Ewoks, Droids to Debut on DVD

Lucasfilm Ltd. and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment revealed today that three new DVD double features including the animated Ewoks and Droids adventures will be available on DVD for the first time ever on Nov. 23, 2004. These Star Wars spin-offs have rarely been seen since their TV debuts.

Star Wars Animated Adventures: Ewoks includes two animated Ewok features that recount the years before the Battle of Endor. In The Haunted Village and Tales from the Endor Woods, Wicket is a young Ewok struggling to achieve maturity in his community. In a quest to prove his courage, he undertakes a series of adventures with friends Princess Kneessa, Latara the aspiring musician, and Teebo the animal empath. Together, they help the adults protect the village from enemies like Morag the Tulga Witch and their rival species, the Duloks.

Star Wars Animated Adventures: Droids also offers two animated features that visit C-3PO and R2-D2 before they met Luke Skywalker. The Pirates and the Prince and Treasure of the Hidden Planet pit the hardware Laurel and Hardy against gangsters, pirates and the Empire. The toons, which originally aired on ABC in 1985 and 1986, were co-produced by Lucasfilm, Nelvana, Hanho Heung-Up and Mi-Hahn Prods.

Fans will also be able to pick up the live-action telepics Star Wars Ewok Adventures: Caravan Of Courage and Star Wars Ewok Adventures: The Battle For Endor on one disc. The films document the Towani family’s adventures with the Ewoks after they are stranded on the moon of Endor. Separated from their parents when their shuttlecraft crash lands, children, Mace and Cindel must gain the support and trust of the Ewoks in order to rescue their parents, who have been captured by a giant monster named Gorax. Upon their return to the Ewok village, our heroes are attacked foreign invaders in the second feature.

Caravan Of Courage received an international theatrical release and was subsequently broadcast on U.S. television in 1984, followed by its sequel, The Battle For Endor, which aired in 1985.

Each double feature release will carry a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $14.98. Apparently fans will still have to wait for the notorious Wookie Christmas special to come to disc.