The Ewoks and Droids Adventure Hour cartoons brought Star Wars to children’s animation. The same studio created them as the brief Boba Fett introduction in the Star Wars Holiday special (the only bit of that which was looked on in a positive light.)
These cartoons were the most expensive produced at the time, and they changed the voice acting as well. I still recall as a kid how confused I’d get to hear Shaggy of Scooby Doo’s voice coming out of another cartoon character. George Lucas also noticed the same small group of voice actors were always getting the parts and not even varying the tones and accents in the process. (I do love Casey Kasem as Shaggy, but even now, it feels weird to hear the same ones in, say, the Return of the King Rankin Bass animation.) So there were more different voices in these cartoons, and even those who voiced more than one character made them sound different.
The cartoons did have some externally placed limitations. They weren’t allowed at the time to show actual violence, hence you would see a ‘seed shooter’ instead of a blaster. No one died if they got shot, only stunned.
Internally, they made some changes to improve kid appeal, too. They ran from 1985-1986 against some seriously fierce opposition in children’s programming.
Droids
So younger kids could understand the droids better, they were made more physically flexible and expressive. Hence, 3PO having eyebrows that raised, and pupils that rolled around. R2’s body flexed fatter or thinner. He also seemed to have an unlimited number of odd gadgets. The personalities remained unchanged.
This change only in recent years really hits home as it sank in that what I personally read into, say, R2-D2’s colorful whistles and beeps was not what others did. So it makes sense they sought to clarify for a younger audience.
The Droids had many masters (or really, friends) along the way as well as adventures. They ran afoul of pirates and the Empire. Their allies were varies in color, size, sex, shape and species. So were their enemies.
Many of the things we saw in the show later appear in some form or another in the movies, including Boonta racing, wheel bikes, 4 armed cooks and so on.
The time period for the Droids show is set between the Trilogies when they should be with the Organa’s. It was later explained the reason the Droids were NOT allowed in escape pods is they somehow tumbled into one before a hyperspace jump and got lost, causing Bail Organa considerable angst, knowing their backgrounds (even if 3PO did not.)
Unfortunately, it was cancelled after only one season. The competition was very stiff in animated kids programming those years, and as I mentioned earlier it was an expensive show to produce.
Review:
I was loved it and was thrilled with the first season adventures of R2, 3PO, Wicket and Kneesa and all their new friends. I was not pleased that Droids ended with only one season. On the Ewoks return, I can only say it was seriously over sweetened. They’d pushed and altered the contents to compete with the more infantile audience, altering the looks of the Ewoks. The stories weren’t terrible but weren’t up to the quality of the first season, in my opinion. Nonetheless, I enjoy rewatching and would consider a deluxe release with all the episodes a guaranteed purchase, if I had to live on Oodles of Noodles and start counting pennies!
Ewoks
Ewoks even in the first season are made more teddy bear like with somewhat altered colors. Logray is shorter and rounder (hard to tell if it’s him or the outfit). Teebo is chestnut brown and not gray striped. This latter is never explained, though as he does become the shaman’s assistant one can make guesses. Even in the show, things happen with that. Added to the list is Teebo’s little sister Melanie, Chief Chirpa’s daughter Kneesa and the rival race of green swamp dwelling Duloks.
Wicket is still a child and treated as one here, though he and his friends have adventure, and he surely knows how to both hang glide and use a spear. Some of the shows have lessons regarding responsibilities and leadership.
As for continuity: we hear other languages than ‘Human basic’ in the show, though some are obviously given the ‘speak in the language of the listener’ treatment. Lucasfilm knew the kids weren’t going to understand every word of Ewok! But they also knew that certain oft used words and phrases would be picked up on. ‘Dangar Ewok’ (Danger) or Yub nub (Hooray) or Lerdo (idiot, or similar).
Home Release of Ewoks and Droids Adventure Hour
What was released on home media was released separately in individual episodes. Unfortunately, much was not released at all.
The complete set of the Droids shows has never been released on physical media. Some of it came out on VHS and PAL, and some episodes came out on a double-sided DVD. But we never got all episodes. We got the most of (but not all) the Pirate and the Prince arc, and the Search for Roonstones arc. But that left out Coby and the Starhunters (end of Pirates and the Prince), The White Witch arc, and the Great Heep hour long special. The DVD also dropped the colorful “In Trouble Again” theme song sung by Steward Copeland.
