By: Dominic Jones
It's a dark time for fandom. The Clone Wars,
the animated series that has captured our hearts is on its way out to
make room for new projects. While these projects are exciting,
there is no reason The Clone Wars can't move forward as well.
It's now up to the fans to convince Disney that the series is viable and
deserves to continue to it's natural conclusion. And time is
running out. There are reports that the "bonus content"
fans were promised when the announcement that the series is wrapping
up was made will NOT include conclusions to the stories of some of
the series most beloved and intriguing characters, including Ahsoka
Tano, Darth Maul, Captain Rex and Asajj Ventres. On top of
that, there are now reports that Disney has already begun massive layoffs at Lucasfilm animation.
But there is still hope. Over the past month and a
half, RebelForce Radio has been organizing a letter writing campaign
to Disney CEO Bob Iger, politely expressing our desire to see The
Clone Wars continue and we are hearing from inside sources that it's
having an effect on Disney! A great start, but this is no time
to stop, if anything it proves that we need to work harder to save
The Clone Wars. Letter writting campaigns have worked on Disney in the past. SaveTheCloneWars.com reminds us that both Kim Possible and Princess Mononoke were saved by fans through letter writing campaigns.
So, if you haven't written a letter already, get
started now. The secret to our success will be a combination of
passion and logic. If you're reading this then no doubt you
have a passion for the series, be sure that it comes across in your
letter. But passion alone is not enough. We have to prove
to Disney that The Clone Wars is a viable production. To help
do that, here is a list of facts (viewership, awards, and award
nominations) that can be used as talking point in your letter to
Disney:
-Average
3.3 Million viewers per episode (via Daily Variety January 4,
2013)
-Guinness world record for highest rated animated sci-fi
series
-Won 2009 Golden Reel Award (awarded by Motion Picture
Sound Editors, USA) for Best Sound Editing - Television animation
(Beat powerhouses such as Family Guy, Spongebob
Squarepants, The Penguins of Madagascar, and Avatar:
The Last Airbender)
-Won 2010 TV.com NOW award for best
animated series (beat powerhouses Futurama, Family Guy,
and Archer)
-Clone Wars Annie Awards nominations:
2013:
Animated effects in an animated production, Character animation in an
Animated television/broadcast production, Editorial in an Animated
Television or Other Broadcast Venue Production, Voice acting in an
Animated television or other broadcast venue production
2012:
Animated effects in an animated production, Best general audience
animated TV production, Editing in Television production, voice
acting in a television production (x2)
2011: Best Animated
Television production, Best voice acting in an animated television
production (x2), Writing in a television production
2010: Music in
a television Production
2009: Best music in an Animated Television
Production or short film
-Nominated for a Saturn award in 2009
(best syndicated/cable series)
-Nominated in 2010 Teen Choice
awards (Choice TV: Animated show)
-Nominated in 2010 for
Television Critics award (outstanding Achievement in Children's
programming)
Make sure you remind
Disney of (at least some of) these facts, as it is facts like these may well
be key to convincing them that the series is worth saving.
There are multiple people
that could have an impact towards saving the series. There's
Disney CEO Bob Iger, who ultimately has final say. There's
Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy, who could put some major
pressure Disney to bring back the series. There's George Lucas,
who has the influence over both Kennedy and Iger necessary to save
the series. And finally there's John Lasseter, the Chief
Creative Officer and head of both Pixar and Disney animation. A
vote of confidence from him could go along way to convincing Disney
that the series is worth saving. Their addresses are listed
below:
Disney Studios
500 S
Buena Vista St
Burbank, CA 91521
Attn: Bob Iger
Lucasfilm
P.O.
Box 29901
San Francisco, CA 94129-0901
Attn: Kathleen Kennedy
Walt
Disney Studios
500 S Buena Vista St
Burbank, CA 91521
Attn:
John Lasseter
Now, I fully understand
that sending letters from places outside the U.S can be costly,
fortunately there is another option. The kind folks over at
11ThirtyEight
have volunteered to collect online messages from fans and send them
to Disney. Be sure to include your location in the world as it
will help prove to Disney that The Clone Wars has a truly
international audience. Submit
your message here.
One final thing that can
help, be vocal on social media. Use the hashtag
#SaveTheCloneWars in any tweets about the series. Tweet @Disney
and @StarWars and let them
know you want to see the series continue. Visit the Disney
and Star Wars
Facebook pages and leave comments about having the series continue.
Make lots of noise and maybe the powers that be will notice.
No matter how you go about
contacting Disney, Lucasfilm and anyone else who could make a
difference remember one thing above all else: BE POLITE! Nobody
likes getting hate mail and messages that insult the decision makers
will have an adverse effect on what we are trying to achieve.
Be polite, but strong in your arguments and beliefs.
So there you have it. The contact info for the
decision makers and the facts that could save the series. This, combined
with your passion, is what can ultimately #SaveTheCloneWars.
