"AHA...this is a ploy...no this is a ruse....no...."
August 25, 2012 10:44 AM Subscribe
STAR WARS DETOURS™ Trailer [SLYT] "Star Wars Detours™ is an animated comedy that explores what daily life is like in a galaxy far, far away. There are no Empires striking back or attacking clones here. Instead, Star Wars Detours focuses on the universe's regular folks and their everyday problems... which, to be fair, do frequently involve famous bounty hunters, crazed Ewoks, and even a Dark Lord of the Sith."
This looks unbelievably bad.
posted by azarbayejani at 10:58 AM on August 25, 2012 [5 favorites]
posted by azarbayejani at 10:58 AM on August 25, 2012 [5 favorites]
Why does George Lucas hate Star Wars?
:(
posted by mazola at 11:01 AM on August 25, 2012 [8 favorites]
:(
posted by mazola at 11:01 AM on August 25, 2012 [8 favorites]
Man. I want to like this. The animation style is great and pleasant to look at and the concept is actually pretty fertile soil, but damn if this isn't one terrible gag after another landing with a thud.
Without looking it up I'm gonna say this is a Seth Green joint?
posted by Senor Cardgage at 11:01 AM on August 25, 2012 [3 favorites]
Without looking it up I'm gonna say this is a Seth Green joint?
posted by Senor Cardgage at 11:01 AM on August 25, 2012 [3 favorites]
The top two YouTube comments are "It's like Robot Chicken without the funny" and "One hundred Million times better than the star wars prequels."
I agree with both those assessments.
posted by justkevin at 11:03 AM on August 25, 2012 [19 favorites]
I agree with both those assessments.
posted by justkevin at 11:03 AM on August 25, 2012 [19 favorites]
The animation and character design is pretty good, but the jokes swing between cliched to funny, but unevenly.
It would probably be better if it actually focused minor characters or ordinary inhabitatns of the universe, dealing with the grand events around them. Say one of the Emperor's Red Guards, who seem to do nothing by stand there. Then one day, while one of them is on guard, he gets an itch. During a meeting between Vader and the Emperor.
Or Frankie's Edible Deliveries, the restaurant that Jabba the Hutt's House orders from a lot.
"Hello, Frankie's? Yeah, hey Jabba what's up? You got a new slave girl, human you say, want to make sure she's fed right?"
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 11:07 AM on August 25, 2012 [5 favorites]
It would probably be better if it actually focused minor characters or ordinary inhabitatns of the universe, dealing with the grand events around them. Say one of the Emperor's Red Guards, who seem to do nothing by stand there. Then one day, while one of them is on guard, he gets an itch. During a meeting between Vader and the Emperor.
Or Frankie's Edible Deliveries, the restaurant that Jabba the Hutt's House orders from a lot.
"Hello, Frankie's? Yeah, hey Jabba what's up? You got a new slave girl, human you say, want to make sure she's fed right?"
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 11:07 AM on August 25, 2012 [5 favorites]
Ya know, I have recently discovered the amazing Home Movies (yeah, I know I am late to the party) and watching that in contrast with this just goes to show that great writing and voice performances override huge animation budgets and million dollar IP.
posted by Senor Cardgage at 11:07 AM on August 25, 2012 [6 favorites]
posted by Senor Cardgage at 11:07 AM on August 25, 2012 [6 favorites]
The only possible redeeming quality is that Seth MacFarlane voices the Emperor.
posted by PipRuss at 11:08 AM on August 25, 2012
posted by PipRuss at 11:08 AM on August 25, 2012
I have a bad feeling about this.
posted by Smart Dalek at 11:10 AM on August 25, 2012 [9 favorites]
posted by Smart Dalek at 11:10 AM on August 25, 2012 [9 favorites]
GET IT!?? THEY ARE BREAKDANCING AND RAPPING! THEY WOULDNT NORMALLY DO EITHER OF THOSE THINGS!!!!
posted by Senor Cardgage at 11:13 AM on August 25, 2012 [10 favorites]
posted by Senor Cardgage at 11:13 AM on August 25, 2012 [10 favorites]
This is not the Star Wars universe you are looking for.
posted by filthy light thief at 11:13 AM on August 25, 2012 [4 favorites]
posted by filthy light thief at 11:13 AM on August 25, 2012 [4 favorites]
I think that dance scene was making fun of the horrible Star Wars dance Kinect game...or maybe not IDK.
posted by PipRuss at 11:14 AM on August 25, 2012
posted by PipRuss at 11:14 AM on August 25, 2012
How would you even sustain this show? I mean, there can't be that many in-jokes, right? From the trailer alone, you've covered most of the popular ones (Ackbar comes to mind)..
