Youngsters have a chance to see what the movie series Star Wars were all about at their own level. The just released Lego edition of Star Wars: Droid Tales follows the saga from start to finish cutting out most of the violence and character buildup that gets boring to the young folks. It’s a fun 115 minutes of adventure and comedy that should keep your 7 to 12 year olds excited and happy.
In this Lego release we find C-3PO on the planet Endor where the rebels led by Luke and Leia Skywalker are celebrating their victory over the Empire (Return of the Jedi). They are partying in the trees with the Ewoks in “Exit from Endor” where C-3PO finds an opportunity to tell them the history behind his beginnings. But R2D2 has been kidnapped and C-3PO along with Admiral Ackbar fly off in Daisy, the Admiral’s space ship, and the kids learn about The Phantom Menace.
In the next episode “Crisis on Coruscant” we find C-3PO and the admiral marooned looking for their ship that has been hidden away. C-3PO gets flustered because he cannot find R2D2 and the two have to solve the problem of moving on to the next planet. In “Mission to Mos Eisley” C-3PO gets cornered into telling the tale of Revenge of the Sith while fighting off the Jawas.
In “Flight of the Falcon” the Millennium Falcon saves C-3PO and R2D2 from the Empire’s army and they find out that R2D2 has a message for Princes Leia. Here C-3PO tells the story of A New Hope where a battle star is discovered and Darth Vadar wants to capture Luke and Leia.
The final chapter of Droid Tales is called “Gambit on Geonosis” where we find C-3PO in grave danger as he talks about his fate in The Empire Strikes Back. Here we find out how the group led by Leia rescue Han Solo from carbonite and other key plot items. The final leg and sixth installment of Star Wars completes the round trip back to Return of the Jedi.
The kids should love all the pratfalls and sight gags that follow C-3PO throughout the adventures. The five episodes create a lot of excitement, comedy and fun while relaying the whole saga that adults have come to love.
Lego Star Wars: Droid tales has been rated TV7 due to some violence, but nothing overly intense.
FINAL ANALYSIS: A good kid friendly version of how Star Wars has become one of the best saga’s ever. (B)
Specifications and additional video information:
Voice Cast: Eric Bauza, Michael Daingerfield, Anthony Daniels, Trevor Devall
TV Rating: Y7 (violence)
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Lego Movie, Family
Running Time: 1 hr. 55 min.
Original Theatrical Release Date:
Video Release Date: March 1, 2016
Language: English (changeable to French or Spanish)
Reviewed Format: DVD
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
Video: Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 1.78:1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Number of Discs: 1 Disc, 3 Lego trading cards, Disney Movie Rewards code, Invitation to join the Disney Movie Club and receive choice of 4 Disney Titles for $1
Distributed by: Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
