A new video celebrating the 20th anniversary of Star Wars

animation has been released. Star Wars Celebration is currently underway in Japan, and a panel dedicated to Lucasfilm Animation explored its 20-year history, while also previewing what’s still to come. In addition to Dave Filoni sharing formative memories of working with George Lucas, attendees (SR‘s Molly Brizzell among them) watched a full episode of Tales of the Underworld and got a first look at the newly announced Maul: Shadow Lord.

Now, with the panel concluded, a video shown to the room celebrating the anniversary has been made public. It includes talking-head footage with Filoni and Lucas, as well as behind-the-scenes looks at the creation of some key Star Wars animated projects. At the very end, there’s a first-look at Darth Maul’s return in his upcoming series. Check it out below:

Animation Is A Key Part Of Star Wars’ Storytelling

Star Wars may have begun as a live-action franchise, but animation allows Star Wars the opportunity to expand and dig deeper into its storytelling. The Star Wars prequel trilogy, for instance, is much richer when you watch Star Wars: The Clone Wars. It fleshes out the politics, choices, and beliefs that led to the Republic’s, the Jedi Order’s, and Anakin Skywalker’s inevitable destruction.

The fallout of Order 66 and the early days of the Empire are much more harrowing when you watch Star Wars: The Bad Batch. Star Wars Rebels offers a fun, adventurous, yet also genuinely serious examination of what it meant to be a Jedi during the Dark Times, and how the Rebellion came to be. The Star Wars: Tales anthologies provide exciting character studies. There’s nothing you can’t do in animation.

As a medium, animation offers more creative freedom as well. Some of the franchise’s most exciting lightsaber battles were created in animation, like Ahsoka Tano vs. Maul in The Clone Wars season 7. With the upcoming Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld and the newly announced Maul: Shadow Lord, Star Wars animation is, thankfully, not slowing down any time soon.

Animation Is As Much Lucas’ Legacy As Live-Action

It almost feels like Lucasfilm is celebrating Star Wars animation’s 20th anniversary, not just by creating more animated Star Wars, but by specifically adapting Star Wars creator George Lucas’ unused ideas. Recently, it was revealed that Lucas had worked to develop a live-action series тιтled Star Wars: Underworld, which would have focused on the lower levels of Coruscant and the criminal underworld that festers there. Now, we’re getting Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld, which will focus on two former and current bounty hunters.

Then there’s Maul: Shadow Lord, which was revealed at Star Wars Celebration 2025 and will follow Maul as the head of his crime syndicate, Crimson Dawn, during the Imperial era. Maul will also take on an apprentice, one who resembles, at least, Darth Talon, a previously non-canonical Star Wars Legends character. This mirrors one of Lucas’ original ideas for a Star Wars sequel trilogy before he sold the franchise to Disney, which would have seen Maul become the lead villain while having an apprentice akin to Darth Vader.

The future of Star Wars animation is bright. It’s exciting that we’ve already had 20 years of animated Star Wars stories to enjoy and more to look forward to. Maul: Shadow Lord is an intriguing prospect, and we’re looking forward to seeing what else Star Wars animation will come up with in the future.

Star Wars

Created by

George Lucas

First Film

Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope

Cast

Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, David Prowse, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Ian McDiarmid, Ewan McGregor, Rosario Dawson, Lars Mikkelsen, Rupert Friend, Moses Ingram, Frank Oz, Pedro Pascal

TV Show(s)

The Mandalorian, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, The Acolyte, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, Lando, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Star Wars: Resistance, Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures, Star Wars: Visions

Character(s)

Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Rey Skywalker, Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, Grand Admiral Thrawn, Grand Inquisitor, Reva (The Third Sister), The Fifth Brother, The Seventh Sister, The Eighth Brother, Yoda, Din Djarin, Grogu, Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, Leia Organa, Ben Solo/Kylo Ren

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