Star Wars Rebels was front and center on Day Three of Star Wars Celebration Anaheim…. which also happened to be the busiest day of the weekend. From parking to walking into the Anaheim Convention Center, it was clear that Saturday was going to be a big day.
The first event covered was the Star Wars Rebels Panel. The panel included Dave Filoni (Executive Producer, Supervising Director), Simon Kinberg (Executive Producer), Freddie Prinze, Jr. (Kanan), Vanessa Marshall (Hera), Tiya Sircar (Sabine), Steve Blum (Zeb), Taylor Gray (Ezra). They were joined midway through by Ashley Eckstein and Dee Bradley Baker. The panel also included the trailer for Season Two of Star Wars Rebels. This was received with a lot of enthusiasm and a standing ovation. It also happened to be the first time the cast was able to see it so they sat on the stage facing the big screen to watch right along with the fans.
Following the panel the press were ushered into a room behind the stage for a press event with the producers and cast of Star Wars Rebels. Here are a few takeaways from the press event:
- The Star Wars Story Group is watching the overall Star Wars stories very carefully to make sure that everything works well together.
- Season Two was cast in a week.
- Freddie Prinze Jr. is a great dad.
- The cast of Star Wars Rebels really is a family and are very similar to the characters they portray.
- Season Two of Star Wars Rebels is going to challenge the family that came together and was solidified in Season One.
- Season Two will also dig into some of the character’s past and how they deal with it in the present as they attempt to move forward.
- Great pains are taken to correct character integrity of classic Star Wars characters.
- George Lucas thought the Star Wars Rebels pilot episode was great and said “It’s Terrific!”
- Ezra Bridger really is the bridge between the two current Star Wars trilogies.
- Darth Vader is voiced by James Earl Jones.
- Dave Filoni isn’t sure how many seasons Star Wars Rebels will go.
Perhaps one of the best moments was when Freddie Prinze Jr. said “I wanted to be a Father more than I wanted to be an actor.” It turned out that vocal recording Star Wars Rebels happens once a week and allows him to be with his family. It was refreshing to see a successful actor have his priorities lined up in this manner.
Following the press event there was a break and Murray covered Composing Star Wars Music With Kevin Kiner. This went into how music is created for Star Wars Rebels and also Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The day ended with the Star Wars Rebels Season Two premiere. This event had incredibly strict security. Phones were asked to be turned off 45 minutes before the event when people went into the hall. The event began with the season finale of Season One. It was followed by the premiere of Season Two which was really good. Without giving any spoilers, it captured the essence of the Star Wars that I grew up knowing and loving. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing where the rest of this season develops.
Day Three of Star Wars Celebration was very busy but a lot of fun. It was the day of Star Wars Rebels. This show is off to a great start and it will be fun to see where it, and the rest of the Star Wars franchise, goes in coming years.
