Disney, Lucasfilm and 20th Century Fox Announce Star Wars The Digital Movie Collection

As anticipation builds for the December release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the first new film in the Star Wars Saga in a decade, The Walt Disney Studios, Lucasfilm Ltd., and 20^th Century Fox today announced the upcoming release of The Star Wars Digital Movie Collection. For the first time ever, all six epic films in the Saga, from The Phantom Menace to Return of the Jedi, will be available on Digital HD throughout the galaxy – or at least here on Earth – globally beginning Friday, April 10.

“Since the debut of the first film nearly 40 years ago, Star Wars has become a worldwide phenomenon with legions of fans from every generation,” said Alan Bergman, President, The Walt Disney Studios. “It’s only fitting that audiences enjoy this legendary Saga and its many fascinating behind-the-scenes stories on a wide variety of platforms, and we’re very excited to finally bring all six films to Digital HD for the first time.”

“We’re thrilled that fans will be able to enjoy the Star Wars Saga on their digital devices wherever they go,” commented Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy. “These films broke new ground in technology, design, sound, and visual effects, and we’ve created some very special bonus material which delves into the Saga’s rich history, including new and never-before-released conversations between legendary Star Wars artists – the masters who helped George bring his iconic universe to life.”

With Star Wars: Episodes I-VI available for purchase as a complete digital movie collection and individually, viewers will have the Rebel forces at their beck and call across their favorite devices anywhere – sunbathing at the beach, relaxing in their living room with friends, or waiting to board a flight to Endor (or elsewhere).   

Enhancing the movie collection are a host of never-before-seen special features including Star Wars: Discoveries from Inside and insightful Conversations between key contributors from across this celebrated film franchise, plus a curated collection of classic Star Wars extras from each film. These are the droids you’re looking for:

BONUS

*Digital bonus offerings may vary by retailer           

STAR WARS EPISODE I: The Phantom Menace

·      Conversations: Doug Chiang Looks Back

·      Discoveries From Inside: Models & Miniatures

·      Legacy content includes “The Beginning”; The Podrace: Theatrical Edit; plus eight deleted scenes.

STAR WARS EPISODE II:  Attack of the Clones

·      Conversations: Sounds In Space

·      Discoveries From Inside: Costumes Revealed

·      Legacy content includes “From Puppets To Pixels: Digital Characters In Episode II”; State Of The Art: The Previsualization Of Episode II; and “Films Are Not Released, They Escape”; plus Episode II Visual Effects Breakdown Montage and six deleted scenes.

STAR WARS EPISODE III: Revenge of the Sith

·      Conversations: The Star Wars That Almost Was

·      Discoveries From Inside: Hologram & Bloopers

·      Legacy content includes documentaries “Within A Minute: The Making Of Episode III”; The Journey Part 1; and The Journey Part 2; plus six deleted scenes.

STAR WARS EPISODE IV: A New Hope (20^th Century Fox)

·      Conversations: Creating A Universe

·      Discoveries From Inside: Weapons & The First Lightsaber

·      Legacy content includes “Anatomy Of A Dewback”; Star Wars Launch Trailer; plus eight deleted scenes.

STAR WARS EPISODE V: The Empire Strikes Back

·      Conversations: The Lost Interviews

·      Discoveries From Inside: Matte Paintings Unveiled

·      Legacy content includes “A Conversation With The Masters” (2010); “Dennis Muren: How Walkers Walk”; “George Lucas On Editing The Empire Strikes Back 1979”; and “George Lucas On The Force: 2010”; plus six deleted scenes.

STAR WARS EPISODE VI: Return of the Jedi

·      Conversations: The Effects

·      Discoveries From Inside: The Sounds Of Ben Burtt

·      Legacy content includes “Classic Creatures: Return Of The Jedi”; “Revenge Of The Jedi Teaser Trailer”; Return Of The Jedi Launch Trailer; “It Began TV Spot”; “Climactic Chapter TV Spot”; plus five deleted scenes.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Teaser Trailer and Screenshots

It is here Star Wars fans!!

Star Wars: The Force Awakens teaser trailer has been released and we got goosebumps immediately. As mentioned, this is just a teaser, so we got a small glimpse for 88 seconds of what is to come next December 2015. Who is ready to start lining up for Episode VII? 

We had to capture a few screenshots from the trailer! What do we know so far from the trailer, the Millennium Falcon returns, Tie Fighters, X-Wings, new droids, new characters, the return of the Sith with a very cool lightsaber, new Stormtroopers, the Desert, epic battles, John Williams' famous score, Lucasfilm, chills, thrills, and more!!

