Thrawn Trilogy as Animated Film

I have been watching the final season, The Lost Missions, of the Clone Wars on Netflix and I must say the animation and storytelling are just incredible. The quality is practically on par with what Pixar, Dreamworks, and Walt Disney Animation are currently cranking out. All of this got me thinking about the future. 

Right now we know we are getting the sequel trilogy, which starts 30 years after Return of the Jedi. We are also going to get spin-off films that we speculate will follow the Marvel Cinematic Universe approach of single character stand-alone movies interspersed with an ensemble picture. We do not know in what time periods these stand alone films will occur, but they won't necessarily be constrained by the Sequel Trilogy timeline.

Meanwhile on television, we will have the regular animated series of Rebels that takes place during the dark times leading up to Episode IV. This looks to be a fun and very kid-friendly series with an all original cast and setting.

All these developments are exciting, but wouldn't it be neat if we got an animated theatrical Star Wars film? I know it was done before with the debut of the Clone Wars series, but that was ill advised since honestly the animation wasn't very good and the team that was put together was just getting started. I dare say that had a theatrical release been held until the end of the series, it would have had a much different reception from fans and critics alike.

I believe Disney-Lucasfilm has all the creative and technical resources to create excellent animated feature films. I think that if they do pursue this type of movie, the Thrawn trilogy would be a fantastic story to bring to life on the big screen.

Why?

First, it would side-step casting issues. Disney was able to create a youthful version of Jeff Bridges in Tron: Legacy, but these were only a handful of scenes. Attempting this technique over the course of an entire film with main characters like Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher would be foolhardy. The alternative of trying to recast those parts with new young actors would not be accepted because, let's face it, Han, Luke, and Leia are icons. Yes, you could use a different actor to portray a young Han Solo, but the Thrawn Trilogy takes place just a short time after Return of the Jedi. Animation avoids these visual problems and you can still use the principal actors as voices or even tap into the rich talents of a wide range of voice actors. 

Second, it is continuity-safe. With Episode VII jumping 30 years into the future and knowing that the Thrawn Trilogy doesn't have galaxy-disturbing events, such as the death of a major character, this story can be easily told. I am all for rebooting the EU, but I'd say of any of the 300+ EU novels, most people would put the Thrawn Trilogy at the top the essential reading list. 

Third, it will tap into the well-known demand for movie adaptations of books. Films like Twilight, Hunger Games, Divergent, and Harry Potter have racked up at the box office. The Thrawn books are well-known, loved, and are New York Times best sellers. It would also be the first Star Wars production where we will know the entire story, not just the ultimate ending, which will keep the snobby fan boy critiques quieted down (if that is even possible).

Fourth, it throws a bone to the EU fans. I expect the legion of fans who have read the legion of Star Wars novels and comic books will be disappointed as vast areas of the EU continuity are erased from the Star Wars galaxy in the Disney-owned reality. It would be an olive branch to those fans and open up the possibility of future animated films looking into other remnant pieces of the EU that could be dubbed "official" by Disney-Lucasfilm.

Last, Disney knows animation. The billion dollar movie, Frozen, proves that once again. Animation provides so much creative freedom you can't get with a live action film. I would love to see the combined forces of Disney and Lucasfilm for a project like this!