It’s animated and it’s based on the cartoon short series that aired on the Cartoon Network prior to the release of ROTS. That series was duuuuuull up until the last couple of episodes. Those led up to the beginning of ROTS, and showed Grievous killing jedi, attacking Coruscant and capturing Palpatine. Up to then, it was mostly Anakin pouting amid random set-piece battles between clones and droids.

This beast, which may be the last SW film to hit theaters (though we’ve heard that before) is 3D animated and doesn’t look terrible. Mostly because Lucas isn’t directing.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars is set to open Aug. 15, with all the familiar characters from the prequel trilogy and one big difference: The saga is computer-animated.

The feature film, chronicling the wartime adventures of a pre-Darth Vader Anakin Skywalker and mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi, takes place immediately before the events in 2005’s Revenge of the Sith. It serves as a kickoff for the half-hour animated TV series planned for fall on Cartoon Network and TNT.

“I felt there were a lot more Star Wars stories left to tell,” creator George Lucas said in a statement. “I was eager to start telling some of them through animation.”

He was also eager to provide more story fodder for Star Wars games and push the technology on that end a bit farther. And it’ll be one more thing to sell on a bazillion formats on the home market later on.

I give this a big “Meh.” Anakin gets a padawan, the story is mostly known, and while the old Clone Wars had its moments and the new one probably will too, the real Star Wars action is in video games and that’s where it’s likely to stay. Lucas is no fool: Games have already become a bigger industry than Hollywood itself, depending on how you count the coins.