 

Being a die hard Star Wars fan from the beginning of the Original Trilogy in 1977, I can say this is going to be epic and I am looking forward to the great future of Star Wars with Disney. While many people may criticize this new birth (shall we say) with J.J. Abrams direction and the game change to Disney, I feel Star Wars returns in a big way.

We will definitely see you in theatres next December 2015! 

Disney's Star Wars Rebels Panel at SDCC 2014

The Empire. The Rebellion. The Beginning. STAR WARS REBELS, Lucasfilm’s highly anticipated animated series detailing the start of the fight against the evil Empire, is coming this fall – but fans can get a big sneak peek at San Diego Comic-Con. 

Lucasfilm’s special panel, The Heroes of Star Wars Rebels (Thursday, 7/24/14, 6:00pm - 7:00pm, Room: 6BCF), will feature executive producer Dave Filoni, as well as the first panel appearance by executive producer Simon Kinberg and stars Freddie Prinze, Jr., Vanessa Marshall, Steve Blum, Tiya Sircar, and Taylor Gray. They’ll discuss making the show and will reveal exclusive content from the upcoming series for fans in attendance. 

Star Wars Rebels continues the epic tradition of the legendary Star Wars saga with all-new exciting, action-packed adventures. It is a dark time in the galaxy, as the evil Galactic Empire tightens its grip of power from world to world. As the series begins, Imperial forces have occupied a remote planet, ruling with an iron fist and ruining the lives of its people. The clever and motley crew of the starship Ghost is amongst a select few who are brave enough to stand against the Empire. Together, this ragtag group will face threatening new villains, encounter colorful adversaries, embark on thrilling adventures and become heroes with the power to ignite a rebellion. 

Scheduled to premiere in the fall as a one-hour special telecast on Disney Channel, it will be followed by a series on Disney XD channels around the world. 

Follow @StarWars and @DisneyChannelPR for the latest news on #StarWarsRebels. Stay tuned to www.StarWars.com for more on Star Wars Rebels at SDCC! 

LucasFilm Announces Second Annual Star Wars Read Day

Lucasfilm, Disney Publishing Worldwide, and its publishing partners announced today the second annual Star Wars Reads Day to be held this October 5, 2013.  Last year, 30 authors and 1,500 costumed volunteers participated in over 1,200 Star Wars Reads Day events across North America.  On October 5 of this year, Star Wars fans, authors, and artists will again come together in this multi-publisher initiative that celebrates reading and Star Wars.  Participating publishing partners include Abrams, Chronicle Books, Dark Horse, Del Rey, DK, Quirk Books, Random House Audio, Scholastic, Titan Magazines, and Workman.

“Star Wars Reads Day is the kind of initiative that we at Lucasfilm love to support” says Carol Roeder, Director of Publishing at Lucasfilm.  “Reading and Star Wars have gone hand-in-hand since 1976, when the novelization of the original Star Wars movie was released.  Over the years, many fans have discovered the joy in reading through Star Wars books, and we hope to continue encouraging more people to read.”

Official Star Wars Reads Day author events are already confirmed at the following locations:

Ann Arbor, MI – Barnes & Noble

Austin, TX – Barnes & Noble

Carle Place, NY – Barnes & Noble

Cincinnati, OH – Joseph-Beth Booksellers

Denver, CO – Tattered Cover

Madison, WI – Barnes & Noble

New York, NY – The Scholastic Store

Portland, OR – Wordstock Festival

Redondo Beach, CA – Mysterious Galaxy

Richmond, VA – bbgb

Roseville, MN – Barnes & Noble

San Francisco, CA – Books Inc.

Seattle, WA – University Bookstore

Warwick, RI – Barnes & Noble

For updates and more information, follow Star Wars Reads on Facebook:

 https://www.facebook.com/StarWarsReads

Course of the Force Strikes Back for San Diego Comic Con 2013

We were fortunate to attend the very first closing ceremonies for Course of the Force last year, which ended up in San Diego before San Diego Comic Con 2012 would begin. Being huge Star Wars fans, it was truly an amazing experience to see this giant Jabba's Sailbarge rolling down the streets of San Diego. Here is our coverage from the Course of the Force last year. With the amazing success of raising money for Make-A-Wish, Course of the Force will be back again this year! 

