What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that kids -- and
Star Wars fans of all ages -- will be eager to check out
this extension of the mega-hit franchise. It's much tamer and
more age-appropriate for kids than the most recent live-action
films, but there's still a fair amount of violence, from
lightsaber battles to the typical shooting and explosions. And
for all that Yoda preaches avoiding aggression, he can
certainly do some intense damage when he's attacked. The whole
galaxy is at war, so conflict and peril are frequent.
Families can talk about how this series fits into the overall
Star Wars story. Does it matter that you know Anakin's
eventual fate? Does watching this show help fill in anything
that you didn't know about in the movies? Families can also
discuss whether watching this show makes kids want to buy
tie-in toys and other products. Kids: Are pretend games more
fun if you're playing with a toy figure or if you pretend to be
the characters yourselves?
The galaxy far, far away is under attack yet again. Or still. STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS tells additional stories from the earlier part of the Star Wars saga, before Anakin Skywalker (voiced by Matt Lanter) turns to the dark side. As the galaxy reels under the onslaught of the clone wars, bad guys Palpatine (Ian Abercrombie) and Count Dooku (Corey Burton) continue to wreak havoc, while heroes Anakin, Obi-Wan Kenobi (James Arnold Taylor), Yoda (Tom Kane), padawan Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein), and others do their best to thwart their plans.
While there's nothing particularly surprising about this show, it's fun overall, and the animation is beautiful. And kids even get some decent messages wrapped up in the Star Wars philosophy of the Force and staying focused on the right things: Yoda advises some clones (still good guys at the point he addresses them) that even if they all look alike, they each have individual gifts ... none of which involve blowing the bad guys to smithereens, even though that's the eventual result.
Bottom line? If you love Star Wars or are an animation aficionado, you'll love the show. If you aren't, you won't.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (movie)Star Wars: Clone Wars (short-form series)
Star Wars movies
LEGO Star Wars video game
Star Wars: The Clone Wars video game
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
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