Around the Moviegoers a Promotional Campaign Create...
"...so it’s the struggle to sort of maintain some sanity in the overwhelming wave of chaos brought about by love." — George Lucas, Episode II “Love” Featurette
Little did we know about the overwhelming wave of chaos that Attack of the Clones would bring to the modern moviegoing experience in 2002. Twenty years later, the love for and lasting impact of this bizarre blend of trailblazing technology and semi-noir space soap opera is coming into focus (at least for me).
To help us all maintain some sanity in the crazy Star Wars present that is May of 2022, here’s a somewhat chronological commemorative retracing of Episode II’s worldwide promotional campaign, courtesy of the fan community and invaluable Wayback Machine.
2000
At the center of second prequel was the discovery of the new, “grown up” Anakin Skywalker. Over the weekend of April 29th, 2000, Ani hopefuls were screen tested with Natalie Portman at Skywalker Ranch, with the recordings being captured by the new digital camera system collaboratively developed by Panavision, Sony, and Lucasfilm.
Less than two weeks later on May 12th, 19-year-old Hayden Christensen’s casting was officially announced on StarWars.com and the crucial piece of the movie’s identity was in place. See where it all began in this classic “Trying To Do My Thing” webisode.
Print publicity for the "New Face of Star Wars" would begin to spread that summer. I particularly appreciate the joint presence of Hayden and Triumph The Insult Comic Dog on the June/July 2000 cover of Entertainment Weekly, which I distinctly remember landing in our mailbox.
Even more enticing were the “George Lucas Episode II Select” production photographs which launched on July 13th, 2000. So many of these obscure, artsy, or downright weird images are seared in my visual memory banks.
The promotional potential of the blossoming World Wide Web would continue to be tapped in engaging and hilarious fashion by "The Best" in an online video series titled On Location with Ahmed Best.
Kicking off on August 1st, 2000, Ahmed would enthusiastically interview cast and crew of all varieties on a weekly basis throughout the production of Episode II, with installments available exclusively on StarWars.com.
From the stars and ILM visual effects gurus to Kevin the Australian production accountant and George W. Lucas himself, no role was exempt, painting a refreshingly candid behind-the-scenes look that simply wouldn’t exist today.
Watch below what could be the Best: George serving as Quality Control Supervisor of craft services.
A more formal approach was taken with an 11 minute documentary included in the November 21st, 2000 VHS box set release of the Original Trilogy.
The promo was primarily focused on the return to the Lars Homestead, with appearances from Joel Edgerton, Bonnie Piesse, Anthony Daniels, and Lucas, who dryly admits that Threepio “starts out as a droid, he ends up as a droid. He has a very unhappy droid life in between.”
2001
With postproduction well underway, the latter half of 2001 would see key milestones come to pass that resulted in quite a hype escalation.
On August 6th (the “same day that media outlets reported that a group of researchers planned to clone up to 200 humans”), the full Attack of the Clones title was revealed on StarWars.com and the universe would never be the same. The special announcement stated that the title “harkens back to the sense of pure fun, imagination and excitement that characterized the classic movie serials and pulp space fantasy adventures that inspired the Star Wars saga.”
I remember feeling a slight twinge reading the news that day. In hindsight, Clones was unabashedly telling us all exactly what it was going to be. What it was intended to be.
Hokey title hesitations set aside, November of 2001 was when my personal Episode II anticipation level blasted into the stratosphere. Beginning with The Phantom Menace, Star Wars had mastered the modern art of the teaser trailer. For fans, the first glimpse at actual footage from a new Star Wars movie had become nothing short of a religious experience. Those aware of the initial Clones teaser exclusively attached to the theatrical release of Pixar’s Monsters Inc. knew just where they needed to be on Friday, November 2nd.
Titled “Breathing,” this tantalizing less-than-a-minute montage may be the most Lucas-y Star Wars trailer ever produced.
“Breathing” would become available on StarWars.com (for those whose modems dared to dream) the following Monday. The vision of this landing page framed by Jango Fett flying over a blank space where the video file laboriously loaded over the course of hours is just as engrained in my mind as the trailer itself.
That Friday, November 9th saw the introduction of a DVD-ROM online preview (a what?!) titled “Mystery” that was unlockable to PC and Mac users with their handy dandy Episode I DVDs. Intrigue. Action. Banter. Whaddaya know?
The drama/dogma heavy teaser poster and banner featuring a stark representation of Anakin and Padmé’s doomed romance started to appear in theaters the week of November 12th.
Its web announcement noted that the “red-tinted image not only conveys a strong connection between the two young lovers, but also an indication that their destinies lie along separate, tragic paths.”
Topping off the 2001 promotional push was a full two-minute teaser trailer with a similar thematic flavor titled “Forbidden Love” that landed on StarWars.com on November 15th and in theaters with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone the next day on Friday, November 16th.
Christensen and Portman are understandably given the stage, with warning signs of some potentially awkward moments decently masked and diverted from by some stunning visuals and intense action. I’ll always mourn Ewan McGregor’s original “you haven’t learned anything, Anakin” take (and tangible beard) that this trailer preserves.
Presented for posterity: the “Forbidden Love” landing page on StarWars.com.
2002
Campaign commotion would build to a climax in March of 2002, with the full theatrical trailer titled “Clone War” having fans glued to their televisions and computer screens on the evening of Sunday, March 10th. Initially aired on national television between episodes of Malcolm in the Middle and The X-Files on FOX with a debut on StarWars.com immediately following, this all-out sensory blitz unveiled the immense scale of the titular conflict.
In Issue #55 of the StarWars.com Newsletter Homing Beacon, Lucasfilm’s then VP of Marketing Jim Ward shared that “In Episode II, we’re going to see the Jedi in action like we've never seen them before. We’re going to see hundreds of Jedi, hundreds of lightsabers, thousands of clones, in a huge battle. The trailer gives just a hint of what’s to come.” “Clone War” hit movie theaters the following week in tandem with Drew Struzan’s theatrical one sheet which was revealed on StarWars.com on March 12th.
The poster for Clones represents the most dramatic of Struzan’s prequel work, and easily my favorite.
Theatrical Artifacts
As was the case with The Phantom Menace, a wide selection of promotional material was produced for international exhibitors and their audiences. The following is a sample and by no means comprehensive.
Press kits and pressbooks with Struzan’s one sheet styling, such as the French example below, were distributed domestically in the US and Mexico as well.
L’Attaque des Clones French pressbook - From the Collection of Stéphane Faucourt
Additional press kit styles (seen below) can be found from the US and the Netherlands.
US Press Kit - From the Collection of Duncan Jenkins - Star Wars Collectors Archive
Netherlands Press Kit - From the Collection of Duncan Jenkins - Star Wars Collectors Archive
Magazines and other print publications played a critical role for generating interest among the public. The May 12th, 2002 edition of the Orange County Register's "Show" entertainment supplement offered pre-release box office analysis for Episode II. 50,000,000 CLONES CAN'T BE WRONG - OR CAN THEY?
The May 2002 French issue of Premiere was romance-heavy, highlighting the glamourous story of “un gars, un fille” (and a universe…).
From the Collection of Stéphane Faucourt
As the release date neared, preview screenings were planned and hosted throughout the world.
From the Collection of Erik Janniche
The traditional Lucas Companies’ Private Advance Employee Screening and Lunch occurred on Saturday, May 11th as detailed in the memo at left.
Staff could pick from a number of theaters throughout the Bay Area, with everyone convening at the Fort Mason Center for a buffet lunch.
The invitation, screening tickets, and luncheon voucher were Naboo/Lake Como themed (fancy!), with screening tickets color coded by venue.
Lucas Companies Employee Screening Invitation - From the Collection of Erik Janniche
From the Collection of Erik Janniche
For the majority of other advanced screenings in North America, two standard styles of Struzan one sheet ticket/invite were used.
Style 1 (Ticket)
Style 2 (Invitation)
Double-sided ticket with the key art on the front and screening information on the reverse
Folded invitation with the key art on front and screening information on the inside
Rather than a single Hollywood-style red carpet premiere, eleven exclusive premieres benefiting children’s charities were held in the United States and Canada on Sunday, May 12th (Mother’s Day…which is a bit of an odd choice given the tragic turning point of the movie).
From the Collection of Erik Janniche
Below is a rundown of the eleven May 12th charity premiere cities with related screening ephemera.
San Francisco CA
From the Collection of Erik Janniche
Carrie Fisher was in attendance in San Francisco with her then 9-year-old daughter Billie and “an attack of the wind practically blew her down the red carpet.”
Boston, MA
From the Collection of Erik Janniche
Chicago, IL
From the Collection of Erik Janniche
Dallas, TX
From the Collection of Erik Janniche
Denver, CO
From the Collection of Erik Janniche
Los Angeles, CA
From the Collection of Erik Janniche
New York, NY
From the Collection of Mark Rusciano
Philadelphia, PA
From the Collection of Erik Janniche
Seattle, WA
From the Collection of Duncan Jenkins - Star Wars Collectors Archive
Washington DC
From the Collection of Erik Janniche
Toronto, Canada
Hayden Christensen fittingly attended the Toronto premiere with his mom and other fellow Canadians.
From the Collection of Erik Janniche
More special previews commenced soon thereafter. Below are souvenirs saved from a few of them.
