Crank up the air conditioning, pop open the pork rinds and the Mr. Pibb, and call in sick: the Robot Chicken: Star Wars: Episode III Blu-ray will be released by Warner/Cartoon Network on July 12, 2011.
For the uninitiated, Robot Chicken is a fast-paced sketch comedy show (some bits last just a few seconds, an entire standard episode runs just 15 minutes including commercials) that skewers all aspects of entertainment and popular culture using stop-motion-animated action figures. Created by Seth Green (Scott Evil in the Austin Powers flicks) and Matthew Senreich, the show has won four Emmy Awards thus far and attracted legions of loyal fans. It airs weekly as part of Cartoon Network's late-night "Adult Swim" programming block, so-relegated for its edgy humor.
Unlike the first two potpourri-type Star Wars Robot Chickens, Episode III attempts a more linear narrative, spanning all six of the wildly popular science-fantasy films. But, as we've seen before, much of the history of the Star Wars universe is witnessed and influenced by the distinctly Robot Chicken-fried versions of the Emperor Palpatine and Boba Fett, along with Gary the Stormtrooper.
The Blu-ray Disc will carry all of the extras from the DVD version, which are considerable. These include "Sunday in the Boardroom with George," "Chicken Nuggets" (a sketch-by-sketch video commentary); Behind-the-Scenes, Voice Recording, Skywalker Ranch Premiere Trip and Writer's Room featurettes; The Star Wars Celebration V Robot Chicken Panel, Deleted Animatics with video introductions, and running audio commentaries. Exclusively on Blu-ray, Robot Chicken: Star Wars: Episode III will also contain two more features: Time-Lapse looks at the Animation and a Seth Green Animation reference guide.
Episode III will be the first-ever Robot Chicken in the Blu-ray format. The show airs in HD, and stop-motion tends to look good on Blu-ray, so we'll be curious to check it out. The Robot Chicken: Star Wars: Episode III Blu-ray will carry a suggested retail price of $19.89.
Where to Buy:
