Also known as | The Ewok Adventure |
---|---|
Genre | |
Screenplay by | Bob Carrau |
Story by | George Lucas |
Directed by | John Korty |
Starring | |
Narrated by | Burl Ives |
Theme music composer | Peter Bernstein |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language(s) | English |
Production | |
Executive producer(s) | George Lucas |
Producer(s) | |
Production location(s) | Marin County, California |
Cinematography | John Korty |
Editor(s) | John Nutt |
Running time | 97 minutes[1] |
Production company(s) | |
Distributor | Disney–ABC Domestic Television |
Release | |
Original network | ABC |
Picture format | Color |
Audio format | Dolby |
Original release | |
Chronology | |
Followed by | Ewoks: The Battle for Endor |
![Caravan of hope cyberghost Caravan of hope cyberghost](/uploads/1/2/5/6/125680708/783665040.png)
The Ewok Adventure is a 1984 American television film based in the Star Wars universe, which takes place on the moon of Endor between the events of Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back and Episode VI – Return of the Jedi.[2][3] It features the Ewoks, who help two young human siblings as they try to locate their parents.
The Caravan of Hope is a non-profit organization that collects goods and funds in support of humanitarian issues in Latin America. We are 100% composed of volunteers, many of whom are humble immigrants themselves who have seen these issues firsthand in their countries of origin.
The film was given a limited international theatrical run, for which it was retitled Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure. It was followed by a sequel, Ewoks: The Battle for Endor, in 1985.
- 3Production
Plot[edit]
On the forest moon of Endor, the Towani family starcruiser lies wrecked. The Towani family (Catarine, Jeremitt, Mace, and Cindel) are stranded. When Catarine and Jeremitt vanish (having been captured by the Gorax), the children are found by the Ewok Deej. After Mace tries to kill them, the Ewoks subdue him and take both children to the Ewoks’ home. There, Cindel and Wicket become friends. Shortly thereafter, the Ewoks kill a boar wolf only to find a life-monitor from one of the Towani parents with the creature.
They seek out the Ewok Logray who informs them that the parents have been taken by the monstrous Gorax, which resides in a deserted, dangerous area. A caravan of Ewoks is formed to help the children find their parents. They meet up with a wistie named Izrina and a boisterous Ewok named Chukha-Trok before finally reaching the lair of the Gorax. They engage the Gorax in battle, freeing Jeremitt and Catarine, but Chukha-Trok is killed. The Gorax is thought destroyed when it is knocked into a chasm, but it takes a final blow from Mace (using Chukha-Trok’s axe) to kill the creature, which tries to climb back up after them. Thus reunited, the Towanis decide to stay with the Ewoks until they can repair the starcruiser, and Izrina leaves to go back to her family.
Cast[edit]
![Caravan Caravan](https://www.cyberghostvpn.com/img/pages/press/screenshots/v7/windows/en/4.png)
- Warwick Davis as Wicket W. Warrick
- Aubree Miller as Cindel Towani
- Eric Walker as Mace Towani
- Fionnula Flanagan as Catarine Towani
- Guy Boyd as Jeremitt Towani
- Daniel Frishman as Deej
- Debbie Lee Carrington as Weechee
- Tony Cox as Widdle
- Kevin Thompson as Chukha-Trok
- Margarita Fernández as Kaink
- Pam Grizz as Shodu
- Bobby Bell as Logray
- Burl Ives as Narrator (voice)
- Darryl Henriques as Wicket (voice) (as Daryl Henriquez)
- Sydney Walker as Deej (voice)
Production[edit]
Inspiration and creative control[edit]
The original impetus for Caravan of Courage was an idea George Lucas had for a one-hour television special dealing with the Ewoks, but this was eventually expanded into two hours. Lucas had allowed his Star Wars universe to be produced for television six years earlier with the Star Wars Holiday Special which had proved an embarrassment to Lucas.[4] With The Ewok Adventure, Lucas assumed full control over the content and production of the film, to ensure a film of good quality.
