lucasfilm

We're a little more than a month away from the arrival of "Star Wars: The Complete Saga" on Blu-ray, and Lucasfilm is continuing the recent Comic-Con buzz by offering the most detailed sneak peak of the set to date with Star Wars Blu-ray: Early Access App.

September 16 will bring the nine-disc Blu-ray set to store shelves, and Lucasfilm publicity poobahs have effectively been hyping the set since CES in January. Most recently, they made a buzz at Comic-Con by unveiling a trailer of the restored deleted scenes included in the set.

The free early-access app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch offers an early look at the more than 40 hours of bonus footage and other material included in the Blu-ray collection.… Read more

ANAHEIM, Calif.--After being closed for more than a year for a major redesign, the 24-year-old Star Tours ride at Disneyland reopened this past weekend as Star Tours: The Adventures Continue. Disney and Lucasfilm have equipped the re-imagined ride with new 3D technology, HD screens, and improved audio animatronics, so CNET strapped into the simulator to test the the new attraction.

Since the original Star Tours based on the first three "Star Wars" films ("A New Hope," "The Empire Strikes Back," and "Return of the Jedi") opened in 1987, George Lucas and company released a second trilogy of films introducing new characters and locations into the Star Wars universe. Meanwhile, improved audio technology and animatronics, HD screens, and 3D imagery have made their way into popular consciousness. The new Star Tours joins of all those elements together into a more modern entertainment experience.

While I managed to get a look at the new attraction with a press pass, park visitors waited in two-hour lines. As they wove through the traditional theme park wraparound lines, new high-def screens presented themed messages about possible destinations and the ride's security procedures. A new and improved animatronic C3PO and R2D2 bicker while they prepare your shuttle for travel through a galaxy now ruled by the Galactic Empire. While the ride remains similar in feel to its predecessor prior to boarding that shuttle, its art direction and technology got a serious upgrade. … Read more

A new California lawsuit accuses Apple, Google, Adobe Systems, Intel, and other tech companies of violating antitrust laws by allegedly conspiring to fix employee pay, as well as working out "no solicitation" deals with one another.

The suit (PDF), which seeks class action status, was filed today with the California Superior Court in Alameda County and alleges that because senior executives from Adobe, Apple, Google, Intel, Intuit, Lucasfilm, and Pixar "entered into an interconnected web of express agreements to eliminate competition among them for skilled labor," affected employees from those companies are entitled to compensation.

"… Read more

"May the 4th be with you."

No, it's not someone with a lisp mouthing the famous phrase from "Star Wars." Rather, it's the tease atop a countdown on a "Star Wars" Web site that promises that "All will be revealed" tomorrow.

Indeed, at precisely 6 a.m. Pacific, it appears there will be some sort of significant unveiling in the world of "Star Wars." Word is that an e-mail went out yesterday inviting people to this countdown site--though I did not receive one, so I can't verify … Read more

In "Star Wars," after the destruction of Alderaan, Obi-wan Kenobi collapses in a seat and solemnly says, "I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened."

Something slightly terrible has happened: Lucasfilm has cut short a grassroots movement to build a full-scale, fully functional AT-AT vehicle from "The Empire Strikes Back." Michael Koehler, the 38-year-old social-media consultant behind the idea, shared the unfortunate news on the AT-AT for America blog:

"Long story short, I … Read more

If you're a "Star Wars" fan--and who's not?--you'll want to be one of the first to check out the new Volkwagen ad that's expected to air during this Sunday's Super Bowl.

Thanks to the great mommy blog Tiny Iron Fists, I found the just-posted-on-You Tube ad today. Featuring a pint-size Darth Vader--actually a suburban kid in a Darth Vader suit who is fruitlessly trying to get "the Force" to work for him--the spot at first makes no sense as a VW ad.

But with the twist, it all becomes clear, … Read more

SAN FRANCISCO--If you were walking down Second Street here yesterday morning, and thought you might be losing your mind, let me reassure you: Those really were life-size Lego Chewbacca and R2-D2 models and the world's-largest Lego Millennium Falcon.

On March 31, Legoland California will pull back the wraps on its brand-new "Star Wars" Miniland, an all-new interactive area at the amusement park that will feature more than 2,000 individual models from the George Lucas-created universe.

And yesterday, as part of a small tour to promote the new attraction, several Legoland personnel swung through CNET's headquarters … Read more

When it comes to the somewhat wicked Spyder III Pro Arctic laser, described by the manufacturer as the "most dangerous laser ever created" and by others as something of a lightsaber, Lucasfilm, creator of "Star Wars," seems to have experienced a script change.

Enthusiasts of bellicosity might recall that Lucasfilm recently sent a cease and desist letter to Wicked Lasers, suggesting that its product was not only dangerous but also a little too similar to Luke Skywalker's weapon.

Wicked Lasers had made no mention of "Star Wars" or Lucas in its marketing of … Read more

Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but art, it seems, is whatever a court says it is.

The folks at Lucasfilm, creators of the "Star Wars" franchise, took the designer of the original Stormtrooper costume to court in the UK and had their light sabers thrust right back at them.

According to London's Times, Andrew Ainsworth, the man who originally created the helmets and armor for the first "Star Wars" movie, decided to capitalize on his design by selling replicas made from the original mold online.

Lucasfilm clearly thought Ainsworth's view … Read more