posted by spiderskull at 11:14 AM on August 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by spiderskull at 11:14 AM on August 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
I feel that the Robot Chicken series did the best with the source material of the Star Wars universe. I'm sure there's even more in-jokes to work with due to all the many video game IP's as well as novelizations.
posted by PipRuss at 11:17 AM on August 25, 2012
posted by PipRuss at 11:17 AM on August 25, 2012
Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
posted by PipRuss at 11:20 AM on August 25, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by PipRuss at 11:20 AM on August 25, 2012 [2 favorites]
Star Wars needs its own "Shatner on SNL" moment. Lord knows George did his best with the prequels, but evidently it wasn't enough.
posted by "But who are the Chefs?" at 11:21 AM on August 25, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by "But who are the Chefs?" at 11:21 AM on August 25, 2012 [2 favorites]
Star Wars was the first movie I ever saw (I saw it in the theater as a 5yo in 1977), and I had all the toys. But man, I wish Star Wars would just die. It's such a shallow, horrible, crappy product.
posted by KokuRyu at 11:22 AM on August 25, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by KokuRyu at 11:22 AM on August 25, 2012 [2 favorites]
This is canon, right?
posted by frenetic at 11:23 AM on August 25, 2012 [8 favorites]
posted by frenetic at 11:23 AM on August 25, 2012 [8 favorites]
I don't want to live on this planet anymore.
posted by PipRuss at 11:24 AM on August 25, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by PipRuss at 11:24 AM on August 25, 2012 [2 favorites]
As always I'm going to say that the Clone Wars cartoons are actually pretty great and manage to do a lot of the stuff that's broken in the prequels in a way that actually works.
posted by Artw at 11:26 AM on August 25, 2012 [5 favorites]
posted by Artw at 11:26 AM on August 25, 2012 [5 favorites]
> this is for their kids
Little kids fucking LOVE Jar-Jar. You don't want to believe it, but it's true.
posted by "But who are the Chefs?" at 11:26 AM on August 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
Little kids fucking LOVE Jar-Jar. You don't want to believe it, but it's true.
posted by "But who are the Chefs?" at 11:26 AM on August 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
Like the poster, I especially like, no, admire, no, appreciate, no ... the Admiral Akbar routine.
posted by zippy at 11:28 AM on August 25, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by zippy at 11:28 AM on August 25, 2012 [2 favorites]
Kids dig the clones and Ahsoka Tano. I have not figured out how to deal with my kid finding out the clones probably murder Ahsoka Tano in the third prequel movie.
posted by Artw at 11:29 AM on August 25, 2012 [6 favorites]
posted by Artw at 11:29 AM on August 25, 2012 [6 favorites]
As always I'm going to say that the Clone Wars cartoons are actually pretty great and manage to do a lot of the stuff that's broken in the prequels in a way that actually works.
The problem is that George already broke the Clone Wars with the prequels and so many people are less than willing to give him another chance. I too think that his Clone Wars Cartoon series is brilliant, it's where he excels. Smaller, Saturday morning like serials that are short bursts of energy. The writing is fairly crisp and the voice acting is brilliant.
Still, it'd be fucking nice if he realized he is allowed to step outside of the time line he's created, that he can venture into other areas that are not I - VI. Or God forbid, do something fucking original. Ah well, he is what he is.
posted by Fizz at 11:30 AM on August 25, 2012
The problem is that George already broke the Clone Wars with the prequels and so many people are less than willing to give him another chance. I too think that his Clone Wars Cartoon series is brilliant, it's where he excels. Smaller, Saturday morning like serials that are short bursts of energy. The writing is fairly crisp and the voice acting is brilliant.
Still, it'd be fucking nice if he realized he is allowed to step outside of the time line he's created, that he can venture into other areas that are not I - VI. Or God forbid, do something fucking original. Ah well, he is what he is.
posted by Fizz at 11:30 AM on August 25, 2012
Prequels were fine, originals were fine, Clone Wars was meh, and this just looks like something for kids.
Just count your blessings that it's not Teletubbies and other trash that basically treats children like complete idiots. At least you might get a chuckle out of it.
posted by Malice at 11:30 AM on August 25, 2012
Just count your blessings that it's not Teletubbies and other trash that basically treats children like complete idiots. At least you might get a chuckle out of it.
posted by Malice at 11:30 AM on August 25, 2012
Just count your blessings that it's not Teletubbies and other trash that basically treats children like complete idiots.
