Dave Filoni

Star Wars: The Clone Wars‘ Dave Filoni

Dave Filoni has spent a long time immersed in the Star Wars universe. A fan of the franchise since childhood, Filoni today serves as the supervising director of Lucasfilm Animation’s Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Working with artists, animators, writers and episodic directors, he has taken viewers on all-new adventures in the Star Wars galaxy with the Cartoon Network original series. He tells TV Kids Weekly about the challenge of putting an animated spin on the world’s biggest movie franchise.

TV KIDS: How did you approach turning this iconic brand into an animated film, and then into a TV series?
FILONI: I had several meetings with George Lucas, and he set the tone for what his expectations were. He wanted a new look, something no one had seen before, and he wanted it to capture the epic scale of Star Wars in 22 minutes. I then studied different styles of Star Wars art, from Ralph McQuarrie’s original concept art for the classic Star Wars, to the Cartoon Network micro-series and more recent prequel films. We tried to find a way to combine these styles into an animated look that was still true to the visual design of Star Wars.

The story lines were laid out in broad strokes from discussions head writer Henry Gilroy and I had with George Lucas. We then came up with several different stories that became the early episodes. After a while, George got so excited about the episodes he started giving us more specific outlines and stories, which was amazing.

TV KIDS: What’s the key to making it feel fresh for viewers today?
FILONI: We have to always challenge ourselves to show the audience something they’ve never seen before. If we are doing a battle, we will stick it on the side of the cliff and do a vertical battle. If we have Jedi in a tough situation, we try to get them out of it in creative and different ways. It’s a big challenge, and George always reminds us that he’s already done the easy stuff in his films.
  
TV KIDS: What is it about Star Wars that has been able to appeal to so many different generations, all around the world?
FILONI: I think the story is very universal, and the environment and characters are very familiar feeling. I knew a guy growing up that was like Han Solo, I think at one point in our life we feel like Luke Skywalker did when he left his home on Tatooine. These connections are very comfortable, so we think we know this place, this galaxy, and yet the scale and spectacle of it is also amazing. So we see things we never imagined, whether it was a laser sword or a giant snow walker that looked like an animal, Star Wars has always amazed us.

TV KIDS: How much of the original mythology do you draw on? And how free are you to develop new characters and locations within this universe?
FILONI: I love the original mythology and I try to draw upon it without overdoing it. If we get too precise and answer every question, it would take away from the original mythology. Sometimes we only reference the mythology visually, with familiar locations and designs. George is always encouraging us to create new characters, planets and vehicles. Sometimes he will give me a design that he has been saving for years and now figured out where to use it, and sometimes we get to make it up from scratch, its all pretty exciting because either way, it is becoming part of the Star Wars galaxy.

TV KIDS: As a fan, what was it like for you when you started working at Lucasfilm?
FILONI: I grew up on Lucasfilm movies, I felt I had a good idea of what it was going to be like. The Skywalker Ranch is an amazing location to work, and you can see the history of Star Wars everywhere you go, whether it be in the old movie posters on the wall, or the archive building where the speeder bikes are kept. Best of all, the studio is supported by amazing people who are a thrill to work with.

TV KIDS: How much of a responsibility do feel to that intensely passionate fan base? Is it ever daunting?
FILONI: I knew going in that the fan base would have high expectations, and I take the responsibility I carry very seriously. At the end of the day, I have to show everything I do to George Lucas. If he’s happy with it I know we are doing a good job. George is always my toughest critic, but it’s his high standards that grew the fan base in the first place, and now we must continue that tradition.

TV KIDS: How much do you think about all the various extensions to the brand, be it the merchandise or the new-media properties, as you’re working on the series?
FILONI: It’s been fun for all of us to see toys of our show on the store shelves. It’s hard to believe because I can remember getting Star Wars figures when I was a kid, and now kids are buying Clone Wars figures that sometimes are characters I designed. When you see how happy it makes them—I think that’s what resonates most with all of us.

TV KIDS: Are you working on any other projects you can tell us about? 
FILONI: I am very focused on Clone Wars and dedicate most of my time to that. Like all artists, I have my other projects, but for now I get to journey to a galaxy far, far away and there’s no place I would rather be.