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Star Wars Insider: Return to Endor

Return to Endor
The Stars of the Ewok Films Remember Their Adventure

Selected text and pictures from the article by Rich Handley, from Star Wars Insider #62 (October 2002)

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In November 1984, following the success of Return of the Jedi, Lucasfilm released the first of two spin-off films about the Ewoks. The Ewok Adventure, directed by John Korty and written by Bob Carrau - who went on to write many episodes of the Ewoks animated series - followed the adventures of Mace and Cindel Towani as they searched for their parents with the help of Wicket, his Ewok family, and was narrated by Burl Ives. Director Joe Johnston, concept artist for the original Star Wars trilogy and author of the children's book The Adventures of Teebo, served as production designer, breathing new life into the Ewok village. One year later, brothers Jim and Ken Wheat wrote and directed a sequel, Ewoks: The Battle for Endor, which focused on Cindel's survival after alien Marauders slaughtered her family.

Some fans overlook the Ewok films since they were made for television. However, both scripts were based on stories by George Lucas, and both had effects by Industrial Light & Magic. Plus, though televised in the United States, both were released theatrically in Europe (the first film re-titled Caravan of Courage) - and Lucas had greater involvement than generally believed. All things considered, the Ewok movies fit into the Star Wars canon quite well, and with the growing popularity of the Internet and fan conventions, the actors who appeared in these long-ignored films are getting their due as members of the Star Wars family.

Warwick Davis: Wicket W. Warrick

Many of the Ewok actors in Return of the Jedi - Daniel Frishman, Debbie Carrington, Tony Cox, Kevin Thompson, Margarita Fernandez, Pam Grizz, and Bobby Bell - again donned fur and masks for the Ewok films. Reprising the role of Wicket, the Ewok who helped Princess Leia in Return of the Jedi, was Warwick Davis.

Davis has become a Star Wars icon, playing three roles in The Phantom Menace. Originally hired as an extra for Return of the Jedi - because Kenny Baker was set to play Wicket - Davis got the attention of director Richard Marquand on the set. "As soon as I saw R2-D2, I went over to him and started acting in an inquisitive nature, as you might do if you haven't seen something... being a younger Ewok, I was a bit foolhardy and more curious, and they liked that."

Lucas and Marquand were impressed. "While we were in America, Kenny got ill, and they called me in at the last minute to do that scene with Carrie Fisher, and I became Wicket." Since then, nearly all characters he has played for Lucasfilm have begun with "W," including Weazel and Wald in The Phantom Menace and Willow in Ron Howard's fantasy film of the same name. The Ewok Adventure continued this trend, giving Wicket three siblings: Widdle, Weechee, and Winda; a fourth sibling, Willy, was added for the Ewoks cartoon. "I made a big list of names that begin with W," Davis joked, "and submitted it to George so he's always got inspiration for future characters for me."

Another "W" word Davis felt keenly during the eight-week Ewok shoot: work. "They always timed it so I wasn't in school, but I would still have to study - it's the law. In America, even though it was the holiday for me, I had four hours of school every day, with a tutor on the set." He found the routine difficult, filming one minute and studying the next, but added, "That was the way it had to be." On the plus side, Lucasfilm purchased a video camera to enhance Davis's studies. "They felt it would be quite educational," he recalled, "so they said, 'There you go, shoot some stuff and make a video.' And that's what we did." Davis and co-star Eric Walker, who played Mace, shot hours of behind-the-scenes footage during spare moments, editing it into a half-hour amateur film at their hotel. "It gave us both a taste for film-making, and Eric and I went on to do quite a bit of that. It's something I still do now."

Still, it wasn't all work being Wicket. "One day Amanda Lucas, [George's] daughter, who was a big fan of Wicket, was there. I often wonder whether she was the reason the character became successful. I remember one day my job was to give her birthday presents on the set. They said, 'Wicket's got something for you,' and they'd given me all these presents to give to her." A particularly funny moment occurred when she and six friends force-fed him cake. "It was very difficult because Wicket couldn't refuse, and the inside of the costume was full of cake!"

It's with that same sense of humor that Davis looks back on his days as an Ewok. His one souvenir from the films: Wicket's bolos, two rubber rocks on the end of a piece of leather, which he swung around his head and knocked himself out with in Return of the Jedi. "I often stand on the back of my sofa, swing them around my head, and fall off."

 

The article also included interviews and/or profiles of Eric Walker (Mace Towani), Aubree Miller (Cindel Towani), Fionnula Flanagan (Catarine Towani), Guy Boyd (Jeremitt Towani #1), Paul Gleason (Jeremitt Towani #2), Carel Struycken (King Terak), and Sian Phillips (Charal), with accompanying pictures. These are not presented here.