Star Wars Completely Upgrades An Iconic Aspect Of Disney+’s TV Shows For New Prequel Series

Maul – Shadow Lord, the franchise’s new animated series, is a prequel to the titular character’s appearances in Solo: A Star Wars Story and Star Wars Rebels. It is set in the Star Wars canon after Order 66 and The Clone Wars series, with Maul hellbent on getting revenge against the Empire as he revitalizes his position in the galaxy’s criminal underworld. He also tempts Jedi Padawan Devon Izara (Gideon Adlon) to join the dark side and work with him to fight against their common enemy.

In an interview with ScreenRant‘s Ash Crossan for Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord, executive producer Athena Yvette Portillo revealed that before Dave Filoni went to film Ahsoka season 2, he emphasized wanting to upgrade the already high quality of the franchise’s animation. This included discussions about upgrading the animation’s body mechanics, giving the aesthetic “a painterly quality,” using oil on canvas map paintings, and utilizing practical models. Check out Portillo’s comments below:

Yes. So, before [Dave] Filoni went to shoot Ahsoka season 2, we had a conversation about what we needed to do to make it more upgraded. And so he told me to think about it and to share with him some of the ideas that I had, of which I made sure he signed off on before I would execute. But one of the things that we had talked about was upgrading the body mechanics of the animation. So, physically going into the rigs to see what pivot points and blend shapes were missing, so that we could incorporate those to give it more of a fluid feeling in the character walk cycles, in the fight sequences, and for all the facial emotes that we were doing. The other thing was the painterly quality. We had discussions internally with Joel Aron, Keith Kellogg, and Andre Kirk about trying to get that brushstroke look.

And so what we did is we went back to doing oil on canvas map paintings that we would then shoot and composite into the show. For our backgrounds, we also did brush strokes on glass panes, which we then shot and composited. And we did some practical models as well. So we did old school with new school to try to elevate that cinematic sophistication of the show, to kind of trick people to think that there are some live action moments versus not, even though it’s all digital.

Ahead of the Disney+ premiere, many Maul –​​​​​​​ Shadow Lord trailer breakdowns have taken note of the new animation style, which fits the show’s darker tone and how the story is leaning into the noir crime thriller genre. Just as the Star Wars prequel and sequel movies blended practical models and effects with CGI, Lucasfilm used an “old school with new school” approach for their new animated series.

The animation has already been a frequent highlight in the first reactions to Maul –​​​​​​​ Shadow Lord, with several of the early viewers hailing it as the best that an animated Star Wars series has ever looked. Some stylistic elements are reminiscent of The Clone Wars, which brought back Maul after he seemingly died in The Phantom Menace, but it overall evokes a grittier feel that is simultaneously “painterly” and fluid in its character movements. This is a departure from the animation of The Clone Wars, which has continued to be prominent in recent years via The Bad Batch and the Tales anthology shows.

The quality of animation has progressed in each new animated Star Wars show, with Maul –​​​​​​​ Shadow Lord further contributing to this evolution. From being the showrunner and supervising director of The Clone Wars to now being the co-president and chief creative officer of Lucasfilm, Filoni has been at the heart of this progress and continually raising the bar. While his job responsibilities have changed, animation continues to be a priority for him, and Portillo, Joel Aron, Keith Kellogg, Andre Kirk, and the rest of the creative team behind Maul –​​​​​​​ Shadow Lord rose to his challenge to deliver a bold new kind of animation.

The confidence in Maul –​​​​​​​ Shadow Lord has already led to a season 2 announcement, even before releasing any of season 1 on Disney+. Another season will allow the new animation to continue to evolve as the story expands as well, possibly being the central setting. Season 1 is primarily set on the planet of Janix, where Maul begins to reforge his criminal empire and cross paths with Devon while being hunted by police detective Brander Lawson (Wagner Moura), Lawson’s droid partner Two-Boots (Richard Ayoade), and Imperial Inquisitors.

Star Wars: Maul –​​​​​​​ Shadow Lord begins with a two-episode premiere on Disney+ on April 6, followed by two-episode releases in subsequent weeks through May 4.