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n 1984, the Star Wars universe moved from tales told on the big screen to smaller stories told on television. Although the epic saga of the Skywalker family would always be reserved for theatrical presentation, peripheral elements -- like the loyal and brave Ewoks of Endor -- would be explored on network television. The first of two TV movies, The Ewok Adventure would air on November 25, 1984.
Working from a story crafted by George Lucas and a screenplay by Bob Carrau, director John Korty transformed the scenic northern California redwood forests into the magical forest moon of Endor. Joe Johnston, an art director at Industrial Light & Magic for years and one of the key concept artists of the classic Star Wars trilogy, acted as production designer. Previous to this movie, Johnston had written and illustrated a book about Ewoks, The Adventures of Teebo: A Tale of Magic and Suspense. This gave him a background to the arboreal aliens that was crucial in designing new Ewoks and their surroundings.
[ Ewok Adventures ] In the made-for-TV movie, the Towani family space cruiser has crashed on the forest moon. Jeremitt and Catarine Towani are kidnapped by the fearsome Gorax giant, leaving their young children Mace and Cindel alone in the forests. The two siblings are befriended by Wicket W. Warrick and his family. The wise old Ewok shaman, Logray, sends the children and their newfound friends on a trek to the Gorax's mountain cave to rescue their parents.
The first Ewok movie starred four-year old Aubree Miller as Cindel. Her older brother was played by Eric Walker. Guy Boyd and Fionnula Flanagan played the Towani parents. Warwick Davis reprised his role as Wicket the Ewok, and his family was played by Dan Frishman (Deej), Debbie Carrington (Weechee), Tony Cox (Widdle) and Pam Grizz (Shodu).
[ Ewok Adventures ]The Ewok Adventure aired on ABC-TV in North America. Overseas, it was released theatrically as a feature film. As such, a number of movie posters were crafted for the film's release, with its alternate title The Caravan of Courage. Although no action figures of the film characters were made, a number of spin-off books accompanied The Ewok Adventure's release.
The Ewok Adventure was a ratings and critical success, earning an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Children's Programming. It won the Emmy award for Outstanding Special Visual Effects. Such a positive reaction prompted a sequel, Ewoks: The Battle for Endor, which debuted on November 24, 1985. Joining the returning cast of Miller, Walker and Davis were Wilford Brimley as the grizzled scout, Noa, and Sian Phillips as the evil Charal. This second film was written and directed by Jim and Ken Wheat based on a story by Lucas.
[ Ewok Adventures ] The films were envisioned as family entertainment -- there is a strong sense of family throughout. The Towanis were a close-knit bunch, as were the Warricks. Wicket's family -- his father Deej, his mother Shodu, and his brothers Weechee and Widdle figured prominently in the stories. The second film took a darker turn, as a band of deadly Marauders -- aliens marooned on Endor -- kills Cindel's family, leaving her with no one except her Ewok friends. Cindel finds a surrogate family of sorts when the scout Noa takes her and Wicket into his home.
[ Ewok Adventures ] While the original Star Wars trilogy only had the Force, magic and mysticism were quite prevalent in the Ewok films. Witches, wizards, giants and fairies filled the forests of Endor. Logray uses a magical spinning lantern to divine the location of the missing Towani parents. An enchanted lake momentarily traps Mace behind an unbreakable barrier. The Ewok wizard Kaink carries a scepter capable of mesmerizing animals. In Ewoks: Battle for Endor, the evil witch Charal dons a magical ring that allows her to change shape into a raven.
[ Ewok Adventures ] The Ewok films introduced a variety of lifeforms to Endor. The giant Gorax had packs of deadly boar-wolves that prowled the forest floor. Hunting the skies of the moon is the leathery condor dragon. The Maurauders ride atop dim-witted blurrgs, dinosaur-like beasts of burden. The scout Noa has a little rodent-like companion named Teek who could run at blindingly fast speeds. The films also had more mundane animals -- ferrets, llamas and horses -- indicating that humans are not the only life-forms that Earth shares with the galaxy far, far away.
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