Chatting With The Cast & Executive Producer of Disney XD Star Wars Rebels!

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Hey All!

I recently had the amazing opportunity to attend the press conference for the New Disney XD Show Star Wars Rebels. We had the opportunity to chat with the voice cast and Executive Producer Dave Filoni. It was by far one of the best press conferences I’ve ever attended. I’m sure you all know what a huge Star Wars fan I am. I nearly cried when I saw a real life talking R2-D2 and C-3PO.

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They stood at the front of the room and took questions. I kid you not. It was amazing!

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A tear may or may not have fallen from my eyes. They were hysterically funny. I’ve always dreamed of seeing them live walking and talking and now I can scratch that off my bucket list.

Check out R2-D2 and C-3PO in action at the press conference in the video below.

It was incredible! I of course had to take a picture with C-3PO. I’ve taken pics with an R2-D2 before but never a walking talking C-3PO.

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Again DREAM COME TRUE!

The show Star Wars Rebels is voiced by an amazing cast that consists of:

  • Freddie Prinze Jr. as Kanan Jarrus
  • Taylor Gray as Ezra Bridger
  • Tiya Sircar as Sabine Wren
  • Steve Blum as Zeb Orrelios
  • Vanessa Marshall as Hera Syndulla
  • Jason Isaacs as the Inquisitor
  • David Oyelowo as Agent Kallus

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Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope captivated an entire generation in 1977, launching a saga that has been embraced by generations as a timeless epic. Now, the Star Wars saga continues with Star Wars Rebels, a new half-hour animated action series on Disney XD that introduces a thrilling cast of characters that are new to the Star Wars universe.

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The adventures focus on Ezra, a street-smart teenage boy who has joined a small band of rebels that engage in daring missions of sabotage and resistance against the Empire. Members of this rag-tag group of rebels include Kanan, a cowboy Jedi; Hera, an ace Twi’lek pilot; Sabine, a Mandalorian street artist who happens to be an explosives expert; Zeb, an agile fighter and the “muscle” of the group; and Chopper, the grumpy but good-hearted droid. Together this motley but clever crew of the starship Ghost face threatening villains, embark on thrilling adventures and become heroes with the power to ignite a rebellion.

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When Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy first approached Dave Filoni about doing a new Star Wars TV series, she asked that he honor the past while moving boldly into the future. “I knew I wanted to create a show that was inspired by the beautiful concept paintings of the original movies,” says Filoni. “Kathleen loved the idea because, like me, she loved the paintings of [Star Wars concept artist] Ralph McQuarrie. And since Rebels is set five years before A New Hope, having the look of the show based on the concept art for the first film seems totally appropriate. Hopefully Rebels honors the great and talented artists who were so instrumental in bringing George’s vision to life.”

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In addition to drawing from the aesthetic look of the original trilogy, Rebels also captures the narrative essence of Star Wars, which recounts the mythic journey of the hero who at first refuses the call to adventure. Initially, Ezra wants nothing to do with the rebels’ cause – but he discovers, perhaps reluctantly, that joining this crew might bring a larger meaning to his life – a sense of family, of helping others, and being part of a movement that is bigger than himself. “If all you do is fight for your own life, then your life is worth nothing,” Hera tells him. Ezra takes his first step into a larger world by accepting adventure’s call, beginning a new journey that is worthy of the Star Wars saga. Because Star Wars Rebels takes place in the era between the prequel trilogy and original trilogy, it is in a unique position to bridge the two both aesthetically and generationally.

It was amazing to chat with Freddie Prinze Jr. in particular as he was my childhood crush, so that was another dream come true moment to just meet him.

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The poor guy was sick that day and he still took a picture with me and answered questions.

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When asked about the process of voicing an animated character and if it’s more difficult than live acting check out the video to see what he had to say:

I was curious to know how far in advance they get their story lines and scripts and if they could share anything that’s coming up that the fans may not know about yet? I love spoilers!

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Tiya:

We get our scripts very shortly before we come in and record an episode. Like the night before.

Freddie:

What are we allowed to say?

Vanessa:

The cool thing they are so well written and our personalities are very close to the characters that we play. I’m the mother of the group and I’m always feeding everyone. It’s not much of a stretch for me. It creates a great family dynamic that makes it so fun for us to come in and create this show.

Dave (Executive Producer):

We work on this story as much as we can up until the last minute. It’s not like we have a script and that’s not like a final document to me. It’s different than a lot of shows I think. The magic of Star Wars happens really in editorial where you constantly changing things and moving things.  We’ll re-write dialog often and scenes on the show since it’s animated.

My favorite question of the entire press conference was when Freddie Prinze Jr. was asked who would win a fight a Jedi or Buffy? This is what the fabulous Freddie Prinze Jr. had to say along with the cast. Check out the video below as it’s just too funny that you have to see if for yourself.

I was seriously in heaven at this press conference. I can’t say it enough. This truly was one of the best press conferences I’ve ever been to. Thanks to Disney for the amazing dream come true experience! My inner nerd is still geeking out over it. We got a preview of the show prior to the press conference and it truly is a must see for Star Wars fans both young and old. Highly entertaining and this cast is truly spectacular in this Star Wars universe.

For more Info on Disney XD Star Wars Rebels check out their official site: http://disneyxd.disney.com/star-wars-rebels

Star Wars Rebels Premieres Tonight at 9p/8c on Disney XD! Check your local listings.

Join the Rebellion! I have big time and so has my family!

 

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