Official Press Release for Course of the Force 2013:

On the heels of last year’s monumental, first-of-its-kind event, Course of the Force, the lightsaber run that captivated the attention of Star Wars^™ fans around the world, is returning July 9^th – 16^th, 2013.  Kicking off at the famed Skywalker Ranch, participants will continue the relay run down through San Francisco with several stops along the California coastline before reaching the finish line— arriving just in time for the start of the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con^® International convention. Nerdist Industries’ founder Chris Hardwick will be back to host the event, with city-stops along the way featuring “Conivals” where fans can celebrate their love of the Saga with live entertainment, expo booths, giveaways and much more.

"Our plan to run at Comic-con screaming with a lightsaber worked beyond our wildest dreams. People showed up! Lots of them! In cosplay! And we were able to grant more than 1000 wishes for Make-A-Wish!" said Chris Hardwick. "Last year we started in Santa Monica, this year, Marin, and hopefully next year Tatooine.”

 Course of the Force has reteamed with the Make-A-Wish Foundation® chapters of Greater Bay, Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego with 100 percent of all runner registration proceeds benefiting the charity.  In 2012, the Make-A-Wish Foundation^® had a strong presence during the inaugural event, with Make-A-Wish kids participating in the opening and closing ceremonies of Course of the Force and running in the event.

Given the overwhelming response to the 2012 relay, this year’s event is expanding and will cover nearly 500 miles; at the end of the route, Course of the Force will be hosting activities at the Chuck Jones Gallery in San Diego during San Diego Comic-Con International from July 18^th - 20th.

Highlights from last year’s 136-mile Course of the Force lightsaber run featured a caravan of costumed runners, Jabba the Hutt’s Sail Barge and two Yoda-fied RVs traveling down the Pacific Coast Highway. 

In addition to helping grant wishes, participants of Course of the Force will run quarter-mile segments down the California coast, passing off the official Course of the Force lightsaber. Registration is now open at http://www.starwars.com/courseoftheforce. Each relay spot is $150, which includes a customized Hasbro lightsaber, exclusive Course of the Force swag bag and the experience of a lifetime.  Runners are encouraged to be creative and wear their best Star Wars gear.  

All Course of the Force video content will be distributed via Starwars.com  at http://www.starwars.com/courseoftheforce and hosted on the Nerdist YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/Nerdist. 

For more information on Course of the Force, visit http://www.starwars.com/courseoftheforce. 

RESOURCES

Website – starwars.com/courseoftheforce

Facebook – facebook.com/courseoftheforce                       

Twitter – @CourseOtheForce

Google + – plus.google.com/103291298159790820268

Pinterest – pinterest.com/courseotheforce/

YouTube – youtube.com/nerdist & youtube.com/courseoftheforce

Lucasfilm, the Lucasfilm logo, STAR WARS™ and related properties are trademarks and/or copyrights, in the United States and other countries, of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. TM & © Lucasfilm Ltd.  All rights reserved.  All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners.

LucasFilm and Dark Horse Announce George Lucas' Original The Star Wars at WonderCon Anaheim 2013

WonderCon Anaheim 2013 wrapped up yesterday and it was an amazing event, especially for Star Wars fans. Dark Horse Comics had their Star Wars panel yesterday and we were there to hear the news and updates in the Star Wars universe. We did learn about Star Wars Legacy II, Star Wars Dark Times, and Brian Wood's take in Star Wars, but would soon get the biggest news about The Star Wars! The Star Wars will be a series coming later this year, which is from George Lucas' original screenplay for Star Wars that he created in 1974. Here is the official press release from Dark Horse about this series we can not wait for. 

Page 2 in The Star Wars

It’s no April Fools’ prank! Dark Horse is honored to announce a dream project: working with J.W. Rinzler, executive editor at LucasBooks, and artist Mike Mayhew (Avengers) to adapt the rough-draft original screenplay which spawned the biggest franchise in film history!

Three years before his 1977 film, George Lucas put down on paper his first story set in a galaxy far, far away—a tale of fantastic adventures, daring escapes, “lazer swords,” romance, and monsters. A story of Jedi Annikin Starkiller and General Luke Skywalker, an alien named Han Solo, and evil Sith Knights. The screenplay was titled The Star Wars!

“I’m not sure where I first read about The Star Wars—it was years and years ago—but the idea of Luke Skywalker being an older Jedi General, and Han Solo being a six-foot-tall lizard, turned my Star Wars fan brain on its side,” said longtime Star Wars editor Randy Stradley. “I always assumed this would be one of those stories that would be ‘lost to history,’ so getting to work on bringing it to life is kinda like a dream come true.”

“While researching in the Lucasfilm Archives I’ve found many treasures—but one which truly astounded me was George’s rough draft for The Star Wars. His first complete imaginings were hallucinating to read—mind blowing,” said writer J.W. Rinzler. “While working with George on another book project, I once asked if we could adapt his rough draft. He was hesitant. Years later, with Dark Horse’s invaluable help, we showed him a few drawn and colored pages of what it might look like. He gave us the okay.”