Have you watched Episodes I - III?! I felt like I was being talked down to the entire time.
posted by Fizz at 11:33 AM on August 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
Have you watched Episodes I - III?! I felt like I was being talked down to the entire time.
posted by Fizz at 11:33 AM on August 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
This is the Star Wars humour you are looking for.
posted by Artw at 11:33 AM on August 25, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by Artw at 11:33 AM on August 25, 2012 [2 favorites]
Amusing in spots but too long as a trailer, I can't see it working as a series.
posted by octothorpe at 11:34 AM on August 25, 2012
posted by octothorpe at 11:34 AM on August 25, 2012
Malicve - you know Teletubbies is for 1-2 year olds, right?
posted by Artw at 11:34 AM on August 25, 2012
posted by Artw at 11:34 AM on August 25, 2012
If this was Ratchet & Clank does Star Wars, I'd be on this like black on Vader.
posted by SPrintF at 11:36 AM on August 25, 2012
posted by SPrintF at 11:36 AM on August 25, 2012
I think the best thing would be for Star Wars to just go away for a little while, kind of like it did between Return of the Jedi and the early-'90s mini-revival, (i.e. the Zahn books, SNES/PC video games, etc.) which was great because we actually MISSED it while it was gone. Plus, there was actually time for a fan-canon to emerge that was able to inform the subsequent books and other tie-ins. If there's anything that the prequels taught us, it's that Star Wars fans (in aggregate) have a much better and clearer sense of what "works" in Star Wars than George Lucas does.
posted by Strange Interlude at 11:36 AM on August 25, 2012
posted by Strange Interlude at 11:36 AM on August 25, 2012
Seth McFarlane's Emperor is hilarious, so I'll probably give this a shot.
posted by entropicamericana at 11:38 AM on August 25, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by entropicamericana at 11:38 AM on August 25, 2012 [3 favorites]
I've tried to sit through Teletubbies but really, it just insults your intelligence.
posted by Flashman at 11:39 AM on August 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Flashman at 11:39 AM on August 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
For me, this only works if it ISN'T approved by Lucasfilm and it really makes makes George Lucas angry enough to denounce it. Then it's funny.
posted by ColdChef at 11:45 AM on August 25, 2012 [5 favorites]
posted by ColdChef at 11:45 AM on August 25, 2012 [5 favorites]
I guess I'm like way too young to buy into what makes Star Wars the well-deserved cultural icon that it is with its really, in the grand scheme of things, basic SF&F tropes and 'great for its time like 30 years ago!' special effects and maybe I'm reading a little way into this but this sort of thing has a lot of parallels with gentrification, doesn't it? Like here's this thing that people love in a way that hasn't really been that commercialized and profit-driven and soulless and then the Ewoks are there and then the high-rises are built and pretty soon it becomes so obviously geared towards indoctrinating kids into what's basically a cultish, semi-mystical worship of a bunch of fiction when once it was the parent's personal task of doing so.
It's like we cross a very vague, gray line where all the agency of our worship is subverted by snakes in suits. For some reason or another, that makes us uncomfortable even though the end result of it is acted out in our attempts to like alter the fabric of space and time with our emotions and just somehow get that damn remote control closer to us and maybe this belief in the light side of the force, and that all of it will somehow end up balancing out anyway.
And all of this ignores the fact that the franchise is like a damn movie anyway, which is basically a business venture aimed at achieving the most profit possible and it's going to be a very long and hard road to argue that Lucas had the same goals as a real auteur given the vast gulf between his work and the works of like PT Anderson or something.
posted by dubusadus at 11:45 AM on August 25, 2012 [2 favorites]
It's like we cross a very vague, gray line where all the agency of our worship is subverted by snakes in suits. For some reason or another, that makes us uncomfortable even though the end result of it is acted out in our attempts to like alter the fabric of space and time with our emotions and just somehow get that damn remote control closer to us and maybe this belief in the light side of the force, and that all of it will somehow end up balancing out anyway.
And all of this ignores the fact that the franchise is like a damn movie anyway, which is basically a business venture aimed at achieving the most profit possible and it's going to be a very long and hard road to argue that Lucas had the same goals as a real auteur given the vast gulf between his work and the works of like PT Anderson or something.
posted by dubusadus at 11:45 AM on August 25, 2012 [2 favorites]
In a recent interview with the Workaholics guys that the AV Club did...
AVC: Was there anything you definitely didn’t want to do on the show?
AH: I didn’t want to reference Star Wars. Whenever I watch a show and twentysomethings have a lot of Star Wars references, I know it’s written by a 40-year-old dude. Like, a shitload of kids at his house. I don’t know, it seems fake.
I myself am a 38-year-old that grew up square in the prime demo for Star Wars. It was a huge, huge part of my childhood and my life for 4 decades. I have 2 tall shelves full of Star Wars toys in our bedroom right now. So keep that in mind when I tell you how absolutely overjoyed I was to read that answer in the AV Club interview. I couldnt be more happy that a younger generation is shifting its comic pop-culture focus and voice away from those stale old crutches. Seriously, its been decades of this stuff and its beyond tired. And Seth Green is the king of low-hanging comedy fruit of the Spencer's Gifts gifts variety.
posted by Senor Cardgage at 11:47 AM on August 25, 2012 [5 favorites]
AVC: Was there anything you definitely didn’t want to do on the show?
