George Lucas officially announced today via Starwars.com that he will be bringing his highly anticipated animated series Star Wars: Clone Wars to theater screens across the country. The feature will run 100 minutes and it will be released on August 15th.

Following this event, the TV series will debut in the fall with thirty half hour episodes that will first run on The Cartoon Network before being re-aired on TNT. Star Wars: Clone Wars takes audiences on incredible new Star Wars adventures, combining the legendary storytelling of Lucasfilm with an eye-popping, signature animation style.

George Lucas stated, "I felt there were a lot more Star Wars stories left to tell. I was eager to start telling some of them through animation and, at the same time, push the art of animation forward." The series will provide an entirely new look and feel to the franchise, combining the expansive scope of the Star Wars saga with state-of-the-art computer-generated animation. Each week, viewers will see a thrilling, 30-minute "mini-movie" created by the talented artists at Lucasfilm Animation.

Returning characters include Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Padme Amidala, along with brand-new characters such as Anakin's padawan learner, Ahsoka. Darth Sidious, Count Dooku and General Grievous are also set to return. Lucasfilm's Micheline Chau stated, "Warner Brothers and Turner are uniquely positioned to deliver on the enormous potential of The Clone Wars because together they offer a world-class opportunity: the theatrical and home-video distribution of Warner Bros. and the broad reach of the Turner Networks. This terrific combination hits the key demographic groups, ranging from kids to adults, that make up the Star Wars audience."

Warner Brothers' Dan Fellman added, "This is a breakthrough project -- returning Star Wars to the big screen in a completely new way while beginning an exciting new chapter in George Lucas' legendary saga. We immediately felt that it would be a fantastic theatrical event and are thrilled to be bringing it to moviegoers."

Dont't forget to also check out: Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Untitled Clone Wars TV Series