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The Art of Star Wars Rebels
An incredible hardcover amassing art and creator commentary chronicling four seasons of adventure in a galaxy far, far away!
In the early days of the rebellion, a tight-knit group of rebels from various backgrounds banded together against all odds to do their part in the larger mission of defeating the Galactic Empire, sparking hope across the galaxy.
The award-winning team from Lucasfilm Animation brought the beloved occupants of the Ghost into our homes five years ago, now, take a step behind-the-scenes to witness the journey from paper to screen with The Art of Star Wars Rebels. Featuring never-before-seen concept art and process pieces along with exclusive commentary from the creative team behind the show, Dark Horse Books and Lucasfilm proudly present the official look inside one of the galaxy's most beloved shows.
In the early days of the rebellion, a tight-knit group of rebels from various backgrounds banded together against all odds to do their part in the larger mission of defeating the Galactic Empire, sparking hope across the galaxy.
The award-winning team from Lucasfilm Animation brought the beloved occupants of the Ghost into our homes five years ago, now, take a step behind-the-scenes to witness the journey from paper to screen with The Art of Star Wars Rebels. Featuring never-before-seen concept art and process pieces along with exclusive commentary from the creative team behind the show, Dark Horse Books and Lucasfilm proudly present the official look inside one of the galaxy's most beloved shows.
208 pages, Hardcover
Published October 1, 2019
9 people are currently reading
174 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
May 10, 2020
One star removed for egregious lack of loth cat art.
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April 8, 2021This bummed me out pretty hard, particularly after being excited for it for so long and springing for the limited edition.
I was looking for more insight into the creative process, more concept art, more exploratory design work. This offers mostly finalized art for things as they appear in the show with little input for the creative team behind the show beyond quick inessential blurbs. I love this show so much as I love Star Wars art books so much and this several steps removed from what I’ve come to expect from the Art of Star Wars books.
Know going in that this is very nice art depicting what you see in Star Wars Rebels as you see it in Star Wars Rebels with largely in-universe expository information and thin quotes from the crew. If you are looking for something more in depth the free Rebels Recon YouTube show is a better source.
I really hate being a drag this just bummed me out.
I was looking for more insight into the creative process, more concept art, more exploratory design work. This offers mostly finalized art for things as they appear in the show with little input for the creative team behind the show beyond quick inessential blurbs. I love this show so much as I love Star Wars art books so much and this several steps removed from what I’ve come to expect from the Art of Star Wars books.
Know going in that this is very nice art depicting what you see in Star Wars Rebels as you see it in Star Wars Rebels with largely in-universe expository information and thin quotes from the crew. If you are looking for something more in depth the free Rebels Recon YouTube show is a better source.
I really hate being a drag this just bummed me out.
December 26, 2023
my best friends are in there
May 31, 2021
A better editor was needed, as there are several mistakes that should have been caught prior to publication. The art needed better descriptions all around, honestly. But the concept art and details about how they adapted Ralph McQuarrie's designs for this series are wonderful. I really bought this special edition book for the light up case it came in and the two page concept artwork with Ahsoka fighting Vader. That alone was worth my money.
October 17, 2020
Ultimately disappointing.
I love most of the Star Wars art books, but this one was lacking. There was minimal concept art and little in the way of developmental art. In other Star Wars art books you can see rejected ideas and how the chosen ideas evolved over time. Not here. Now, maybe there wasn't an elaborate design process and maybe they knew what they wanted all along, but it's a disappointment not to see more "behind the scenes art".
What the book really is is basically a lot of still shots of what was actually in the series. So if you've seen the series, you've seen everything in the book. Which reduces the appeal to me. Also, there are some odd gaps - no loth cats, no loth wolves, and a few other gaps.
What's there is well done. But I wish there was more depth and breadth.
I love most of the Star Wars art books, but this one was lacking. There was minimal concept art and little in the way of developmental art. In other Star Wars art books you can see rejected ideas and how the chosen ideas evolved over time. Not here. Now, maybe there wasn't an elaborate design process and maybe they knew what they wanted all along, but it's a disappointment not to see more "behind the scenes art".
What the book really is is basically a lot of still shots of what was actually in the series. So if you've seen the series, you've seen everything in the book. Which reduces the appeal to me. Also, there are some odd gaps - no loth cats, no loth wolves, and a few other gaps.
What's there is well done. But I wish there was more depth and breadth.
February 5, 2021
B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L 😍
March 21, 2021
No llega a los libros de la saga sobre el arte (se echan en falta más muestras del proceso y más texto), pero sí que incluye interesantes artes conceptuales sobre esta fantástica serie, que se ha vuelto imprescindible para entender toda la nueva mitología de la saga Star Wars.