The film's producer was Thomas G. Smith, at the time an employee at Industrial Light & Magic (ILM). Smith had intended for Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom to be his last project for ILM, wanting to make his own movies, however Lucas convinced him to stay by offering the producer role for a half-hour Ewok film he was developing.[5] When shopping the film around Smith discovered that none of the TV networks at the time were interested in airing a movie with short runtime.[5]ABC showed interest, however under the condition that the movie be fleshed out so that it could fit in a two-hour movie of the week slot as such the movie was expanded to fill the request [5]
The producers initially conceived of the Ewoks films as a cross between 'Hansel and Gretel and Tarzan of the Apes.'[6]
Crew[edit]
Working from a story written by George Lucas, and a screenplay by Bob Carrau, director John Korty transformed the scenic northern California redwood forests into the forest moon of Endor. Joe Johnston, an art director at ILM for years and one of the key concept artists of the classic Star Wars trilogy, acted as production designer. Prior to this movie, Johnston had written and illustrated a book about Ewoks, The Adventures of Teebo: A Tale of Magic and Suspense. This gave him a background to the arboreal aliens that was crucial in designing new Ewoks and their surroundings.
Visual effects[edit]
Both Ewok films were some of the last intensive stop-motion animation work ILM produced, as by the early 1980s, the technique was being replaced by go motion, an advanced form of animation with motorized puppets that move while the camera shutter is open.[7] However, go motion was too expensive for the budgets of the Ewok films, so stop motion was used to realize creatures such as the condor dragon, the blurrgs, and the boar wolves.
The Ewok movies proved an opportunity for ILM to utilize a technique innovated for 2001: A Space Odyssey called latent image matte painting.[8][9] In this technique, during live-action photography, a section of the camera lens is blocked off and remains unexposed. The film is rewound, the blocked areas reversed, and a painting crafted to occupy the space is photographed.
Music[edit]
The musical score for Caravan of Courage was composed by Peter Bernstein. Selections from the score were released on LP by Varèse Sarabande in 1986.[10] The release was known simply as Ewoks and also contained cues from Bernstein's score to the sequel Ewoks: The Battle for Endor.
Documentaries and commentary[edit]
During the production of Caravan of Courage, the children in the cast had to balance their school work with acting in the film. During their time on the set, Lucasfilm decided that it might be an educational and rewarding experience for the older children, Eric Walker (Mace) and Warwick Davis (Wicket), to be given their own camera to use between takes. So, calling themselves W&W Productions, Eric and Warwick shot a documentary of the making of the film, which was released to Eric's YouTube-channel in 2014.[11]
When the film was released on DVD in 2004 it contained nothing but the film itself. Eric Walker and Warwick Davis stated in interviews that they would be happy to record a cast commentary for another future DVD release, if Lucasfilm someday allowed a more detailed release of the films.[citation needed]
Adaptations[edit]
In 1985, Random House released a children's book adaptation of The Ewok Adventure by Amy Ehrlich, titled The Ewoks and the Lost Children, and utilized the story presented in the film, along with stills from the film.[citation needed]
Later Expanded Universe appearances[edit]
Since the release of The Ewok Adventure in 1984, several elements from the film have gone on to appear in other works from the Star Wars Expanded Universe. Many of the characters, locations, or other elements are elaborated on in greater detail.
- Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985) is the second of the two made-for-TV Ewok films. It dealt with the orphanage of Cindel, after her family was killed by Sanyassan Marauders. The marauders also kidnap many of the Ewoks. After meeting and being taken in by Noa Briqualon, Cindel, along with the Ewoks, must team up to defeat the marauders and free the others from their grasp.
- Ewoks (1985–1987) was an ABC animated series featuring the Ewoks that ran for two seasons. Set a few years before the films,[12] it incorporates several elements introduced in the two Ewok films, such as the appearance of Queen Izrina of the Wisties.
- Tyrant's Test (1996) - According to the Expanded Universe continuity, the character of Cindel Towani went on to appear in Tyrant's Test, the third book of Michael P. Kube-McDowell's Star Wars book series, The Black Fleet Crisis Trilogy. In the novel, set over ten years after The Battle for Endor, Cindel is shown to have grown to become a reporter on Coruscant. During the Yevethan crisis, Cindel received the so-called Plat Mallar tapes from Admiral Drayson, and leaked the story of the only survivor of the Yevethan attack of Polneye. The report was meant to garner sympathy among the people of the New Republic and the Senate; it worked. The Expanded Universe claims Cindel decided to join the New Republic and go into journalism after witnessing the Battle of Endor.
- Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided (2003) is an MMORPG. In the game, the player has the opportunity to encounter the Gorax and the Gorax species, as seen in The Ewok Adventure.
Release[edit]
The Ewok Adventure was first shown on American television November 25, 1984. In its overseas theatrical release, it was rechristened Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure. The film was released on VHS and Laserdisc in 1990 through MGM under the original title.
