The two Ewok Adventure films are very confused features in that they’re technically classed as Star Wars canon but they’re part of that broader, pre-EU patchwork of spin-offs of an earlier age.
Caravan of Courage, at first completely unfamiliar to me but much more familiar as it continued, begins in the style of a nature documentary and then progress on to become a faerie tale involving two children separated from their parents, both of whom have been captured by the giant Gorax. Together with a group of legendary Ewoks, the children rescue their parents and defeat the giant.
Battle for Endor continues on much the same lines, with a distinct style that sets it in the same genre of 80s films as Willow, Labyrinth and The Neverending Story. The second film perhaps benefits from a larger amount of stop-animation effects and puppets, as well as a more varied cast of creatures, but what the two films do share is a very adult portrayal of death – something also seen in the original trilogy but not the prequel trilogy, sadly. It also appears to have someone who may or may not have been Father Christmas in Santa Claus: The Movie.
I remember the death of Chukha-Trok in Caravan as being a terrible moment which, as a child, I tried to find a way to reverse again and again but to no avail. The fact that one of the main characters passes away during the fight is a truly powerful moment. Likewise, the deaths of Cindel Towani’s family – her brother, Mace and her parents (basically everyone the viewer is tempted to feel camaraderie with at the end of the first film – and the fact that the young girl is forced to accept this and continue to march on is a truly powerful statement. I don’t know if this was intentional or if it was just a side-effect of the lack of sensitivity shown towards the feelings of kids watching but it makes for a better story, for both children and adults.
There’s nothing worse than a story in which there is no danger especially if you’re trying to pitch that story for children and, despite the fact that it’s upsetting, the Ewok films are bristling with the sense of a genuine threat to the main characters.
I’m sure there’s a whole essay waiting to be written in regards to the contrasting themes of these two films and traditional faerie tales – particularly the role of Charal and Carabosse – but regardless, whilst the Ewok films might not be great to watch for Star Wars fans, they are great to watch for those interested in folklore.