The same is true of Ewoks as of Droids. There was a double-sided disc of several Ewok episodes, but it did not include all of them. Ewoks: The Tree of Light was only available on VHS. Others were only available on PAL format.
The disc has The Cries of the Trees, The Haunted Village, Rampage of the Phlogs and to Save Deej on one side. On the other, Curse of the Jindas, Sunstar VS Shadowstone, Wicket’s Wagon and Asha.
That leaves the Curse of the Jindas, Land of the Gupins, The Three Lessons, and Blue Harvest of the First season all MIA from DVD as well as the second season. Many of them were on PAL or VHS, but are hard to find now and the 2 formats aren’t compatible.
Those episodes are The Crystal Cloak, the Wish Plant, Home is where the Shrieks are, Princess Latara, the Raich, The Totem Master, A Gift for Shodu, Night of the Stranger, Gone with the Mipmphs, The First Apprentice, Hard Sell, A Warrior and a Lurdo, The Season Scepter, Prow Beaten, Baga’s Rival, Horvile’s Hut of Horrors, The Tragic Flute, Just My Luck, Bringing up Norky, and Battle for the Sunstar – this also aired as series finale in a way that linked it to ROTJ.
Later episodes include Party Ewok, Malani the Warrior,
The Ewoks and Droids Adventure Hour shows were apparently to air on starwars(.)com but that was right before the Disney buyout. It has been reported that for a time it was on Disney+ and some episodes are to be found on Youtube and the web archive.
Personally I believe even the worst of these episodes deserves a complete full restoration and release in a DVD and Blu Ray set. Contrary to popular belief, there are places with no internet. And streaming services can cut the offering at any time.
Ewoks and Droids Adventure Hour Tie Ins:
There were action figures briefly made of these, which at the time weren’t too popular but, now are resold for a great deal. You can find them listed on Galacticfigures.com. The Ewoks are here and the Droids are here.
Each had a separate series of the Ewoks and Droids Adventure Hour under the Marvel Comics Star imprint. The Ewoks and Droids series did have a crossover issue. These got an omnibus that had both series, years later, and one Ewoks story later got an anniversary edition graphic novel.
Also, years later, Dark Horse comics did an Ewoks: Shadows of Endor Adventure size graphic novel. This was about the size of the other Star Wars Adventures, about the size to fit in a large pocket. It included the characters from the TV show and merely updated the looks.
The Ewoks show presumably starts sometime before the Ewok Adventures. Either that or it might be interwoven with them – but the fate of some of the Ewoks is greatly affected in the Ewoks Battle for Endor Sequel.
Continuity of the Ewoks and Droids Adventure Hour
The Timing of the Ewoks and Droids Adventure Hour is something that was adjusted for Continuity. Initially, suggestions included hundreds of years before the movies. Given the ending of Revenge of the Sith, clarified when Droids needed to take place.
Admiral Screed in the Droids Roon arc was a colleague of Jan Dodonna, from Star Wars A New Hope. He was also in the game Star Wars Rebellion.
Mungo Baobab, a main character in several stories, has relative, Ebenn Q3 Baobab, in The Phantom Menace background.
Boba Fett from The Empire Strikes Back appears in the White Witch Story arc.
Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide by Ryder Windham explains how the Droids were separated from the Organa’s, therefore wandering in the show.
The Droids Reanimated from the old Star Wars site also had details. Check out part one and Part two.
Various elements from Droids appear in the prequels. The Boonta Race in the White Witch arc has a podrace version in the Phantom Menace. The first wheel bike was seen here, as was the first four armed cook. Bogden came up first here, before Attack of the Clones. Toong first came up here.
The Bordok from Ewoks can be found in Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided and is an obtainable pet.
There were also a few storybooks based on the Ewok cartoon.
Ewoks and Droids Adventure Hour Sources
Star Wars Bantha Tracks 25 Summer 1984 (Initial announcement)
Star Wars Bantha Tracks 26 Fall 1984 (Ewoks content)
Star Wars Bantha Tracks 29 Summer 1985 (Ewoks content)
Star Wars Insider 62 (Aayla cover, details on Star Wars Galaxies Creation of Endor)
Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide by Ryder Windham
The Droids Reanimated
Star Wars Essential Guide to Characters
The New Essential Guide to Droids