The film was released on DVD as a double feature collection with its sequel, Ewoks: The Battle for Endor, on November 23, 2004. The release was a single double-sided disc, with one film on each side. For this release, the film bore the theatrical release title, Caravan of Courage.
In January 2019, Disney and Lucasfilm released the film on Amazon's Prime Video service. It is available to rent and buy in Standard Definition.[13]
Reception[edit]
Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure was one of four films to be juried-awarded Emmys for Outstanding Special Visual Effects at the 37th Primetime Emmy Awards.[14] The film was additionally nominated for Outstanding Children's Program but lost in this category to an episode of American Playhouse.[15]
In his review for The New York Times, John J. O'Connor noted the film's story as being almost 'aggressively simple' and that 'Mr. Lucas and crew do not come up with anything terribly astonishing.'[16] With Marin County serving as the backdrop, looking 'like some never-never land east of the Sun and west of the Moon,' O'Connor recognized most of the interactions as following well-established cinematic tropes, the notable ones being between Cindel 'looking like one of those little blond angels used to top off Christmas trees' and Wicket, a performance by the-then 14 year-old Warwick Davis, whom O'Connor called 'the cleverest of the lot.'[16]
Pointing to the main characters and plot elements, one pair of writers concluded that both Caravan of Courage and its sequel Battle for Endor are fairy tales despite occurring in a science fiction setting. They point to magical phenomena in both films, which is a fantasy element. They argue that in a science fiction story, the hero wants to disrupt or challenge the hierarchy of a supposed 'utopian' society; whereas in both Ewok films, society is not challenged or disputed. Additionally, they argue, that while the Star Wars saga also has fairy tale tropes, it adhered more towards science fiction.[6] Another author agreed that the films are fairy tales, whereas 'Science explains all magic.'[17]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^'Caravan of Courage - An Ewok Adventure'. British Board of Film Classification.
- ^Chee, Leland (Tasty Taste) (June 14, 2006). 'Star Wars: Message Boards: Books, Comics, & Television VIPs'. StarWars.com. Archived from the original on March 5, 2007. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
- ^Anderson, Kevin J. (1995). The Illustrated Star Wars Universe. New York: Bantam Books. pp. 115, 132–33. ISBN0-553-09302-9.
- ^Warren, Robert Burke (December 15, 2014). 'The Flaw in the Forces: The Star Wars Holiday Special'. TheWeeklings.com. Archived from the original on February 20, 2018. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
- ^ abcAlter, Ethan. ''Star Wars': How the Ewoks Came to TV 31 Years Ago'. Yahoo. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
- ^ abDouglas Brode; Leah Deyneka (June 14, 2012). Myth, Media, and Culture in Star Wars: An Anthology. Scarecrow Press. pp. 130–131. ISBN978-0-8108-8513-4.
- ^'The 5 Most Grueling Star Wars Visual Effects'. StarWars.com. September 3, 2015. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
- ^'Matte Effects - Return of The Jedi'. The American Society of Cinematographers. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
- ^Sawicki, Mark. 'Filming the Fantastic: A Guide to Visual Effects Cinematography'. American Society of Cinematographers. Archived from the original on March 14, 2017. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
- ^Osborne, Jerry (2010). Movie/TV Soundtracks and Original Cast Recordings Price and Reference Guide. Port Townsend, Washington: Osborne Enterprises Publishing. p. 175. ISBN0932117376.
- ^Walker, Eric. 'Star Wars Ewok Adventures Making Of Teaser'. YouTube. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
- ^Veekhoven, Tim (September 3, 2015). 'From Wicket to the Duloks: Revisiting the Star Wars: Ewoks Animated Series'. StarWars.com. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
- ^https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07LFKG96J/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_dp_M8hyCb3CCP0R9_nodl
- ^Leverence, John. 'Outstanding Special Visual Effects - 1985'. 37th Primetime Emmy Awards, September 22, 1985. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
- ^'Outstanding Children's Program - 1985'. 37th Primetime Emmy Awards, September 22, 1985. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
- ^ abO'Connor, John J. (November 23, 1984). 'TV Weekend; 'The Ewok Adventure,' Sunday Movie on ABC'. The New York Times (Vol. 134, No. 46, 237). NYTimes Co. p. C34. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
- ^Charles, Eric (2012). 'The Jedi Network: Star Wars' Portrayal and Inspirations on the Small Screen'. In Brode, Douglas; Deyneka, Leah (eds.). Myth, Media, and Culture in Star Wars: An Anthology. Scarecrow Press. pp. 129–131. ISBN978-0-810-88513-4. Retrieved May 20, 2016.
