Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures is Disney XD’s intergalactic new animation. Want to join the Rebellion and get a sneaky peek into the making of the show? We went behind the camera to bring you 10 sizzling secrets from the creators and cast of the interstellar adventure…
1) The story takes audiences to iconic Star Wars locations!
Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures is an intergalactic adventure that follows the story of the Freemaker family. The three scavenger siblings – Rowan, Kordi and Zander Freemaker – build and sell starships from the scoured debris of space battles strewn throughout the galaxy. “One of the fun things about our show is the fact that we see our characters move about the Star Wars universe that we know and love,” admits show co-creator Bob Roth. “In the show, you will see them go to Tatooine and you will see them go to Cloud City. We even go to Takodana, where the Freemakers get to meet Maz [Kanata] from The Force Awakens.”
2) Expect to see lots of familiar faces!
When the show’s creators were asked if Star Wars fans will see iconic characters such as Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker in the new animation, the answer was a resounding, “yes!” Co-creator Bill Motz explains: “You are going to see a lot of familiar faces in Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures. Some of them will be big names like Leia Organa, but some of them will be more minor characters that you may not be expecting.”
3) The show’s sound team also worked on The Force Awakens!
Matthew Wood is a Supervising Sound Editor at Lucasfilm, and he’s also the voice of a LEGO Star Wars character named R0-GR [aka Roger]. “It’s been a lot of fun working on the sound for Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures,” admits Matthew. “We have a library of sounds from the original Star Wars movies at the Skywalker Ranch that we use throughout the series. My co-worker, David Acord, and I worked on The Force Awakens together – but it’s been amazing to work on this new animation, too.”
4) Look out for hidden Easter Eggs!
“Most of the sounds I created for the Freemaker show was library material that I repurposed,” admits Matthew Wood. “But when I have my last pass through the show, I am watching as a fan and I put in a lot of audio Easter Eggs that are Star Wars-related. I can steal a creak from A New Hope or I grab the sound of a destroyer droid from Phantom Menace. I try to connect things so the audience feels an emotional and subliminal connection with the sound, which is one of sound’s greatest purposes.”
5) Iconic Star Wars designer Doug Chiang works on the show!
A number of iconic filmmakers who worked on a variety of Star Wars movies help with the new animated series. This includes Star Wars Design Director Doug Chiang, who worked on the prequel movies and The Force Awakens. Bob Roth explains: “We’re so excited that Doug Chiang designs spaceships for our show. There is nothing weirder than your little email box popping up to say Doug Chiang has something to show you – and he wants your opinion on his drawings. Whenever that happens, I think to myself, ‘Wow, that’s so backwards… I am not going to tell Doug Chiang how to draw a Star Wars show. He’s the expert who has been doing this for years. This is crazy!’
6) There’s an entire episode with Princess Leia!
Not only do the Freemakers interact with iconic characters from the Star Wars universe, but there are entire episodes devoted to some of them! “My character gets an entire episode with Princess Leia,” reveals Vanessa Lengies, who voices Kordi in the show. “They spend the whole episode running around, adventuring together. It was mind-blowing to read the script and discover that was going to happen. I thought to myself, ‘I’m a Star Wars LEGO character and I get to act with Princess Leia, in battles from movies that are so famous that every single person on the entire planet knows about them… This is unreal. Whoah!’”
7) Prepare for a visit to the ice planet, Hoth!
“One of the planets we visit in the show is Hoth,” admits Vanessa Lengies. “It’s incredible! We go to the ice planet and we meet a little creature there. Can you guess who? The Hoth episode is a really fun episode; especially as I get to geek out on the clothes, too. Kordi gets a whole new outfit for Hoth. In fact, we get different outfits for each planet that we visit. I guess the outfit depends on the temperature – but it’s always a lot of fun to find out what we wear.”
8) Expect a gaggle of giggles in the animated adventure!
LEGO animations are known for their comedy, and Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures is no exception. “When Star Wars works right, it’s funny,” reveals Bill Motz. “Just look at The Force Awakens. That moment when Poe is brought before Kylo Ren and he asks who should speak first; that is hilarious. Finn is hilarious throughout the film, too. Our show is a lot lighter than Star Wars Rebels. It’s funny and fun, and will hopefully have the viewers laughing a lot.”
9) The Millennium Falcon will appear!
There are a ton of new space vehicles in the series, including the StarScavenger, the Eclipse Fighter and the Blazemaker – but fans can expect to see some old favourites in the show, too. “The Millennium Falcon definitely makes an appearance,” admits Eugene Byrd, who voices Zander Freemaker. “You see it in the very first episode, which is ridiculously cool!”
10) It takes place between The Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi!
Calling all Star Wars geeks! Want to know the timeline of the animated action? “Our story takes place between The Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi,” confirms Bill Motz. “By having our story in this time period, we’re able to meet so many of the iconic characters from the Star Wars universe. We’ll also be able to see many of the iconic battles in this time period, too.”
Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures will premiere on Monday 24 October at 4pm on Disney XD. You can download Star Wars: Expanded Universe – The Complete Manual from GreatDigitalMags.com, and watch our video review of Star Wars: The Force Awakens now. For all the latest Star Wars news, pick up the new issue of SciFiNow.