Hong Kong (May 13th, 2002)
From the Collection of Erik Janniche
Ziegfeld Theatre, New York (May 14th, 2002)
From the Collection of Erik Janniche
United Kingdom (May 15th, 2002)
From the Collection of Erik Janniche
Singapore (May 15th, 2002)
From the Collection of Erik Janniche
Uptown Theatre, Washington DC News Corp Government Relations (May 15th, 2002)
From the Collection of Erik Janniche
Additional special screenings took place on or soon after the film’s May 16th official release.
From the Collection of Erik Janniche
Across the pond, Episode II headlined this May 24-30th, 2002 Film Guide for the Odeon Cinemas in Newcastle. Of note is the synopsis, which states that “There aren't enough Jedi to defend the Republic against the threat, so Chancellor Palpatine enlists the aid of Jango Fett, who promises that his army of clones will handle the situation.”
Though essentially extinct in the US, traditional lobby cards were created for select international markets. The French set below was replicated for other European cinemas.
From the Collection of Stéphane Faucourt - Star Wars Collectors Archive
Kids could redeem the following Movie Cash vouchers for admission (up to $6 in value) to Clones at authorized movie theaters through September 30th, 2002. What better way to help ease them into the new school year?
Would you have spent your Obi and Jango bucks or sentimentally packed them away for a future Kamino rainy day?
"For the first time, fans of Star Wars will be able to see all their favorite characters, environments, vehicles and droids in a setting that is up to eight stories high and over a hundred feet wide." — Jim Ward, Lucasfilm Vice President of Marketing - September 9th, 2002
Size matters not. Except on an IMAX screen. Attack of the Clones: The IMAX Experience would attack select cities across the US and Canada beginning November 1st, 2002. As the first digitally captured feature film to get the IMAX DMR (Digital Re-mastering) treatment, this special engagement marked another barrier broken by Episode II. The clever campaign art depicted a monumental saber-wielding Yoda looming over landmarks of some of the host locations. I had this poster on my college bedroom wall and regret losing it in the adult life shuffle.
From the Collection of Erik Janniche
The movie's secondary heroes/villains campaign art was used broadly in varying combinations, formats, and languages.
This set of collectible cards used a combo style of the campaign art to promote Angriff der Klonkrieger’s May 16th, 2002 release in Germany.
These two-sided flyers with each character posed solo were printed to promote the movie's May 16 release in Thailand.
Poggle The Lesser’s absence in these designs is one of the greater crimes committed by the campaign.
This set of Thailand handbills was printed in English as well, with an extra flyer featuring the one sheet.
From the Collection of Erik Janniche
Teaser and Struzan style Chirashi handbills were printed for the film’s July 13th, 2002 debut in Japan.
Impressive as always was the souvenir program available to Japanese moviegoers. An elegant title-embossed cover bound pages and pages of eye-catching Clones content, including in-depth guides on locations, characters, creatures, and spaceships, cast/crew interviews, and tie-in product advertisements that take collectors like myself straight back to 2002 (gotta love that “Saga” blue!).
Though Attack of the Clones may have “underperformed” at the box office compared to its predecessor and successor in the Prequel Trilogy (and that pesky friendly neighborhood Spider-Man) and scaled back on merchandising, its mark on the film industry’s production and exhibition landscape is nothing short of permanent.
From the Collection of Duncan Jenkins - Star Wars Collectors Archive
Calling out the technical superiority of an engagement’s presentation is an advertising tactic that goes back to 1977 and Dolby Stereo, so it’s interesting to see it manifested in the emphasis on digital projection (or “digi-proj” as a friend liked to call it) with Episode II ads.
In addition to all of the press coverage, trade ads nicely document the sea change that was transpiring. With Episode II’s release, Sony President Kunitake Andō declared 2002 as “The Year of Digital Cinematography.”
The awards season drive for Clones further advocated for the groundbreaking work ILM was doing on the digital frontier. As previously demonstrated by the IMAX campaign, the digitally reborn Yoda was the face of Episode II’s public persona post-release. He certainly deserved the notoriety given the audience response, as did all of those that anxiously and painstakingly took the plunge to make it happen. Alas, Coleman, Helman, Knoll, and Snow were nominated for Visual Effects at the 75th Oscars (Episode II’s sole nomination), but were thwarted by another middle-of-the-trilogy tentpole in The Two Towers. Gollum be damned.
Much like my IMAX poster, Attack of the Clones may have been lost in the shuffle of the effects-driven blockbusters that have increasingly surrounded Star Wars releases. Hopefully this time capsule helped revive some of the hullabaloo of ‘02. If it failed, maybe this will put you over the edge:
Special thanks to Stéphane Faucourt, Erik Janniche, Duncan Jenkins, and Mark Rusciano for their contributions to this post.