AH: I didn’t want to reference Star Wars. Whenever I watch a show and twentysomethings have a lot of Star Wars references, I know it’s written by a 40-year-old dude. Like, a shitload of kids at his house. I don’t know, it seems fake.
I myself am a 38-year-old that grew up square in the prime demo for Star Wars. It was a huge, huge part of my childhood and my life for 4 decades. I have 2 tall shelves full of Star Wars toys in our bedroom right now. So keep that in mind when I tell you how absolutely overjoyed I was to read that answer in the AV Club interview. I couldnt be more happy that a younger generation is shifting its comic pop-culture focus and voice away from those stale old crutches. Seriously, its been decades of this stuff and its beyond tired. And Seth Green is the king of low-hanging comedy fruit of the Spencer's Gifts gifts variety.
posted by Senor Cardgage at 11:47 AM on August 25, 2012 [5 favorites]
My daughter was HUGE into Star Wars when she was five. Lego sets, poster in her bedroom, all of it. Wanted to be an astronaut because that's the nearest she could get to a Jedi.
She's seven now. She's mostly past it. It's all about Ninjago now. She's moving on.
She's a model for us all.
posted by gompa at 11:55 AM on August 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
She's seven now. She's mostly past it. It's all about Ninjago now. She's moving on.
She's a model for us all.
posted by gompa at 11:55 AM on August 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
Clone Wars Season 5 Trailer
All right, that looks pretty cool, although I have never felt comfortable letting my kids watch it. Our eldest son is turning 10, so I think it's okay for the cartoony death and mayhem of the series, but still...
posted by KokuRyu at 11:57 AM on August 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
All right, that looks pretty cool, although I have never felt comfortable letting my kids watch it. Our eldest son is turning 10, so I think it's okay for the cartoony death and mayhem of the series, but still...
posted by KokuRyu at 11:57 AM on August 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
There's a fair number of not-too delicately implied decapitations...
Also Asajj Ventress, who started out a cool visually distinct bad guy character and then over the course of one episode they gave her a deep backstory that made her incredibly interesting.
posted by Artw at 12:00 PM on August 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
Also Asajj Ventress, who started out a cool visually distinct bad guy character and then over the course of one episode they gave her a deep backstory that made her incredibly interesting.
posted by Artw at 12:00 PM on August 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
Bwithh: What's the rationale for making a few of the characters dwarf-proportioned (Leia, Boba Fett, Ackbar, a couple of the stormtroopers) but not others (Obi-Wan, Vader, Han Solo etc.) ? Why not just make them all dwarf-proportioned and do a Star Wars version of Muppet Babies?
Or try to win over some burgeoning anime fans and make chibi Star Wars? It's been done by numerous fan artists.
posted by filthy light thief at 12:09 PM on August 25, 2012
Or try to win over some burgeoning anime fans and make chibi Star Wars? It's been done by numerous fan artists.
posted by filthy light thief at 12:09 PM on August 25, 2012
"But who are the Chefs?": Little kids fucking LOVE Jar-Jar. You don't want to believe it, but it's true.
This reminds me of The Great Zucchini, who performs slapstick routines for little kids' birthday parties, and makes a lot of money doing so. $300 for half an hour of stupid gags that kids LOVE.
Moral of the story: kids have a terrible sense of humor.
posted by filthy light thief at 12:23 PM on August 25, 2012 [3 favorites]
This reminds me of The Great Zucchini, who performs slapstick routines for little kids' birthday parties, and makes a lot of money doing so. $300 for half an hour of stupid gags that kids LOVE.
Moral of the story: kids have a terrible sense of humor.
posted by filthy light thief at 12:23 PM on August 25, 2012 [3 favorites]
It only had about a 50% funny rate on the gags in the first minute; by the third minute it was down to 0%... if it ran out of funny so soon in the trailer, it's not going to be any fun to sit though a full-length show.
posted by oneswellfoop at 12:38 PM on August 25, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by oneswellfoop at 12:38 PM on August 25, 2012 [2 favorites]
Or try to win over some burgeoning anime fans and make chibi Star Wars? It's been done by numerous fan artists.
Reminds me of these Star Wars USB sticks.
posted by azarbayejani at 12:39 PM on August 25, 2012
Reminds me of these Star Wars USB sticks.
posted by azarbayejani at 12:39 PM on August 25, 2012
Why does George Lucas hate Star Wars?