August 5, 2022
More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/
The Art of Star Wars Rebels delivers exactly what you can imagine it would be - gorgeous renderings of the concept art for the series. As with all Star Wars art books, the art itself is amazing and the care taken into the layout of the book is top notch.Unfortunately, it's also 'just' an art book. I was hoping for more insight into the making of the series and additional tidbits. While there is plenty of concept art of what characters were designed to look like, it's really nothing that provides an in depth view into the Rebels world. For a coffee table book this is great, as it is just for browsing the pictures. There just isn't all that much more to it.
One slight irritation that actually has nothing to do with this book is that most of the concept art of locales and vehicles is really much better than what we got in the series. The series art style is more kid-cartoony with fairly plain and flat appearance. The concept art in turn is full of wonderful detail and depth and I found myself hoping that the series would have ended up looking like that. Still, it captures the imagination, even if at times you struggle to think if you've even ever seen this locale in the series.
Overall, it's a solid book for looking at the beautiful art but not much beyond it. I browsed through the thing in an hour and enjoyed myself. Can't say I'm imagining myself doing so again in the near future though. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.
December 25, 2021
I absolutely love Star Wars: Rebels, it's probably my favourite piece of Star Wars media and getting to see concept art from it is an absolute delight!
However, the way this book is structured does not make sense to me and it feels incredibly rushed. While there is a certain repeatable structure to the book, it seems as though it doesn't quite know who it's audience is. The text pieces accompanying the art varies from basic descriptions of what is portrayed to mentioning other star wars media or referencing certain episodes and then goes back to explaining basic terminology - it's like the author couldn't decide whether he was writing to Star Wars fans or casual viewers and in my opinion it cheapens the end product. I would also have loved some more in-depth explanations on certain design choices or narrative decisions in relation to the art, but instead there's just an almost mechanical walk through of characters, environments and props with no tangible exploration of the relations between these. It also ends very abruptly and I think overall the book could have benefited from some sort of red thread and 'narrative' around the making of the show instead of just going through the seasons and showing the new stuff.
It's not a bad book, for the casual viewer it's probably fine, but I just don't think it works as well as many other art books I've read.
However, the way this book is structured does not make sense to me and it feels incredibly rushed. While there is a certain repeatable structure to the book, it seems as though it doesn't quite know who it's audience is. The text pieces accompanying the art varies from basic descriptions of what is portrayed to mentioning other star wars media or referencing certain episodes and then goes back to explaining basic terminology - it's like the author couldn't decide whether he was writing to Star Wars fans or casual viewers and in my opinion it cheapens the end product. I would also have loved some more in-depth explanations on certain design choices or narrative decisions in relation to the art, but instead there's just an almost mechanical walk through of characters, environments and props with no tangible exploration of the relations between these. It also ends very abruptly and I think overall the book could have benefited from some sort of red thread and 'narrative' around the making of the show instead of just going through the seasons and showing the new stuff.
It's not a bad book, for the casual viewer it's probably fine, but I just don't think it works as well as many other art books I've read.
August 25, 2020
This book is heavy on backgrounds/layouts, props and ships/vehicles. As my interest is more character oriented, I wish there was more character art. A nice, hefty book that as a fan of the series I still enjoy, but it is definitely more for the world building enthusiast than the character designer.
July 18, 2020
An impressive case that holds an equally impressive book
December 31, 2020
though i rated it five stars it is missing the possible savage opress that could have been a vision in season 3
September 27, 2023
Beautiful artbook that is lacking in concept art
The artbook of the animated series Star Wars Rebels is a beautiful book that spans all for seasons of the show in detail. Each season is divided in subsections about characters, places and environments, vehicles and items. All artists that took part in the production process are listed and acknowledged and you can see, who painted/created which artwork, which is great.
The book provides a whole lot of different props and artworks and really encloses the whole series. Sadly, the book is lacking in unused concept art. Maybe it is I, but I really enjoy seeing unused artwork, different concepts of characters, places etc. that were created but discarded during pre-production. I really like this “it could have looked like that” and reading some paragraphs about why certain concepts were favored and others not. The Rebels artbook has these moments and that is when I enjoyed it most. Vader was one highlight, as the book shows different stylized versions of his helmet that they tried out and explains that they used unused artwork by Ralph McQuarie for Episode IV, as they did for many other things. I love such explanations and little stories, but there are only a few in here. Mainly the book is “I show you how it looked in the series”. That is great, but it could have been more. The old artbook for Episode V “Empire Strikes Back” had a ton of text and explanations how things were done and developed and the artbook for Episode II “Attack of the Clones” had pages upon pages of unused artwork. I would have preferred that approach, though the artbook is still great for everyone who loves “Rebels”.