Originally conceived in 1974, The Star Wars has been the subject of rumor and legend in the fan community throughout the history of the galaxy far, far away. Now, Lucas has seen fit to grant Dark Horse the right to adapt this fabled story into an eight-issue comic series launching in September!

Star Wars Animation Takes a New Direction with Disney

The Star Wars: The Clone Wars Animated series came to a close this past Saturday, March 2nd on the Cartoon Network. The Clone Wars Animated series was an amazing run and it will be missed. Good news for Star Wars fans came today from StarWars.com in that we will see a new Star Wars animated series on a Disney Channel. According to StarWars.com, Lucasfilm will explore a whole new Star Wars animated series in a period that has not been seen in the Star Wars films or previous television programs. 

While Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series has come to a close, Director Dave Filoni plans to work on additional Clone Wars stories, but too early to say when and where they will appear. The Star Wars universe is sure to explore new boundaries with Disney acquiring Lucasfilm and I look forward to seeing something new. We definitely will be seeing more details in the next few months and we will share it.

Star Wars is back in 3D Back-to-Back for Late 2013

That's right Star Wars Fans, they will be released three weeks apart. Attack of the Clones will open on September 20, 2013 and Revenge of the Sith on October 11, 2013.  The logic to these Fall release dates is because of next year's abundance of Summer 3D movie release dates. Two of those movies will be The Little Mermaid in 3D and Sin City : A Dame To Kill in 2D and 3D, which will be close to the Star Wars dates. This past February, The Phantom Menace was released and made over 43 million dollars. That gave it the green light to get Episode II under way. In a way it's good that they are getting the new trilogy out of the way since it was not the greatest. Here is a pic from Celebration VI of the release dates, enjoy!   

                                       

                                        

Course of the Force Finale Run in San Diego on July 11, 2012

History would be made on Wednesday, July 11, 2012 and we were fortunate to attend and be part of it. Course of the Force would be introduced for the first time this year and created by Lucasfilm Ltd., Nerdist Industries and Octagon. Course of the Force is an Olympic torch style relay run with lightsabers, where the participants will make a journey from Santa Monica to San Diego while benefiting the Make-A-Wish Foundation. In this journey in the inaugural run, Course of the Force would help raise well over $100,000 and continues to grow as their auctions continue on Ebay through July 21st. 

The adventure would begin on Saturday, July 7, 2012 in Santa Monica where great festivities occurred in honor of lighting the torch (lightsaber) to begin the long journey to Endor (I mean San Diego). During the run, parties would finish off the successful lightsaber passings in each city, each day. 

We were fortunate to be part of the history by attending the grand finale of the run on the final day in San Diego at the Balboa Theater. 

Happy Holidays Star Wars Style

Well we are in December, and you know what that means, the Holidays are here with cheer! Each year, Lucasfilm has created a Holiday card since 1977 from the very beginning of it all and they just released pictures of this year's greeting card. 

2011 Lucasfilm "Jabba the Snowman" Holiday Greeting Card

What can the Holidays be without Star Wars? We are huge Star Wars fans and have enjoyed the great Christmas ornaments that have been released throughout the years from Hallmark to Gentle Giant Studios. I have to bring up Gentle Giant Studios because for the past few years, Premier Guild Members have been fortunate to get a Star Wars Holiday themed mini bust each year and this year's is amazing! It actually is based on the 2010 Lucasfilm Holiday Card! 

2010 Lucasfilm Holiday Card

2011 Gentle Giant Star Wars 

Darth Vader "Thank the Maker" Holiday Mini Bust

Sideshow Collectibles is another of our favorite companies that produces some of the best Star Wars products and they gave us another special holiday treat with the Star Wars Holiday Yoda.

Hallmark of course each year releases a few Christmas ornaments based on Star Wars and this year is no different, but with one first in series from one of my favorite toy companies, Lego. 

2011 Hallmark Lego Star Wars Darth Vader

Happy Holidays Star Wars style is definitely so true, especially with Lego. Lego wants us to spread the cheer this year by sending friends and family one of their Lego Star Wars holiday greetings. Every share actually helps to donate a Lego to the Toys for Tots program! What another amazing reason to love Lego! They have been known to release some great toys, shows, commercials and videos. They have made some great Holiday themed videos that can be found on www.legosantayoda.com. 

Here are the Lego Star Wars Greetings to Share!












Happy Holidays from the Angry Koala Gear team!