Now, release your anger. Only your hatred can destroy me.
posted by Darth George Lucas at 12:48 PM on August 25, 2012 [4 favorites]
Now, release your anger. Only your hatred can destroy me.
posted by Darth George Lucas at 12:48 PM on August 25, 2012 [4 favorites]
There are so many genuinely funny people involved in this - genuinely funny people who have made genuinely funny Star Wars parodies, even - that I just do not understand what is happening.
posted by kafziel at 1:04 PM on August 25, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by kafziel at 1:04 PM on August 25, 2012 [2 favorites]
So much effort, yet so lazy.
posted by elwoodwiles at 1:23 PM on August 25, 2012 [4 favorites]
posted by elwoodwiles at 1:23 PM on August 25, 2012 [4 favorites]
This looks so bad that it feels like a meta joke. Like, "This is what an awful, focus grouped kids comedy show about Star Wars would be like if it were real. Wouldn't it be terrible if this actually existed? Ha!"
posted by brundlefly at 1:50 PM on August 25, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by brundlefly at 1:50 PM on August 25, 2012 [2 favorites]
Complain all you want, I really liked it.
posted by Sourisnoire at 2:15 PM on August 25, 2012
posted by Sourisnoire at 2:15 PM on August 25, 2012
Great, star wars with a family guy sensibility. I hope the producers realize that its not as shitty as it could possibly and have some Mountain Dew tie-ins.
Whatever, its got star wars in the title, so it will make money, and people will find reasons to like it, so there will be more of it.
(cues up frisky dingo)
posted by lkc at 2:15 PM on August 25, 2012
Whatever, its got star wars in the title, so it will make money, and people will find reasons to like it, so there will be more of it.
(cues up frisky dingo)
posted by lkc at 2:15 PM on August 25, 2012
I couldnt be more happy that a younger generation is shifting its comic pop-culture focus and voice away from those stale old crutches.
Beyond that interview, I have no reason to believe that's true, and in fact the opposite seems to be true; twenty-somethings seem to be as invested in this junk as anyone else, and maybe moreso. Pop culture in general seems to be about recycling now, not invention. I mean, what is today's Star Wars? Batman? The Avengers? That stuff predates Star Wars by a decade or four. We're all about some stale old crutches!
I think what the interviewee is reacting to is a pop culture interest shared by twenty-somethings and forty-somethings. So yeah, this may be an older comedian finding common ground with his or her audience rather than attempting to make painful jokes about something more contemporary that would likely only expose the depth of his cluelessness. That sounds pretty wise to me. In any case, it's just plain safer to write a joke about something that millions of people have enjoyed for three-plus decades, because you know that people will still get that joke in ten years (and it could take that long for a script to get made).
posted by kittens for breakfast at 2:25 PM on August 25, 2012 [2 favorites]
Beyond that interview, I have no reason to believe that's true, and in fact the opposite seems to be true; twenty-somethings seem to be as invested in this junk as anyone else, and maybe moreso. Pop culture in general seems to be about recycling now, not invention. I mean, what is today's Star Wars? Batman? The Avengers? That stuff predates Star Wars by a decade or four. We're all about some stale old crutches!
I think what the interviewee is reacting to is a pop culture interest shared by twenty-somethings and forty-somethings. So yeah, this may be an older comedian finding common ground with his or her audience rather than attempting to make painful jokes about something more contemporary that would likely only expose the depth of his cluelessness. That sounds pretty wise to me. In any case, it's just plain safer to write a joke about something that millions of people have enjoyed for three-plus decades, because you know that people will still get that joke in ten years (and it could take that long for a script to get made).
posted by kittens for breakfast at 2:25 PM on August 25, 2012 [2 favorites]
"The only possible redeeming quality is that Seth MacFarlane voices the Emperor."
Please never use "Seth MacFarlane" and "redeeming quality" in the same sentence again.
Thanks.
posted by Outlawyr at 2:31 PM on August 25, 2012 [7 favorites]
Please never use "Seth MacFarlane" and "redeeming quality" in the same sentence again.
Thanks.
posted by Outlawyr at 2:31 PM on August 25, 2012 [7 favorites]
ta,cw. ( too awful, couldn't watch.)
posted by Cranberry at 2:47 PM on August 25, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by Cranberry at 2:47 PM on August 25, 2012 [2 favorites]
Like here's this thing that people love in a way that hasn't really been that commercialized and profit-driven
That's a charitable way to look at it, but Star Wars was overcommercialized and profit driven from day one. People loved it because we were like nine years old when it came out, so not really equipped to notice the darker ramifications of our R2D2 lunch boxes and Luke Skywalker bed sheets.
posted by ook at 3:05 PM on August 25, 2012
That's a charitable way to look at it, but Star Wars was overcommercialized and profit driven from day one. People loved it because we were like nine years old when it came out, so not really equipped to notice the darker ramifications of our R2D2 lunch boxes and Luke Skywalker bed sheets.
posted by ook at 3:05 PM on August 25, 2012
I know it will be cool to hate on this, but I plan on watching. Apparently, I am the target audience for this, as I enjoy both Robot Chicken and Family Guy.
