Check out Disney+’s Star Wars Day art
To celebrate May The 4th, Disney+ unveiled new illustrations for the Star Wars films and series. Here is the art for Episodes I, II and III, with commentaries from the artists (via StarWars.com).
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace
Dorthea Taylor (Georgia)
“The first movie fan art I illustrated was a Star Wars poster. I can’t make this up. It was literally my first alternative movie poster. As a creative person, I fell in love with the groundbreaking cinematography and creativity in the films. That was a big part of the movies’ appeal, along with the storytelling. That glossy black Darth Vader helmet with the beautiful blue highlights took my breath away. (Why is it that the villains and the aliens were always the coolest things on the screen?)
“With each film the franchise seemed to up the ante as far as creativity. When given the choice of which movie I wanted to illustrate, Darth Maul and Queen Amidala immediately came to mind. I knew that The Phantom Menace would be one of my top choices. I was always fascinated by the fierce makeup on Maul (Like I said, VILLAINS!) and the beautifully intricate costumes of Queen Amidala. I knew I wanted to create a poster that would showcase both characters.”
Star Wars: Attack of the Clones
Monica M. Magaña (Vancouver, Canada)
“Star Wars has always been a source of immense inspiration to me. I grew up with my dad taking me to see the prequels when I was very young. I remember being in awe of the fantastic worlds that Anakin and Obi-Wan traveled to. When I got a little older my uncle lent me his VHS set of the original trilogy to watch, and it became a cornerstone of my love for the series. Going to Disneyland to ride Star Tours was always a favorite and I loved getting to see the series implemented at the Parks more and more.
“I wanted to get across some of that youthful awe that I remember with my piece and one of the biggest things that always stuck out to me was the bright colors of the lightsabers. I wanted my piece to be as illuminated as the lightsabers themselves. Even though my piece is digitally created, I also wanted to try and get a traditional media feel since I have such a love for Drew Struzan’s original poster art and all the hand-painted matte paintings used in the original trilogy. I used some customized brushes to give my paint strokes a more natural feel.”
Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
Salvador Anguiano (Mexico)
“I was introduced to Star Wars when I was around six years old. Back then I didn’t have any friends because I was the quiet, shy kid in a new school but this one kid would talk — quite loudly — about these movies with aliens and laser swords and this scary bad guy all dressed in black to anyone who’d listen. This one time he caught a glimpse of me nearby, eavesdropping on him, and he just came up to me and asked if I had seen Star Wars. He became my first friend back in elementary school, all the way up till high school. That’s what Star Wars means to me: friendship.
“All the way from elementary school to college, Star Wars has been there for me. My mom got me the Return of the Jedi VHS and I’d watch it every day. I made a few friends at school playing with Star Wars figures, saw the prequel trilogy at the theater with the girl who would become my wife, my kid and I watched The Clone Wars show together. Star Wars has been a constant source of great moments throughout my whole life.
“When we were given the chance to choose a movie I immediately had Revenge of the Sith as my first choice, because at the core of it, it really is about friendship. It is the tale of Anakin and Obi-Wan falling out and each one choosing the opposing sides of the Force, which is the subject on which I based my whole piece around, with each character looking in the opposite direction. And I think the expression on their face helps tell the whole story.”
And here are the other illustrations.
15 Comments
Cryogenic
Not bad. At least the prequels are actually *acknowledged* this time.
But what’s up with the faces of Mace, Anakin, and Padme on the Episode II poster? They all look about 13.
I didn’t know that Star Wars blaster bolts were bright pink, either. You learn something new every day!
And Darth Sidious appears to have turned into Gene Simmons.
RR501
On Facebook, the prequel posters (and mandalorian) have significantly more likes than the rest!!!
Cryogenic
@ RR501:
Nice! There’s always been a lot of underground love for the prequels.
People are just being a bit less inhibited in showing their appreciation now.
ArchdukeOfNaboo
@Cryogenic
Don’t get me wrong, I love Padmé? But at the centre of each of the 3 prequel film posters? I think this is pushing it…
Cryogenic
@ Arch Duke:
First off: nice observation!!!
Personally speaking, I don’t have a problem with it. Padme is a beacon of emotional intelligence and an embodiment of civility, diplomacy, and reason — even when she makes serious mistakes and enables Palpatine’s rise to power — in the PT. When Anakin asks when he wakes up as Darth Vader, “Where is Padme? Is she safe? Is she alright?”, he might as well be asking about the PT itself!
After the constant demotion of Padme in other Disney materials, I think it’s a treat that these posters actually acknowledge her existence and place her right where she should be: at the middle of everything. Having her at the centre of each poster is an ingenious choice that anchors the three posters and the three episodes. We have a wonderful triptych here!
It’s also notable that Padme is completely “at the front” and unobstructed on the posters for Episodes I and II (and in her “queen” guise on the Episode I poster), but her visage is partially obscured by the duelling forms of Anakin and Obi-Wan, silhouetted against hellish flames, on the Episode III poster. Even her blaster bolt on the Episode II poster confidently points “straight up” and is overlaid atop the men’s. By Episode III, Padme is part of a changing galaxy — one that has become poised to descend into abject tyranny and unchallenged centralised power — and her diminished stature reflects that.
Of course, in terms of the PT being a “character study”, it’s really Anakin’s story — as we move across the PT, the focus switches to Anakin as his arc basically supplants hers. The posters also capture that reality quite well: Anakin starts off small on the Episode I poster, he’s the same size as Padme on the Episode II poster (and standing next to her as they “aggressively negotiate” the Clone Wars together), and he is tyrannically large and turned away from his wife on the Episode III poster. I also like how the Episode I and II posters use very vivid colours, while the Episode III poster has a dark and foreboding background. All in all, despite my earlier nitpicking, these are solid posters, IMO.
