39 years ago today was a Sunday night, and on ABC television in the United States 65 million viewers – a number modern television can only dream of which would, if translated into 2023 US cinema ticket prices would bring in a whopping $684,450,000 at the box office – sat down for the ABC Sunday Night Movie, which took them to the moon of Endor last seen in Return of the Jedi the year before. The film was Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure, and almost forty years on it continues to charm the Lantern Birds from the trees.
The Ewoks return in Caravan of Courage – this time to aid two children searching for their lost parents. The crash of the Towani family’s starcruiser on the forest moon of Endor and the separation of two children from their parents sets into motion an incredible adventure that takes four-year-old Cindel Towani, and her older brother, Mace, into the unfamiliar world of the Ewoks.
At first frightened, Cindel is quick to respond to the Ewoks’ kindness. Brash and protective, Mace is wary of these awkward creatures and their primitive culture. But the Ewoks’ pastoral life belies the wisdom, magic and fierce courage they will bring to bear against the arduous terrain, inhospitable inhabitants and unimaginable hazards that stand between the reunification of the Towani children and their missing parents.
You can get behind the Yub Nub Ewokumentary which takes a look at the making of Caravan of Courage by clicking here and supporting it. There are 8 days to go, so show your support for even more content from an overlooked gem of the original trilogy era. So far, Eric Walker, Warwick Davis, Darryl Henriques, Kevin Thompson, Peter Bernstein, Niki Botelho, Hal Rayle, Tony Cox and Zack Giallongo are part of the documentary and the more backers they get, the more interviews they can do.
