous Celebration IV, the gloves were now off and the secrecy shackles removed from Dave Filoni for this years Celebration V, as he presented two spectacular digital screening panels to packed and eager audiences for the upcoming third season of THE CLONE WARS. Here's some of the great information I was able to glean from the event, on what looks set to be an absolutely fantastic new season of epic battles, grand heroics and truly evil deeds.


Please note, there are lots of spoilers below.

The opening episodes see a stunning attack on the clone facilities at Kamino by the Separatists, led by Asajj Ventress, in underwater attack ships (similar to the one that captured Rotta the Hutt's Tatooine Sail Barge from the Clone Wars movie) that literally latch themselves onto the Kaminoan cities and smash their way into the superstructures, unleashing destruction on a grand scale (including an incredible scene where the Clone vats are destroyed) and a new series of Super Battle Droids.


Several new Jedi faces will be added to the ranks, though one will be killed by a mysterious assassin or creature during the series run. Shaak Ti is also a new face to the series- the decision was taken to introduce her later in the run so that kids would not get her confused with the similar looking Ahsoka.


Its been hinted at by Filoni that the previously thought to be destroyed Slave One vessel of Boba Fett is in the hands of pirate Hondo Ohnaka, and is getting a refurbishment that will make the ship look a little closer in appearance to the way it will be in THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK.


There will be a link/character from the Classic Trilogy appearing in Season Three (our money is on a teenage Han Solo, whose planned appearance was cut from EPISODE III).


The series may go beyond its planned five year run (Lucas and co. are currently working on Year Five as you read this), and looks set to run for as long as its popular with fans and audiences.


In a question I asked Filoni at one of the talks he confirmed that, with the advances in series CGI realisation (including rain and sea waves for Kamino, fire and costume material for the characters), we will one day see Wookiees and Kashyyyk in the series.

The action sequences have been amped up with better lighting and angles and a greater sense of realism now that the CGI has been improved and refined even further. Expect to see a lot more believability of movement and more shadows and reflections.


Count Dooku, in very stylish pyjamas no less!, will have a stunning lightsaber duel with a group of mostly invisible assassins-an idea that was conceived by Lucas (though it's initial concept did put a smile on Filoni's face at the thought of invisible people!) and looked superb in the footage shown at the event. Overall, there will be more of Dooku in this season and we'll also find out what the title crawl to EPISODE III meant when it said "There are heroes on both sides. Evil is everywhere."

Based on designs originally conceived by Ian McCaig for EPISODE ONE, the scarily drawn Sith Witches become reality, now known as the Witches of Dathomir, the home race of Asajj Ventress, revealed in Season Three. In the episode/s, Ventress is seemingly on the run from Dooku/Sidious and seeks refuge with her "family" on Dathomir, on a planet where the male and female races have evolved separately from one another. Its been hinted at that this season will be the last for Ventress's character-which is a bit of a shame.


From the new mega trailer (first shown exclusively at the CV event, and edited by one of Filoni's best friends, who now also works for LUCASFILM), the Duchess of Satine and the Mandalorians will return, as do the Toydarians, Aurra Sing, Clone Commander Wolf, Jabba and Ziro the Hutt (the latter, possibly along with Boba Fett (?), busted from prison on Coruscant and heralding the start of a Hutt clan war later in the season), Jar Jar Binks (once more voiced by Ahmed Best), plus General Grievous and Cad Bane (who gives Obi-Wan Kenobi an "electrifying" time in one lightsaber duel).


The big highlight for many though was the reveal of Darth Maul's brother, Savage Opres, who will become a regular enemy for the Jedi to fight this season- a gift from the Witches of Dathomir to Count Dooku.


The Clone Commandos also make a brief cameo in one episode, in a sequence shown at the convention that brought the house down with applause after years of waiting for a visual appearance somewhere in live action or animated Prequel-dom.

Katie Lucas has written quite a few episodes for this season, including the Ventress/Dathomir episodes and one coming up which will star the entire Lucas family as the blue skinned Papanoidia family, with George's Baron heavily involved in an action sequence in a cantina, though son Jett was unhappy that his animated character's gun wasn't as big as his dad's!

The Year Three mega trailer for THE CLONE WARS can be seen on the official STAR WARS site's main CELEBRATION V home page, and is coming to the US CARTOON NETWORK from September 17th 2010, and on SKY in the UK by at least the end of October this year.