Prince of Naboo
I agree. Padmé is the most neglected main character of the Saga, despite being such a great character. It is about time for her to get recognized.
I like the poster for Episode One and the one for ROTS is also quite good, but AOTC looks atrocious. Mace, Anakin and Padmè look terrible and who is that hooded figure? Sure doesn’t look like Palpatine. I appreciate the idea with the lightsaber, though.
Cryogenic
@ Prince Of Naboo:
Samnz! You can run, but you can’t hide. Even in the Lake Country. 😉
Anyway — yup. Love the emphasis on Padme with these posters, but the Episode II poster makes the characters appear juvenile. For one thing, they have large anime-ish eyes. And that definitely isn’t Palpatine. Maybe it’s a younger clone. 🙂
Would love to have you join the message board I now frequent. Short of blatantly advertising it in neon lights, I’ll just say: click my name. 😉 On another note, I’m glad your Tumblr is still up, even if you haven’t updated it in a while. It’s still one of the best!!!
ArchdukeOfNaboo
@Cryogencic
Now that sure is the counter argument. I belive I’ve even sounded off on this reasoning in the past, so yes, it is high time that Disney, with such a skechy record on the character, do something about it. This is a little bit of penance, if you will.
The official, original posters are locked in time.
I’ve always thought Anakin as 20 in AOTC and 23 in ROTS. I’m not changing that one 😀
Cryogenic
@ Arch Duke:
“Now that sure is the counter argument. I belive I’ve even sounded off on this reasoning in the past, so yes, it is high time that Disney, with such a skechy record on the character, do something about it. This is a little bit of penance, if you will.”
Thanks. And nicely said yourself. That’s exacly what this is. You can’t erase Padme or ever forget the face that launched a thousand starships. She is the Divine Feminine of the entire series. If Disney chooses to deny her, they will always be “going down a path I can’t follow”.
“The official, original posters are locked in time.”
Indeed! Those Drew Struzan beauties are a work of art. And they also go beautifully together, just like the prequels themselves.
“I’ve always thought Anakin as 20 in AOTC and 23 in ROTS. I’m not changing that one.”
Well… Technically, his age is a little ambiguous. He’s meant to be 9 in TPM, which would make him 19 (given the trifecta of “ten year” dialogue references in Episode II) in AOTC. But I also look at him as 23 in ROTS. And ROTS is meant to be three years on from AOTC. So something is “off” here. But that’s actually very fitting, since AOTC is the “hazy” installment of the saga, where everything is a little bit soft and cloudy.
Is Anakin at the end of his teens or the beginning of his twenties in Episode II? It’s a bit of both (giving us a “dual” perspective on Anakin because everything boils down to “points of view”). AOTC is a very phasic/transitional film, so it makes sense that the central character of the PT would have a slightly indeterminate age and “attitude” about him in that same film.
In reality, Anakin is a chimera: he’s part-child, part-teen, and part-adult, all at once — and likewise fracturing as he is pulled in different directions. And that’s what makes him such a compelling (and unusually “realistic”) character.
Prince of Naboo
@Cryogenic
I feel honoured you still remember me^^ I’ll definitely take a look at Naberrie Fields!
I actually wanted to revive my blog some weeks ago, but I don’t remember my password and the mail address I registered with does not work anymore. So attempt failed. I hope it stays online for as long as possible, at least.
Glad Naboo News is back!
Cryogenic
@ Prince Of Naboo:
“I feel honoured you still remember me^^ I’ll definitely take a look at Naberrie Fields!”
Oh, you’re very memorable, Samnz! Your blog posts, and the posts you’ve made on TFN, are highly readable, intelligent, and informative, and you have been a spur to my imagination.
Naberrie Fields is still a new and growing forum. Its obscurity works to its advantage in some ways, but also means that it has remained fairly quiet and inactive. But I also think it’s a smouldering volcano. It’s certainly ready to get a bit livelier in the months ahead if a few more people join. And the great thing about it? It’s very prequel-centric and we already have a good bunch of posters (some of whom you’ll undoubtedly recognise). Unlike TFN, there are also no rules hobbling posters or hogtying discussion in advance. They love that sorta thing on that other website, but there’s no mechanism waiting to catch you out and punish you on Naberrie Fields; nor is there such a thing here on Naboo News. I think prequel fans prefer an open discourse. Dare I say: they’re a bit more open-minded?
Sorry to hear you’ve locked yourself out of your own website! What a doozy! Accck! I almost did that before. Luckily, I was able to re-register an old e-mail address. I was trying to get back into a newer address and the older one was the “backup” where a verification code needed to be sent! If I’d been unable to re-establish the old one, I’d have been frozen out of my new one entirely (the other security details had also become out of date). That’s the problem when we don’t keep on top of things. I know of a few people who can’t access an account of one kind or another, all because their old e-mail address expired or they forgot the password (and maybe ditched their old phone number, too). Let’s hope, as you said, your Tumblr endures for a while without you having to do anything. 🙂
And yes, I’m glad Naboo News is back. With the Star Wars Prequel Appreciation Society in extended hibernation since 2018, this is the only prequel news blog us fans have! Three cheers for Anthony! And extra cheers for letting people speak their minds in the comments section! After the machinations of Disney and TFN, it’s a relief to know there’s still someone operating in the Star Wars world that believes in the importance of free speech.
Cryogenic
@ Prince Of Naboo:
I see you joined our humble little website, Samnz! Good on ya! 🙂
PrinceOfNaboo
I did and I’m certainly going to be more active in due time. Thnak you for the kind words 😉
Cryogenic
@ Prince Of Naboo:
Good to hear. 🙂
ArchdukeOfNaboo
More blog entries please 🙂