I don't normally cover animated movies or television, but I broke that rule once before with Star Wars: The Clone Wars so I figure it's safe to do it again. This is mainly because the concept art for Clone Wars and Rebels are based on the art of the late concept illustrator master Ralph McQuarrie.


"For me I wanted to develop a style different from Clone Wars," said Star Wars Rebels Executive Producer Dave Filoni. "This show is going to be different from Clone Wars; it's intentionally going to look different. We're not proceeding with the same style. We wanted to give it its own look and feel. For me, that always goes back to Ralph McQuarrie, and that's a name you're going to hear over and over again. Star Wars owes so much to Ralph, and I'm very dedicated to the history of Star Wars and of Lucasfilm. We need to maintain and respect that history but also do what made it great it always leapt forward."

The show will be animated and is set in the 19-year gap between the Star Wars films Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith and the original 1977 film, Episode IV: A New Hope. It will air in autumn 2014 on the Disney channel before moving to a regular slot on Disney XD.


Find out more about the upcoming show and see more images after the jump (click to enlarge).


Lucasfilm described the show this way:

Star Wars Rebels Executive Producer Dave Filoni pulled back the curtain on Lucasfilm's highly anticipated animated series for Star Wars Celebration Europe attendees today, discussing the huge influence of original Star Wars concept artist Ralph McQuarrie on the look and feel of the show, and revealing the series' unique logo and select designs.

Filoni talked at length about the use of McQuarrie art as a springboard for the series, showcasing many works from the original trilogy, including landscapes and characters, and detailing how they inform the visual identity of Star Wars Rebels.

For Star Wars Rebels, fans were given their first look at the Ghost, which will be the main character's ship and play a big part in the series, as well as a computer rendering of a very McQuarrie-esque Stormtrooper, the interior of a Star Destroyer, and more. The show's logo, a minimalist yet powerful design, is notable for its orange and black color scheme, which recalls the flight suit colors of Rebel pilots in the original Star Wars trilogy.

While unable to attend in person, Executive Producers Simon Kinberg and Greg Weisman shared their excitement for the series in a video message recorded specifically for Celebration attendees.

The series is set between the events of Episode III and IV -- an era spanning almost two decades never-before explored on-screen. It takes place in a time where the Empire is securing its grip on the galaxy and hunting down the last of the Jedi Knights as a fledgling rebellion against the Empire is taking shape.

Star Wars Rebels will be produced by Lucasfilm Animation, featuring many of the key talents that made Star Wars: The Clone Wars. It is scheduled to premiere in fall 2014 as a one-hour special telecast on Disney Channel, and will be followed by a series on Disney XD channels around the world.

One of the key designs in the show is the Rebel ship called "The Ghost."

"It's actually a pretty big centerpiece for the show," said Filoni. "We all like the sense in the classic films that the Millennium Falcon that was a ship but it was also a place it was like a home. We wanted to give this new generation of kids a place they could go feel safe when they were running from the Empire. And I'm really excited about that. We're on the run again. The Empire is controlling the whole galaxy, so we needed a home and a ship."

The Star Wars Rebels CEII Pins revealed the Rebel Ship Schematics.

In case you can't read the Star Wars writing called Aurebesh, here's what it says according to TheForce.net:

Modified VCX-100 light freighter, Corellian Engineering Corporation,
Metrics: length: 43.9 meters, width: 34.2 meters, height: 14.5 meters,
1. nose turret's gunner position,
2. forward floodlights,
3. main cockpit,
4 crew quarters,
5 port docking ring,
6. starboard docking ring,
7. dorsal laser cannon turret,
8. main cargo hold,
9. engine assembly.

Here's some more concept art.

Finally, here's a description from StarWars.com

Production has begun on Star Wars Rebels, an exciting, all-new animated television series based on one of the greatest entertainment franchises of all time. Scheduled to premiere in fall 2014 as a one-hour special telecast on Disney Channel, it will be followed by a series on Disney XD channels around the world.

Screenwriter/producer Simon Kinberg (X-Men: First Class, Sherlock Holmes, Mr. & Mrs. Smith) is one of the executive producers on Star Wars Rebels and will write the premiere episode. He is joined by Dave Filoni as executive producer, who served as supervising director of the Emmy nominated Star Wars: The Clone Wars since 2008.

Executive producer Greg Weisman brings with him a wealth of animation experience with credits such as Young Justice, The Spectacular Spider-Man and Gargoyles.

