For the series of road trips travelled by Hamish and Andy see:Caravan Of Courage (series)

The Ewok Adventure is a 1984 American made-for-TV film based in the Star Wars setting. It was released theatrically in Europe as Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure, and is known by that title today. The film focuses on the struggles of a brother and sister, stranded on the forest moon of Endor, in locating their parents, who have been kidnapped by a monster known as the Gorax. The film is set sometime between the fifth and sixth episodes of the Star Wars saga. It is the first of two spin-off films featuring the Ewoks from Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.

Setting[link]

The film is set sometime between Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi and approximately six months before the film's sequel Ewoks: The Battle for Endor. As the film opens, the Towani family's starcruiser has crashed on the forest moon of Endor, and the Towani parents, Jeremitt and Catarine cannot locate their children, Mace and Cindel.

Plot[link]

On the forest moon of Endor, the starcruiser of the Towani family lies wrecked. The Towani family (Catarine, Jeremitt, Mace, and Cindel) are stranded. When Catarine and Jeremitt vanish, 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 beast 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[link]

Production[link]

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Inspiration and creative control[link]

The original impetus for The Ewok Adventure 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, although economically successful for the most part, had proved an embarrassment to Lucas. With The Ewok Adventure, Lucas assumed full control over the content and production of the film, to ensure a film of good quality. One such event during production which exemplifies this need for creative control was around the time when the film neared completion. The production crew had prepared a script and shot a TV advertisement for the upcoming release. The ad featured Mace, Cindel, and Wicket walking into a diner, which was set in the 50's, where they ordered milkshakes. Mace turns to the camera, and says something to the effect of "Don't forget to tune in to The Ewok Adventure, on November 25." When Lucas was shown the commercial for his personal approval, he disliked the idea, and prevented the commercial from airing.

Crew[link]

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 Industrial Light & Magic 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.

Effects[link]

Both Ewok films were some of the last intensive stop-motion animation work Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) produced, as in the early 80s, the technique was being replaced by go-motion animation, a more advanced form with motorized articulated puppets that moved while the camera shutter was open, capturing motion blur in the otherwise static puppet, eliminating the harsh staccato movement often associated with stop-motion. However, the budgets of the Ewok films were such that go-motion was simply too expensive for the projects, 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 hone a technique from 2001: A Space Odyssey. This technique, used in photographing matte paintings, is called latent image matte painting. In this technique, during live action photography, a section of the camera's lens blocked off, remaining unexposed, and a painting would be crafted to occupy that space. The film would then be rewound, the blocked areas reversed, and the painting photographed. Since the painting now existed on the original film, there would be no generational quality loss.

Soundtrack[link]

Peter Bernstein composed the film's music, and selections from the score were released on LP by Varèse Sarabande in 1986. The release was known simply as Ewoks, and also contained cues from Bernstein's score to Ewoks: The Battle for Endor.

Documentaries and commentary[link]

During the production of The Ewok Adventure, 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, but the documentary was never publicly released, and exists now as private home movies to the two.

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.

Adaptations[link]

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.

Sequels[link]

A sequel to this movie released in 1985. While the sequel's working title was simply Ewoks II, it was released as Ewoks: The Battle for Endor. According to an interview with Warwick Davis, a second sequel, known only as "Ewoks III," was in at least the planning stages around the late eighties, but the project has been shown to have never come through. The plot of the film, if one was ever developed, was never published.

Later Expanded Universe appearances[link]

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.

• Return of the Ewok (1982) - Shot during production of Return of the Jedi, this film deals with actor Warwick Davis' transformation into Wicket, as he decides to become an actor.
• Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983) featured the introduction of Wicket and the other Ewoks, in which they help defeat the Imperial Stormtroopers and the Empire, who are guarding a shield generator on the Endor moon. The generator is important in that it protects the second Death Star, which was currently being built in orbit around the Endor moon.
• Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985) was 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.
• Star Wars: Ewoks (1985–1987) was an ABC animated series featuring the Ewoks that ran for two seasons. A follow-up to the two films, it incorporated several elements introduced in the two Ewok films, such as the appearance of Queen Izarina of the fairies.
• Tyrant's Test (1996) - According to the official continuity of the Star Wars Expanded Universe, 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[link]

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 theatrical release title, Caravan of Courage.

Features:

• Presented in its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio
• Available Subtitles: English
• Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
• DVD includes both Caravan of Courage (aka The Ewok Adventure) and The Battle for Endor

References[link]

This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2009)

Bibliography[link]

• Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure, 2004 DVD release
• Ewoks: The Battle for Endor, 2004 DVD release
• Return of the Ewok, 1982, David Tomblin
• Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, 1983, Richard Marquand
• Star Wars: Ewoks, 1985–1987, Nelvana/Lucasfilm
• Tyrant's Test, (Book 3 of The Black Fleet Crisis), first paperback printing, 1996. Michael P. Kube-McDowell, ISBN 0-553-57275-X
• The Essential guide to Characters (Star Wars), 1st edition, 1995. Andy Mangels, ISBN 0-345-39535-2
• Endor and the Moddell Sector, article from Star Wars Gamer #9 magazine
• Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi junior novelization, 2004, Ryder Windham

External links[link]

• Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure on Wookieepedia: a Star Wars Wiki
• Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure at the Internet Movie Database
• Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure at AllRovi
• Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure at Rotten Tomatoes
• A review of the DVD

v t e Star Wars Main films Original trilogy Episode IV: A New Hope · Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back · Episode VI: Return of the Jedi Prequel trilogy Episode I: The Phantom Menace · Episode II: Attack of the Clones · Episode III: Revenge of the Sith See also Sequel trilogy · Changes in theatrical and video releases Spin-off films Caravan of Courage · The Battle for Endor · The Clone Wars Television series Droids · Ewoks · Clone Wars · The Clone Wars · Underworld Television specials Holiday Special · The Great Heep Documentaries The Making of Star Wars · SP FX: The Empire Strikes Back · Classic Creatures: Return of the Jedi · From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga · Empire of Dreams · Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed Other media Books · Comics (List) · Manga · Radio · Computer and video games (List) · Games · Music · Expanded Universe · Knights of the Old Republic · Shadows of the Empire · The Force Unleashed · Lego Star Wars Films · Star Tours · Star Tours: The Adventures Continue · Star Wars: In Concert · Star Wars Insider · Star Wars Celebration · Star Wars Weekends Related topics Architecture · Canon · Cast · Characters · Conflicts · Creatures · Cultural impact · Holiday · Jedi census · Languages · Locations · Opening Crawl · Philosophy and religion · Physics · Vehicles · Weapons (Death Star) · Comparison to Star Trek Book · Category · Portal · WikiProject

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2007)

Ewoks are a fictional species of bipeds in the Star Wars universe. In the series, they are a species of teddy-bear-like hunter-gatherers that inhabit the forest moon of Endor. The Ewoks live in various tree-huts and primitive dwellings. They first appeared in the film Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983). They have since been featured in two made-for-television films, Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure and Ewoks: The Battle for Endor, as well as an animated series and several books and games. Some fans of Star Wars say that Ewoks are silly and "ruined" the film.^[1]

Concept and creation[link]

George Lucas created the Ewoks because he wanted Return of the Jedi to feature a tribe of some primitive creatures that bring down the technological Empire. He had originally intended the scenes to be set on the Wookiee home planet, but as the film series evolved, the Wookiees became technologically skilled. Lucas designed a new species instead, and says his approach was simple: Wookiees are tall, so he made Ewoks short.^[2] The Ewok are named after the Miwok, a Native American tribe, indigenous to the Redwood forest in which the Endor scenes were filmed for Return of the Jedi, near the San Rafael location of Lucas' Skywalker Ranch. The name also is a pun on the syllables of Wookiee in reverse order.^[3] In the film, the name "Ewok" is never actually spoken, but it appears in both the script and the closing credits.

As presented in the films, Ewoks appear as stocky, sapient bipeds which stand about one meter tall. They have flat faces, are completely covered in fur, and have large jewel-like eyes. Both their fur and their eyes come in a variety of earth-tones, primarily brown, white, grey, gold, and black. Despite their small size, Ewoks are strong; in the climactic battle scene of Return of the Jedi, they are shown physically overpowering and once even throwing Imperial Stormtroopers, though this detail is not consistent throughout the film. Ewoks live high among the trees of their home moon's forests, in villages built on platforms between the closely spaced trees.

An "Ewokese" language was created for the films by Return of the Jedi’s sound designer Ben Burtt. On the commentary track for the DVD of Return of the Jedi, Burtt explains that the language is based on Kalmyk, a language spoken by the Kalmyk people of Russia. Burtt heard the language in a documentary and liked its sound, which seems very alien to Western ears. After some research, he identified an 80-year old Kalmyk refugee. Burtt recorded her telling folk stories in her native language, and then used the recordings as a basis for sounds that became the Ewok language and were performed by voice actors who imitated the old woman's voice in different styles. For the scene in which C-3PO speaks Ewokese, actor Anthony Daniels worked with Burtt and invented words, based on the Kalmyk recordings.^[4]

[edit] Appearance in Return of the Jedi

Ewok Village, Star Tours: The Adventures Continue at Walt Disney World in Florida

The Ewoks are involved in a large portion of the final installment in Lucas' original Star Wars trilogy. When the Empire begins operations on the moon of Endor, prior to the events depicted in the film, it ignores the primitive Ewoks. Princess Leia Organa, part of a Rebel strike team, then befriends the Ewok Wicket W. Warrick, a scout from said village, and is taken to meet the other Ewoks. The rest of the strike team are accidentally trapped by Ewoks and brought to the village.

The Ewoks worship the protocol droid C-3PO, thinking he is a god due to his shininess and gold coverings and a later display of power arranged by Luke Skywalker through The Force. C-3PO tells the Council of Elders the adventures of the Rebel heroes Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Han Solo. The Ewoks accept the Rebels into their tribe and ally themselves to their cause. They then help in the ground battle to destroy the Imperial shield generator on the forest floor, and their primitive weapons fell the Imperial Stormtroopers and the AT-ST walkers of the Empire. This assistance paves the way to victory at the Battle of Endor. Later that night, the Ewoks are shown holding a huge celebration.

The word ewok is not mentioned anywhere in the movie except the end titles, nor are any individuals (such as Wicket or Paploo) referred to by name.^[5]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Ewok in the Star Wars Databank.
• Ewok on Wookieepedia: a Star Wars Wiki
• Action Figure Archive - Ewoks cartoon series action figure guide.