Family Guy “Blue Harvest”

Directed by Dominic Polcino

September 23, 2007

FOX

Voice Cast

• Peter Griffin (Han Solo) / Brian Griffin (Chewbacca) / Stewie Griffin (Darth Vader) / Glenn Quagmire (C-3PO) / Carter Pewterschmidt (Owen Lars) / Tom Tucker (Death Star News Anchorman)-Seth MacFarlane
• Lois Griffin (Princess Leia) / Barbara Pewterschmidt (Beru Lars)-Alex Borstein
• Chris Griffin (Luke Skywalker)-Seth Green
• Meg Griffin (the Dianoga)-Mila Kunis
• Cleveland Brown (R2-D2) / Herbert (Obi-Wan Kenobi) / Bruce (Greedo)-Mike Henry
• Adam West (Grand Moff Tarkin)-Adam West
• Joe Swanson (Biggs Darklighter)-Patrick Warburton
• Mort Goldman (a Jawa)-Johnny Brennan

Guest Voices

• Clark Griswold-Chevy Chase
• Ellen Griswold-Beverly D’Angelo
• Himself / Red 6-Rush Limbaugh
• Herself-Helen Reddy
• John Bender-Judd Nelson

During a power outage, Peter tells the Griffin family the story of the original Star Wars.

I am a BIG Star Wars fan! Some of it is better than others, but I genuinely feel it is all better than 90% of anything that is out there. This fictional universe has been a big part of my life so anything Star Wars draws my attention. I also enjoy Family Guy. It has a great sense of humor and is not afraid to go for the laugh. Not to mention they make good jokes about pop culture.

When I first heard about this I was excited but a little nervous. A well-done joke per episode is one thing. A full episode of them is another. But I had faith. I know Seth MacFarlane and his humor is not for everybody. It is weird just how polarizing he can be, but I think he hits the nail on the head here. This is a loving mockery of the original film. It is done by people that love the movies but can also find moments in them to joke about.

“Blue Harvest” derives its title from the working title of Return of the Jedi which is something they reportedly regretted by the time they got around to doing their version of ROTJ. Casual fans (at least in olden times but things are different with the internet) might not know that and that alone made me feel from the start that this was in good hands. And I was right.

What I find interesting is how close to the original film some of the scenes in “Blue Harvest” are. The original Star Wars is most definitely the film I have viewed the most times in my life. I could not even count let alone estimate all of my viewings, so I most definitely know that film better than any other. There are moments in this animated feature that I instantly recognized. They begin out just as they would in that film and then they branch off into the joke. They are drawn and performed in much the same way they are in the movie and that just adds to the humor when they go for thew joke.

Since I was little I have wanted a traditionally animated Star Wars series featuring the original characters. I grew up with an animated Boba Fett in the Star Wars Holiday Special and two animated series on ABC but that was not enough and not quite what I wanted. I think this is as close as we will ever get to see Luke and Leia featured in animated form.

The real treat for fans of both is obviously the assorted series characters taking on the roles of characters from the film. They do a good job of paralleling their parts in the show with parts in this. The dynamic between Cleveland and Quagmire is a perfect fit for C-3PO and R2-D2. Stewie was an ideal choice for Vader.

I am always surprised by when Family Guy does one of their jokes involving a real person and you see in the credits the individual involved in the joke actually voiced themselves. Helen Reddy for example voices herself in the scene she is featured in. Say what you will about the late Rush Limbaugh, but the man had a good enough sense of humor that he parodied himself and how people react to him.

The animation is great and has the usual Family Guy polish. The script is very funny as one would expect. The jokes come study and fast and take jabs at assorted elements of pop culture both past and then present along with the beloved film. Your reaction will range from smiling to outright laughter.

“Blue Harvest” is a great bit of silliness and a loving jab at the classic original film. This is definitely a watch it!