Star Wars Rebels: 9 Reasons You Need To Be Watching
4. Visuals
What separates Rebels from any other cartoon is its stunning art direction. Heavily inspired by original Star Wars concept designer Ralph McQuarrie, Rebels manages to capture the universe in all of its beauty and wonder.
Art director Killian Plunkett and his creative team decided to stylise Rebels based on the classic aesthetic of Star Wars. One of their main inspirations was also Hayao Miyazaki, and that’s evident with the vibrant colour palette and unusual designs (the Krykna spiders and Tom Baker’s Bendu come to mind), so this incredible concoction results in some amazing imagery.
Ralph McQuarrie’s influence is plastered all over the show, and Zeb and Chopper's designs originate from some unused character concepts for Star Wars. Arguably one of the best concept artists to have ever graced cinema, there is no better inspiration.
Rebels accomplishes a ‘stylistic simplicity' with its show, and the characters mesh especially well into the universe. The Star Wars name has a degree of quality to it, so it's no surprise that so much work is put into making Star Wars: Rebels feel real.
While the first two seasons have impressed viewers of all ages with its imagery, it appears that season 3 is ramping up the darker elements of the universe with some astonishing imagery. Viewers are in for a visual treat.