George Lucas and Lucasfilm Animation have been working on this since 2009 (love the "bobblehead" art style!). Per Seth Green, “Lucas was sitting at a desk and said, ‘You guys think you’re pretty fucking funny, don’t you? So, how about we do something funny together?’”
They've got Seth McFarlane (The Emperor), Ahmed Best (Jar Jar), Billy Dee Williams (Lando), Anthony Daniels (C3PO), James Arnold Taylor (Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Clone Wars animated series), Weird Al Yankovic, Breckin Meyer (Road Trip), Joel McHale (The Soup), Donald Faison (Scrubs), and Felicia Day (Buffy) as voice actors. They've got Brendan Hay, Seth Green, & Matthew Senreich (from Robot Chicken), Dave Mccullough (from Venture Bros.), and Jane Espenson from Buffy as writers. Todd Grimes (Barnyard) is directing.
posted by Robin Kestrel at 3:07 PM on August 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
George Lucas and Lucasfilm Animation have been working on this since 2009 (love the "bobblehead" art style!). Per Seth Green, “Lucas was sitting at a desk and said, ‘You guys think you’re pretty fucking funny, don’t you? So, how about we do something funny together?’”
They've got Seth McFarlane (The Emperor), Ahmed Best (Jar Jar), Billy Dee Williams (Lando), Anthony Daniels (C3PO), James Arnold Taylor (Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Clone Wars animated series), Weird Al Yankovic, Breckin Meyer (Road Trip), Joel McHale (The Soup), Donald Faison (Scrubs), and Felicia Day (Buffy) as voice actors. They've got Brendan Hay, Seth Green, & Matthew Senreich (from Robot Chicken), Dave Mccullough (from Venture Bros.), and Jane Espenson from Buffy as writers. Todd Grimes (Barnyard) is directing.
posted by Robin Kestrel at 3:07 PM on August 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
There are gags in the Robot Chicken Star Wars specials that made me laugh until I wept. I know that this show could be good. But the trailer was, shall we say, not promising.
posted by town of cats at 3:13 PM on August 25, 2012
posted by town of cats at 3:13 PM on August 25, 2012
I mean, what is today's Star Wars?
You mean what is today's pop cultural take on the hero's journey by way of in vogue cultural tropes? There's Mass Effect so long as we draw a parallel between the new fangledness of FX in film with the leap to interactive media by way of consoles. And there's about a million other games like that with their own big franchises that'll eventually churn out some bitter nerds who wonder why exactly they're interfacing with a dumbed down holovision sitcom where Commander Shepard plays the out-of-touch father figure and Wrex as the lovable and enormous teenage smartass.
posted by dubusadus at 3:33 PM on August 25, 2012 [2 favorites]
You mean what is today's pop cultural take on the hero's journey by way of in vogue cultural tropes? There's Mass Effect so long as we draw a parallel between the new fangledness of FX in film with the leap to interactive media by way of consoles. And there's about a million other games like that with their own big franchises that'll eventually churn out some bitter nerds who wonder why exactly they're interfacing with a dumbed down holovision sitcom where Commander Shepard plays the out-of-touch father figure and Wrex as the lovable and enormous teenage smartass.
posted by dubusadus at 3:33 PM on August 25, 2012 [2 favorites]
Malice: "Prequels were fine, originals were fine, Clone Wars was meh, and this just looks like something for kids.
Just count your blessings that it's not Teletubbies and other trash that basically treats children like complete idiots. At least you might get a chuckle out of it."
Great - now I've got an image of Tinkie Winkie jumping up and down shouting "UTINNI!"
posted by symbioid at 4:14 PM on August 25, 2012
Just count your blessings that it's not Teletubbies and other trash that basically treats children like complete idiots. At least you might get a chuckle out of it."
Great - now I've got an image of Tinkie Winkie jumping up and down shouting "UTINNI!"
posted by symbioid at 4:14 PM on August 25, 2012
And Seth Green is the king of low-hanging comedy fruit of the Spencer's Gifts gifts variety.
So what does that make MacFarlane? And he gets to ruin the Flintstones next? Swell.
Normally I like this kind of "Star Wars characters in everyday world" type satirical humor, as long as it's from fans who are easily dismissed if you don't think it's funny.
Star Wars has long been serving as the dunk tank clown of parodies, and I guess George has to get it in on the act too. Sigh.
I agree wholeheartedly that SW needs to go on hiatus, but George is still working on that "dark, gritty" live-action series, which sounds... not fun. And what I liked about SW was that it could be funny without being, well, "Detours," and it could be serious without being, I dunno, Chris Nolan Batman.
posted by TheSecretDecoderRing at 4:15 PM on August 25, 2012
So what does that make MacFarlane? And he gets to ruin the Flintstones next? Swell.
