Star Wars: Clone Wars: Vol. 1 (2004)

A faithful rendition of the Star Wars saga in animation, Clone Wars depicts events between Episodes II and III, that is, of Anakin in his 20s as he becomes "more powerful with the Force" (but also a mite more snippy). The cartoon-length mini-episodes present a near-constant barrage of intense lasergun and lightsaber battles with fantastic anime-like action such as Jedi knights leaping up, down, or laterally for up to a half-mile without harm. (Just suspend the laws of physics and think of it as Crouching Jedi, Hidden Sith.) Beyond the battles and special effects, the best part is the back story and some semblance of emotion from characters such as Obi-Wan and Anakin. (We all know how George Lucas likes to gloss over scriptwriting and character development to get on to the next cool creature or laser blaster.) I first caught this series on Cartoon Network and was duly impressed. I rented it from Netflix as soon as possible and turned my youngest son onto it. Next we had to have our own copy of the set and of course he's a huge fan. (Now can someone please tell me how to turn off a ten-year-old's Star Wars jibber-jabber? I am now learning far more about the back story and minor characters than any responsible adult has a right to know.) The Clone Wars weaponry and tactics are always surprising and inventive but the series leans too heavily on the fact that, in animation, your characters can do anything, or I'd award more than 4 stars.