Theres this whole galaxy far, far away thing, and in it lies the canon of Star Wars. From this canon comes forth Star Wars: The Clone Wars, an animated take on some of the goings on of Anakin Skywalker (Matt Lanter) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (James Arnold Taylor) that fall on the timeline somewhere between Episodes II and III. This is a kids movie, which doesnt necessarily always have to mean theres a lack of quality, but in this case, it helps explain much of what diehard Star Wars fans find so insulting about this addition to the story.
Theres all kinds of warring going on in the galaxy, with the Republic being attacked by the Separatists and the Jedi folks feeling stretched pretty thin. While Obi-Wan Kenobi is off doing his hero thing with the Clone Army, Anakin has been given a Padawan learner named Ahsoka (Ashley Eckstein) by Yodaand right away, a new crisis erupts. It seems that someone has kidnapped Jabba the Hutts son and its up to the Jedis to get him backor risk the destruction of the Republic.
Much of the criticism for this movie comes from the Star Wars diehards who seem to feel that George Lucas is somehow trying to destroy his own creation. I dont think thats the case; I think what we have in The Clone Wars is a piece of the Star Wars puzzle that could appeal to adult fans, but was created especially for kids. Kids like nicknames and one-liners and video games, and this film is full of goofy nicknames, clichéd one-liners, and animation that feels a lot like youre watching a friend play something on your PlayStation. But its not a bad way to introduce kids to this world and some of its characters, and Ahsoka is not nearly as annoying as Jar-Jar Binks. There are definitely better kid movies out there (for the total opposite experience of watching this film, see Wall-E), but this one will hold their interest for at least one viewing, and its not quite as bad as some would have you believe.