Therefore sadly only 4 out of 5 stars. It is great for what it is, but it could have been so much more.
The artbook of the animated series Star Wars Rebels is a beautiful book that spans all for seasons of the show in detail. Each season is divided in subsections about characters, places and environments, vehicles and items. All artists that took part in the production process are listed and acknowledged and you can see, who painted/created which artwork, which is great.
The book provides a whole lot of different props and artworks and really encloses the whole series. Sadly, the book is lacking in unused concept art. Maybe it is I, but I really enjoy seeing unused artwork, different concepts of characters, places etc. that were created but discarded during pre-production. I really like this “it could have looked like that” and reading some paragraphs about why certain concepts were favored and others not. The Rebels artbook has these moments and that is when I enjoyed it most. Vader was one highlight, as the book shows different stylized versions of his helmet that they tried out and explains that they used unused artwork by Ralph McQuarie for Episode IV, as they did for many other things. I love such explanations and little stories, but there are only a few in here. Mainly the book is “I show you how it looked in the series”. That is great, but it could have been more. The old artbook for Episode V “Empire Strikes Back” had a ton of text and explanations how things were done and developed and the artbook for Episode II “Attack of the Clones” had pages upon pages of unused artwork. I would have preferred that approach, though the artbook is still great for everyone who loves “Rebels”.
Therefore sadly only 4 out of 5 stars. It is great for what it is, but it could have been so much more.
February 6, 2023
The Art of Star Wars Rebels makes a beautiful coffee table book for a fan of the show but I found it didn't add much to the experience.
The book heavily focuses on location shots and props with little character and concept art. It's organized by season which is a nice choice to go through the journey but made it feel a bit repetitive as each had the same categories and sometimes similar items. The notes are minimal and therefore it doesn't really add any depth to the creative process as I had hoped it would. Seeing as Rebels revolves around a small cast of a found family I would have liked to see more of what went into creating them as the few pages did not feel enough. I would have also liked to see heavier notes and insight into things like bringing Thrawn into the canon and the introduction of Inquisitors. Overall, this seemed like a product that should be aimed at a hardcore fan but felt more for a casual viewer.
If you're looking purely for art and stills of the show, The Art of Star Wars Rebels should delight, but if you're looking more for behind the scenes looks or insight into the creation this might not be for you.
Thank you to the publishers for a digital copy to review.
The book heavily focuses on location shots and props with little character and concept art. It's organized by season which is a nice choice to go through the journey but made it feel a bit repetitive as each had the same categories and sometimes similar items. The notes are minimal and therefore it doesn't really add any depth to the creative process as I had hoped it would. Seeing as Rebels revolves around a small cast of a found family I would have liked to see more of what went into creating them as the few pages did not feel enough. I would have also liked to see heavier notes and insight into things like bringing Thrawn into the canon and the introduction of Inquisitors. Overall, this seemed like a product that should be aimed at a hardcore fan but felt more for a casual viewer.
If you're looking purely for art and stills of the show, The Art of Star Wars Rebels should delight, but if you're looking more for behind the scenes looks or insight into the creation this might not be for you.
Thank you to the publishers for a digital copy to review.
July 14, 2020
I have all the "Art of" books they've released since TFA, so I definitely wanted to pick this one up. While it is overflowing with material and gorgeous art, I was disappointed it didn't feature more unused concept art. The copious amounts of ideas and concepts in the feature film art books are what make them so interesting and inspirational to me. The Rebels book has some of that in the development section at the beginning, but little else. Some of that is undoubtedly due to this being a book for a TV show on a more accelerated timeline, but it felt like the book was missing something nevertheless. The other flaw in the book is at least one pretty significant copy error where the Seventh Sister is misnamed repeatedly throughout her whole section in the book as the Second Sister (from the Fallen Order video game). A book at this level shouldn't have those kind of mistakes. Overall, though, the book is beautiful and contains wonderful art and is worth picking up if you like the other "Art Of Star Wars" books.
January 10, 2022
This is a nice visual guide to the Rebels series, and fans of the show will probably enjoy this. That said, it gains a lot in my rating from my simple love for Rebels, rather than actual value. This book adds next to nothing in terms of insight into the art or story development, and would benefit immensely from even something as basic as more detailed captions. There were several images where I wasn't even sure what I was looking at, because there was no caption included. I was hoping for a breakdown of why specific artistic choices were made, or the evolution of design elements through concept art, but for the most part it's just a presentation of the artwork as it appears in the show with nothing else added.
