Ewoks: The Battle for Endor

Parents need to know that Ewoks: The Battle for Endor is a Star Wars universe TV movie from 1985 that follows the adventures of six-year-old Cindel Towani and the Ewok Wicket, who was featured in Return of the Jedi. The Battle for Endor was preceded by the 1984 TV movie Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure, in which Cindel travels with her mother, father, and teenage brother. At the beginning of The Battle of Endor (spoiler alert!), Cindel's family is violently killed off. Subsequently, throughout all of the movie, there's a disconnection between the very young audience it seems aimed at and the level of violence and other scary moments that take place. Ewoks: The Battle for Endor features several battle scenes that include gunplay and swordplay. People and creatures are shot with arrows, cities are burned down, and lives are lost. Even the cute, furry Ewoks use weapons, including catapults that launch bombs. Creatures hunt Cindel and try to kill her. Dead bodies are shown, including Cindel's mother and another character who appears to have been burned alive. There's a long-standing belief that the Ewoks were specifically designed and marketed to sell toys to younger children, and there are some creatures here, especially the friendly Teek, that feel similar. Unlike in Return of the Jedi, the Ewoks speak English here, and they do so in a way that may come off like a racial stereotype. Despite being over three decades old, Ewoks: The Battle for Endor feels very much a part of the Star Wars universe, and the special effects hold up just fine. The story is simplistic, but there are some fun things for Star Wars fans to discover.