External links[edit]
- Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure on Wookieepedia, a Star Wars wiki
- Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure on IMDb
- The Ewok Adventure at AllMovie
- Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure at Rotten Tomatoes
- 'Caravan of Courage: Celebrating 30 Years of An Ewok Adventure'. Mark Newbold. starwars.com. (Dated 2014)
- 'Before 'Rogue One': 'Ewok Adventure' Star on George Lucas' First 'Star Wars' Spinoff'. Aaron Couch. The Hollywood Reporter. (Dated 2016)
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Caravan_of_Courage:_An_Ewok_Adventure&oldid=896259123'
By Paul Simpkins
Like any normal UK male I like to watch sport on TV. As the season all over Europe comes to a conclusion the titles and cups are being decided. Exactly the wrong time to take a holiday. Why?
Because despite Sky Go and BT allowing you to watch their products on your laptop or other device while you’re away from home things stop working when you leave the UK. It’s nothing to do with Brexit. Your device works out that you’ve left and suddenly many services that you use frequently start to deny you access for the simple reason that you’re away from home. If you want to watch the destination of the titles and cups you have to hope that you can find a friendly bar with a TV and hope the locals aren’t supporting the team that is playing your team.You may have to consume alcohol and even sing sporting anthems badly but that’s part of the fun.
If you prefer to sit in the safety of your hotel room or rural gite or caravan there is another solution. Buy a wifi session. Your venue will probably sell you one for a few euros and you can watch in peace with a steaming cappuccino. Trouble is your device may still not allow you to connect to UK channels as it will still think you’re away from home as your IP address identifies your location.
But there’s a solution for that as well. Buy an app that masks your IP address. I’ve used this one.
And it’s worked well. For free it will tell your computer sitting in Bordeaux that it’s really in Manchester so it will be able to watch iPlayer, Sky & BT without a problem. Yabba dabba doo!
Until recently when I purchased a month’s wifi from the site where I am currently staying. The company concerned is called Ozmosis.
It’s full of lovely pictures of people enjoying themselves on holiday (the sunglasses give it away) using their wifi on holiday parks throughout Europe. 8 million users no less. So I bought a month’s wifi from them.
When it came to Champions league semi finals I thought I’d watch. It took a while. You have to run Cyberghost and find out that only 2000 free places exist and they count down at about ten a second until wow you’re sorted and watch the IP address emigrating from south west France to Manchester via a slow moving graphic then eventually log on to BT sport. Even then it often doesn’t work.
No problem. It was worth the effort. Until the following morning when you try to log on to the internet as usual. It doesn’t work. Suddenly it dawns on you via series of messages from Ozmosis they’ve identified a streaming service on your computer which violates their terms and conditions and they have terminated your wifi (after 6 of 31 days).
You ring the help line and you have to admit that you’ve been a naughty boy using an IP masking routine; apologise, delete it from your machine and they restore your wifi.
But then you think…
Who are they to say what I can do with their product? I buy it. It connects me to the internet. Can I watch porn channels with it? Can I hack health services all over Europe with it? If I buy productA that enables me to do many things can the provider of Product A stopme from doing B, C and D, E and F with their enabling product?
If I bought a Kindle and loaded it with racist literature could Amazon stop me reading it?
If I bought a car and was told by the salesman that I couldn’t drive to Chipping Sodbury because they didn’t like the name.
If I bought a mobile phone but was limited in the numbers I could call?
(other off the wall examples sought by the author)
So there you are. I can buy wifi and perform normal functions like check my email or look at my bank account or whatsapp my auntie but not watch Atletico Madrid fail to beat Real Madrid without being penalised by a faceless sysadmin near Montpellier who cuts off a service I’ve paid for because I’m doing something they don’t like.I have no other option on my campsite. Ozmosis have a monopoly.
OK millions of people streaming a major football match might use a lot of bandwidth but that’s what most European males on a campsite want to do. Saying in the T & C that you can’t do it makes buying the wifi worthless. Increase your capability Ozmosis or get out of the sector (
but they’re making zillions of euros so they won’t do that).
I expect a torrent of abuse from normal people who live without watching big sporting events but living in France for several weeks eating quality food and drinking cheap quality wine and beer while enjoying temperatures 10 degrees higher than the UK needs some mitigation otherwise it would be Paradise Lost – buts that’s another story.