Normally I like this kind of "Star Wars characters in everyday world" type satirical humor, as long as it's from fans who are easily dismissed if you don't think it's funny.
Star Wars has long been serving as the dunk tank clown of parodies, and I guess George has to get it in on the act too. Sigh.
I agree wholeheartedly that SW needs to go on hiatus, but George is still working on that "dark, gritty" live-action series, which sounds... not fun. And what I liked about SW was that it could be funny without being, well, "Detours," and it could be serious without being, I dunno, Chris Nolan Batman.
posted by TheSecretDecoderRing at 4:15 PM on August 25, 2012
I'm avoiding watching this. I might give the series a go, because that's what I did with Clone Wars after that awful, awful movie, and that has worked out really well for me, but man, I hate that I see "Star Wars" these days and I get a bad taste in my mouth as often as not.
posted by Mezentian at 4:21 PM on August 25, 2012
posted by Mezentian at 4:21 PM on August 25, 2012
Star Wars Detours focuses on the universe's regular folks and their everyday problems...
Given that description, I was expecting something along the lines of Eddie Izzard's Death Star canteen sketch.
posted by JustKeepSwimming at 4:52 PM on August 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
Given that description, I was expecting something along the lines of Eddie Izzard's Death Star canteen sketch.
posted by JustKeepSwimming at 4:52 PM on August 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
I hate that I see "Star Wars" these days and I get a bad taste in my mouth as often as not.
For me, it's more that "Star Wars" evokes such polarizing reactions in everyone now. I mean, it's right up there with all the usual political hot-button topics. Things were so different up until the mid-'90s.
I wasn't thrilled about everything in the prequels, but I thought they got better with each one, and there were enough moments to make them enjoyable for me. And it was fun to just be part of that whole "experience" that I wasn't quite old enough to do with the originals. But if asked if I thought all the positives were worth having to put up with the negatives, it's getting harder and harder to say yes.
posted by TheSecretDecoderRing at 5:22 PM on August 25, 2012
For me, it's more that "Star Wars" evokes such polarizing reactions in everyone now. I mean, it's right up there with all the usual political hot-button topics. Things were so different up until the mid-'90s.
I wasn't thrilled about everything in the prequels, but I thought they got better with each one, and there were enough moments to make them enjoyable for me. And it was fun to just be part of that whole "experience" that I wasn't quite old enough to do with the originals. But if asked if I thought all the positives were worth having to put up with the negatives, it's getting harder and harder to say yes.
posted by TheSecretDecoderRing at 5:22 PM on August 25, 2012
They've got Seth McFarlane (The Emperor), Ahmed Best (Jar Jar), Billy Dee Williams (Lando), Anthony Daniels (C3PO), James Arnold Taylor (Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Clone Wars animated series), Weird Al Yankovic, Breckin Meyer (Road Trip), Joel McHale (The Soup), Donald Faison (Scrubs), and Felicia Day (Buffy) as voice actors. They've got Brendan Hay, Seth Green, & Matthew Senreich (from Robot Chicken), Dave Mccullough (from Venture Bros.), and Jane Espenson from Buffy as writers. Todd Grimes (Barnyard) is directing.
Jeez, what a TERRIBLE line up of "talent." Geeks are going to absolutely HATE this. None of those people has any kind of following in the geek community. (except maybe Ahmed Best)
Seriously though, everyone who's mentioned this on Facebook or whatever instantly jumps out with "Oh gawd! This is going to be so awful, Lucas has done it again! Hate! Hate Hate!" but I try to point out the people behind it who have made some of the most sucessful and beloved Star Wars parodies ever. The jokes and voices are straight out of Robot Chicken. They've got such a cavalcade of nerd cache' in their roster that I suspect only the addition of Neil Patrick Harris and Simon Pegg carpooling with Joss Whedon would make it any more of a "Dream Team."
If they keep the comedy subversive enough, I'll give it more than a fair chance.
posted by ShutterBun at 7:40 PM on August 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
Jeez, what a TERRIBLE line up of "talent." Geeks are going to absolutely HATE this. None of those people has any kind of following in the geek community. (except maybe Ahmed Best)
Seriously though, everyone who's mentioned this on Facebook or whatever instantly jumps out with "Oh gawd! This is going to be so awful, Lucas has done it again! Hate! Hate Hate!" but I try to point out the people behind it who have made some of the most sucessful and beloved Star Wars parodies ever. The jokes and voices are straight out of Robot Chicken. They've got such a cavalcade of nerd cache' in their roster that I suspect only the addition of Neil Patrick Harris and Simon Pegg carpooling with Joss Whedon would make it any more of a "Dream Team."
