Star Wars: Ewok Adventures Review

Recently I was lucky enough to get a hold of a double feature DVD set of Star Wars: Ewok Adventures, two made-for-television movies called The Ewok Adventure (later renamed Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure for a limited theatrical release) and Ewoks: The Battle for Endor, released in 1984 and 1985 respectively. The movies, set in the events between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, tell the story of the Towani family where, after crashing their shuttlecraft on the forest moon of Endor, they embark on adventures with the native Ewoks led by the young hero Wicket and the brave warrior Teebo. I’ve always heard people talk about these movies in the Star Wars community but was never intrigued enough to grab a copy and find 3 hours of my time to sit down through them until I read Tales from Vader’s Castle Issue 4: Night of the Gorax by Cavan Scott (check out my Tales from Vader’s Castle review). Night of the Gorax contains some of the creatures that were first introduced in Caravan of Courage and a similar plot. I loved the story and decided that the time had come for me to start my journey to the Ewok Adventures.

Time for some furry action! #EwokAdventures #CaravanOfCourage #TheBattleForEndor pic.twitter.com/wuXlsfkQcq

— Tatooine Times (@tatooine_times) January 19, 2019

Caravan of Courage

In the first Ewok movie I was introduced to the Towani family, which are separated after their shuttlecraft crashes on the forest moon of Endor. The parents are kidnapped by a giant monstrous creature named Gorax. Mace (no, this is not Master Windu’s origin story) and Cindel, the son and daughter, are left behind helpless. Luckily, our favorite fluffy Endor natives find the children and together embark on a journey to rescue the parents.

I can say that after watching this movie I have a lot more respect for the Ewoks! They are truly the center of the first movie mostly because of the actors under the fluffy costumes (including legend Warwick Davis) which did an incredible job at giving each Ewok a unique personality. I would recommend watching this movie with subtitles to pick up some Ewokese along the journey! One thing that I thought was an unnecessary addition to some of the Ewokese-only scenes was the narration; I often felt like I was watching a National Geographic documentary on Ewoks! Again, the Ewok’s non-verbal communication was very effective and most of the time explained the action within the story.

The human counterparts felt not as memorable at the beginning of the journey. At first, Mace was very hostile towards the Ewoks but as the group overcome greater danger he learns to trust them and eventually establishes a deep connection with the Ewok’s greatest warrior, Teebo. I could definitely identify some similarities between Mace and Luke Skywalker. Not only does the outfit (orange jumpsuit and white vest similar to what Luke wears in A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back) and hairstyle give it away, but the way his character was written (the story was developed by George Lucas himself!) is very reminiscent of our Tatooine farmboy.

I have to admit that Cindel is the cutest little girl in the Star Wars universe. Aubree Miller gives such a genuine performance as an innocent little girl amongst danger. I think she is a character which the little audience can identify with not only for her innocence but also for her incredible courage that she gains later on in The Battle for Endor.

Overall, I felt like the story was a little too episodic at times, with small little scenes (noticed through the many wipe transitions) that did not add too much to the entirety of the main story, resulting in a loss of continuity and flow. However, I still think Caravan of Courage definitely adds a lot to the Ewoks story where now I don’t only see them as supporting characters.

The Battle for Endor

The second Ewok movie was definitely a surprising change of pace compared to Caravan of Courage. The story is a lot darker and focuses more on Cindel and Wicket. An army of Sanyassan Marauders led by King Terak attack the Ewok village. Cindel and Wicket escape into the forest, where they meet Teek and Noa. The four team up to defeat the Marauders.

I immediately noticed a slight time jump from Caravan of Courage since Wicket now speaks basic! Wait a second, isn’t this movie set prior to the events of Return of the Jedi? How come Wicket didn’t speak basic with Leia and everyone else? Anyways…the Ewok village is attacked and Cindel is split from her family. Her and Wicket get briefly captured by the Marauders but manage to escape into the woods, where they find an apparently abandoned house. That’s where they meet two new characters, Teek (who looks a little like Alf) and Noa.

Noa is the second bespectacled live action character that I’ve seen in the Star Wars universe (the first one was Saun Dann from The Star Wars Holiday Special). I am not a fan of him as in the first act he goes from being a jerk towards Cindel and Wicket to being a sweet loving man. He eventually takes on the father figure for Cindel and gains some character points in the last act. I still feel though that his character doesn’t fit in the Star Wars universe; the heavy slang and the Earth-like outfit makes Noa out of place. On the other hand, I thought Teek was a cool new character. Despite his cute looks, the little guy possesses great will and super speed which were crucial for the heroes’ success later on in the story.

The Battle for Endor has two great villains: King Terak and Charal. Terak is a ruthless Sanyassan leader of the Marauders, which is looking to find out how to use “the power” in the energy cell stolen from the Towani’s shuttlecraft. Charal is a witch that can shapeshift into a raven and (according to Wookieepedia) a Nightsister of Dathomir! I still can’t believe that this was the first Nightsister appearance even before Star Wars: The Clone Wars!

The Battle for Endor is in my opinion the strongest of the two movies. The overall story flows smoothly and keeps you engaged until the very end. I particularly liked how Cindel overcomes her fear of being away from her family and becomes incredibly courageous and a key character in the story.

Final Thoughts

I can tell you that after watching the Ewok Adventures I feel more resolute as a Star Wars fan. I had no idea of the production put into the two movies and that the man himself, George Lucas, wrote this fun adventure. I was particularly surprised by the production of Caravan of Courage. The movie had awesome stop-motion for most of the fantastic creatures (Battle for Endor introduced the Blurrg, which is now a common creature seen in The Clone Wars and The Mandalorian!), seamless matte paintings, and timeless CGI by ILM (loved the light fairy scene). I wish Lucasfilm committed to more Star Wars television movies like this one back then because despite the lower budget feel on certain elements, Caravan of Courage and The Battle for Endor are a crucial part of the Star Wars universe and a fun Sunday morning family event.