Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure

Some things to keep in mind when watching this movie: 1) It was made for TV. 2) It was 1984, and 3) It was intended for children. Although many people think this is just a cheap movie made to capitalize on the popularity of the Star Wars films, I see this film and it's sequel as an interesting way to look at the Star Wars Universe when Luke and company aren't around. It's not perfect, but neither was Phantom Menace, after all.

P.S.: I'm not in any way saying Phantom Menace was a bad movie, it was one of my favorite movies of 1999. I'm just saying it's not perfect. Anything less than A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back has to live with that fact.

A Star Wars spin-off for children. Well, Star Wars is for children as well. All right I know, Star Wars is very much enjoyable for adults. This movie isn't.

Everything is about the Ewoks here, those fuzzy little furballs from The Return of the Jedi. They are as cute as ever, even though the way their faces aren't moving is a bit creepy. On the positive side these Ewoks are the same ones we saw in The Return of the Jedi. They talk the same way they did there, by operating with such words as 'gunda' (good) or 'feech' (what seems to be an Ewokian cuss-word).

Of course there are also humans in the movie, 2 children, who are lost and are looking for their parents in the vast forests of the moon of Endor. The storyline covers the journey of a little girl and her brother to the hideout of a giant, who apparently holds their parents hostage, with the local Ewoks helping the children throughout their quest. No more, no less.

As I said, this movie is definitely for children. For adults it might be tedious to watch because of the lack of dialogues (everything is told by a narrator, for obvious reasons), and the overall silliness of the movie. And I mean tedious even to adults who are otherwise Star Wars fans/addicts. But for children it can be enjoyable. It's important to note that George Lucas wrote the story, so it's actually the creation of the father of the Star Wars universe and it's got a bit darker, grimmer sequel named The Battle for Endor.

I used to watch this movie all the time when I was younger and especially loved the antics of those forest-dwelling Ewoks and their human counterparts. Most of the cast I didn't recognize though I do remember Burl Ives as the narrator, who also did the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Christmas special. And Warwick Davis returned to play the Ewok Wicket. There are some suspenseful moments, but nothing too scary, plus some stop-motion animated creatures.

This is about family, and courage and hope. I probably won't look at the movie the same way again now, but it was decent for its time. It was a welcome return to the Endor moon and its denizens.

These furry little bears known as "Ewoks" had been related to the STAR WARS legend, but this made-for-TV concoction (and the one following this) has nothing to do with the legendary movies. It is, of course, an expansion of the STAR WARS universe that reaches into the realms of mystical adventures, while still holding on to the familiar science fiction theme that George Lucas once created.

THE EWOK ADVENTURE isn't going to win any awards for its basic storyline, plot, and acting routines, and it may remind some of us about the silly live-action Filmation programs that once dominated Saturday mornings in the 70s. The leftover sets from JEDI and its costumes are a real help along with Burl Ives' narration. Don't expect BIG results here; it's VERY predictable! While its fun for virtually all ages, leave this to the kids.

Having heard terrible things for so many years, I actually thought this was pretty good.

It started a little slow, and the dubbing took some getting used to, particularly as the Ewok's mouths bear no relation to their speech.

There's really nothing original in the main story, a ragtag band of brave hearts go on a quest together to free a Princess trapped in an ogres cave, except the Princess are parents and the braves are Ewoks, but it's all done very well, filmed beautifully and there's never a dull moment.

For fans of practical effects, once the band gets questing, there is one in almost every scene, tons of interesting matte paintings, puppets, stop motion, animation, superimposition, playing with film speed and scale, there's lots to enjoy.

I was entertained, and that's all one could ask of any movie, really.