If they keep the comedy subversive enough, I'll give it more than a fair chance.
posted by ShutterBun at 7:40 PM on August 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
I always wondered what Bib Fortuna does on his day off. Will this satisfy my curiosity?
posted by Mael Oui at 8:15 PM on August 25, 2012
posted by Mael Oui at 8:15 PM on August 25, 2012
Jeez, what a TERRIBLE line up of "talent." Geeks are going to absolutely HATE this. None of those people has any kind of following in the geek community. (except maybe Ahmed Best)
And? From the looks of this trailer they made a Bad Thing. Who cares who they are if they make a thing that isnt good.
posted by Senor Cardgage at 10:52 PM on August 25, 2012
And? From the looks of this trailer they made a Bad Thing. Who cares who they are if they make a thing that isnt good.
posted by Senor Cardgage at 10:52 PM on August 25, 2012
ShutterBun: "Geeks are going to absolutely HATE this. None of those people has any kind of following in the geek community. (except maybe Ahmed Best)"
There's certainly some love for Weird Al and Felicia Day. Perhaps McHale as well because of his involvement in Community.
posted by brundlefly at 10:53 PM on August 25, 2012
There's certainly some love for Weird Al and Felicia Day. Perhaps McHale as well because of his involvement in Community.
posted by brundlefly at 10:53 PM on August 25, 2012
From the looks of this trailer they made a Bad Thing. Who cares who they are if they make a thing that isnt good.
Fair enough. In this case we have a project who's bona fides are off the charts, geek-wise, vs. a trailer that's sub-par, you-wise.
Considering it's only a trailer, and as such is subject to all kinds of marketing what-not, are you prepared to base you whole opinion on nothing but the trailer, and somehow believe that (many of) the greatest geek-parodists of our time have somehow collectively made a drastic miscalculation?
If so, I'm OK with that, but please show your work. (and yeah, now that I think of it, there're probably a lot of precidents, but none of them feature Seth McFarlane as The Emperor, so, there's that.)
posted by ShutterBun at 5:30 AM on August 26, 2012
Fair enough. In this case we have a project who's bona fides are off the charts, geek-wise, vs. a trailer that's sub-par, you-wise.
Considering it's only a trailer, and as such is subject to all kinds of marketing what-not, are you prepared to base you whole opinion on nothing but the trailer, and somehow believe that (many of) the greatest geek-parodists of our time have somehow collectively made a drastic miscalculation?
If so, I'm OK with that, but please show your work. (and yeah, now that I think of it, there're probably a lot of precidents, but none of them feature Seth McFarlane as The Emperor, so, there's that.)
posted by ShutterBun at 5:30 AM on August 26, 2012
Say one of the Emperor's Red Guards, who seem to do nothing by stand there. Then one day, while one of them is on guard, he gets an itch. During a meeting between Vader and the Emperor.
You may be interested in Tag and Bink are Dead.
posted by RobotHero at 10:22 AM on August 26, 2012
You may be interested in Tag and Bink are Dead.
posted by RobotHero at 10:22 AM on August 26, 2012
R2D2 doesn't have eyes and a mouth, a car does not have eyes and a mouth, but an R2D2 Car has eyes and a mouth.
posted by RobotHero at 9:07 PM on August 26, 2012
posted by RobotHero at 9:07 PM on August 26, 2012
He stays on Targit?
posted by ShutterBun at 4:30 AM on August 27, 2012
posted by ShutterBun at 4:30 AM on August 27, 2012
Viewed purely as a design exercise, and setting aside the monetization aspect, the Cars / Star Wars characters are actually pretty interesting in a "just how much can you modify a well-known character and have it still be recognizable as that character" kind of way.
Some of the shown examples are more successful than others. The Leia one is barely recognizable -- instead of just punting on those hair buns by making the side windows puffy(?), maybe the spare tires on a Rolls Royce would have worked? And Luke just looks exactly like whateverthemaincharacterincarsis with some extra decals. The Stormtrooper is brilliant though.
posted by ook at 1:19 PM on August 27, 2012
Some of the shown examples are more successful than others. The Leia one is barely recognizable -- instead of just punting on those hair buns by making the side windows puffy(?), maybe the spare tires on a Rolls Royce would have worked? And Luke just looks exactly like whateverthemaincharacterincarsis with some extra decals. The Stormtrooper is brilliant though.
posted by ook at 1:19 PM on August 27, 2012
21 Hilarious Mash-Up Costumes From Star Wars Celebration
posted by homunculus at 3:51 PM on August 28, 2012
posted by homunculus at 3:51 PM on August 28, 2012
You've been hurt. Who hurt you?
posted by ShutterBun at 11:22 PM on August 29, 2012
posted by ShutterBun at 11:22 PM on August 29, 2012
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posted by sidi hamet at 10:49 AM on August 25, 2012 [6 favorites]