Gary Marsh, president and chief creative officer, Disney Channels Worldwide, said, "The entire team at Lucasfilm has provided extraordinary creativity and innovation for over three decades, and we're thrilled to be bringing the expansive and imaginative world of Star Wars to Disney XD's viewers."

"I couldn't be more excited to explore new corners of the Star Wars universe," said Kathleen Kennedy, president, Lucasfilm. "I think Star Wars Rebels will capture the look, feel and fun that both kids and their parents love about Star Wars."

The action-filled series is set between the events of Episode III and IV -- an era spanning almost two decades never-before explored on-screen. Star Wars Rebels takes place in a time where the Empire is securing its grip on the galaxy and hunting down the last of the Jedi Knights as a fledgling rebellion against the Empire is taking shape. Details about the show are a closely guarded secret at this point.

Star Wars Rebels will be produced by Lucasfilm Animation, featuring many of the key talents that made Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Some of the artists that we know about are Andre Kirk (http://bunsenbrown.blogspot.com) and Amy Beth Christiansen (http://artbyabc.com/).

You can see more concept art by Ralph McQuarrie on my blog and see more of his work at RalphMcQuarrie.com. 

Visit the official Star Wars Blog for a full recap of this panel and other Star Wars Celebration Europe events!

More information about this developing project will be found on StarWars.com and on Facebook at facebook.com/starwarsrebels.

Thanks to Idle Hands for images

What do you think of the illustrations?
 
© Copyright 2014 Lucasfilm Animation. All rights reserved

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Before Joe Johnston directed films like Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) and Jurassic Park III (2001) he was a film storyboard and concept artist. His big break came in 1975 on the first Star Wars film, which led to him to film school.

He helped design Yoda and many more key elements of Star Wars. For this post I'm focusing on his work designing the Rebel X-Wing Fighter along with Ralph McQuarrie.

Check out the rest of the images after the jump and click to enlarge.
First, the designs by Joe Johnston. The notes and images are from the book The Star Wars Sketchbook by Joe Johnston 1977 via Hey Oscar Wilde

"THE X-WING
The Rebel forces are not financially well off. The ships were conceivably acquired decades earlier at a discount, and have been made to last through prudent. but affectionate maintenance. Engines and body panels are scavenged from derelict craft. Paint and polish being unaffordable luxuries, appearance is unimportant. The one graphic consistency in the X-wing squadron is a large red horizontal stripe on the flank of each ship. In addition to attaining the used-car look, the X-wing fighters took on a kind of tough. no-nonsense quality through production changes. Engines were beefed up. Wings thickened. A lot of hardware is allowed to show on the surface, where it complements the carefully finished body shapes, creating a feeling of styled functionalism.

"Early X-wing lighter concepts from different angles. In the final version, upper and lower split-circle engines became fully circular to accommodate thicker wings, and a segmented canopy replaced the 'bubble' canopy to eliminate reflection problems."



Designs by Ralph McQuarrie

See more of Ralph McQuarrie's work at ralphmcquarrie.com

What do you think of the illustrations?

Wikipedia SummaryStar Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, originally released as Star Wars, is a 1977 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. It is the first film released in the Star Wars saga and is the fourth in terms of the series' internal chronology. Groundbreaking in its use of special effects, unconventional editing, and science fiction/fantasy storytelling, the original Star Wars is one of the most successful and influential films of all time.

Set 'a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away', the film follows a group of freedom fighters known as the Rebel Alliance as they plot to destroy the powerful Death Star space station, a devastating weapon created by the evil Galactic Empire. This conflict disrupts the isolated life of farmboy Luke Skywalker when he inadvertently acquires the droids carrying the stolen plans to the Death Star. After the Empire begins a cruel and destructive search for the droids, Skywalker decides to accompany Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi on a daring mission to rescue the owner of the droids, rebel leader Princess Leia, and save the galaxy.

Directed by George Lucas
Starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Cushing, Alec Guinness

@ Copyright 1977 20th Century Fox, Lucasfilm. All rights reserved.


X is for X-Wing
This post is part of the month long "A-Z Challenge." For 26 days, I'll be choosing a letter from the alphabet and featuring one favorite arts or properties. To read more of the posts in the series click here. To find out more about the challenge go here. Check the Facebook page and follow on Twitterusing the hashtag #AtoZChallenge.

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