I liked it because I liked Rebels. That's pretty much it.
Also, no loth cats?? What's up with that?
I liked it because I liked Rebels. That's pretty much it.
Also, no loth cats?? What's up with that?
July 14, 2020
Listen, what is here is not bad at all. There's plenty of gorgeous art from a gorgeous show.
But there just isn't much. Very little in the way of concepts that didn't make it into the show, very little behind the scenes info about the art or its design journey.
There just isn't that much here. Despite how gorgeous the art is, it just feels a bit hollow without more meat to it. This one feels much more empty than most of the Star Wars art books.
But there just isn't much. Very little in the way of concepts that didn't make it into the show, very little behind the scenes info about the art or its design journey.
There just isn't that much here. Despite how gorgeous the art is, it just feels a bit hollow without more meat to it. This one feels much more empty than most of the Star Wars art books.
July 29, 2021
I've never read an art book before, and I have to say I was genuinely surprised by how much I enjoyed it.
There isn't a whole lot here - very minimal text, and much of the art looks very close to the show, as opposed to it featuring more unique concept art. My hopes were higher - this book met my bare-minimum expectation, but didn't really exceed it.
I'm going to hopefully try another art book or two in the not-too-distant future...not sure what one, though. I'm open to suggestions!
There isn't a whole lot here - very minimal text, and much of the art looks very close to the show, as opposed to it featuring more unique concept art. My hopes were higher - this book met my bare-minimum expectation, but didn't really exceed it.
I'm going to hopefully try another art book or two in the not-too-distant future...not sure what one, though. I'm open to suggestions!
June 25, 2023
I’ll be honest, I was kind of hoping for more artwork from Dave Filoni (who’s sketched and sketch box are referenced often) but outside of that I really enjoyed this. Anytime I can revisit Rebels is a win for me and learning how all areas of Star Wars (including the EU and old role playing games) influenced the designs on the show was cool to learn/see.
The landscape designs are stunning and easily could’ve filled the entire book. Fun was had here
The landscape designs are stunning and easily could’ve filled the entire book. Fun was had here
December 9, 2022
A fantastic art book that covers all four seasons of Rebels. Each chapter takes a look at characters, vehicles, environments, and props, with plenty of concept art. It’s particularly interesting how much the show creators dug into Ralph McQuarrie’s portfolio for their inspiration. There’s plenty here for both casual and discerning art fans.
August 28, 2024
A good collection of design work from across the Star Wars Rebels series, including sections on characters, environments, vehicles, and props from all four seasons. I would have liked to see more insight into the design process, particularly the early concept development stages, instead of descriptions of the plot.
November 21, 2020
Pros:
-art
-shape of book
-Rebels!!
Cons:
-not enough development.....at all. While I love the art style and some of full page art in this book, I really feel like I was missing the design development and the quotes from artists and creators about how they got to that final design and why.
-art
-shape of book
-Rebels!!
Cons:
-not enough development.....at all. While I love the art style and some of full page art in this book, I really feel like I was missing the design development and the quotes from artists and creators about how they got to that final design and why.
August 6, 2021
its a beautiful book. well produced, organized and lovely to look at. BUT! how can you do an artbook and leave out the most ubiquitous denizen of Lothal, the Loth cat!?!
4 stars for the egregious lack of Loth cats!
4 stars for the egregious lack of Loth cats!
June 14, 2020
Text is not the main thing in such books, but the art needs a little more explaining than this. Probably the Star Wars Art of... book I've enjoyed the least.
July 1, 2020
faltan concept-art y algunos personajes (ejem jacen syndulla)
September 3, 2020
I love Rebels so much. This was fun! I kept wanting to read more. I am also glad that they organized the book somewhat chronologically, by season. That was really helpful. Yay Rebels!
December 2, 2020
A beautiful art book for anyone who loved the Star Wars Rebels series. Has a lot of concept art and early drafts of characters. Missing some big parts of the show, but overall its a really nice addition for a fan's library.
May 24, 2021
If you love Star Wars Rebels or just good Sci-Fi art, then this is the book for you. lots of great art and information about the series.
June 10, 2021
A lovely little artbook for this amazing show! Love seeing the "behind-the- art/process/inspiration" kinda stuff. Not quite as good as some other media artbooks I've seen, but still pretty good!
June 15, 2021
A beautiful book of concept art from the series.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews