By Steve Kabelowsky Contributing Columnist Published Nov 16, 2014 at 1:47 PM

As we all know by now, there is a new caretaker of the "Star Wars" universe. As Disney prepares for its next live-action film with J.J. Abrams at the helm, it is taking the opportunity to take the last remaining pieces of the animated "Clone Wars" and release "The Lost Missions" in time for the holiday shopping season.

The new Blu-ray hit the shelves on Tuesday, and it has taken some time to take in 13 full episodes.

Five full seasons of "The Clone Wars" animated half-hours ran on the Cartoon Network. As the Lucasfilm Animation Studios transitioned to the new "Rebels" for the Disney-owned XD cable outlet, writer and director George Lucas’s last work in the serials made in a galaxy far, far away is presented here in the 3D computer-animated style.

"The Lost Missions" is considered Season 6 of the franchise, which aired on Disney XD and was available on iTunes. This two-disc collection is a great example why "The Clone Wars" won honors as an Outstanding Special Class Animated Program and Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation in 2014.

One of the best parts of the Blu-ray is the full documentary produced and presented in the bonus materials that shows behind-the-scene footage from the Skywalker Ranch. The staffers worked in a space created to look like a large homestead, and gone were the classic editing bays and cubicles of the office world.

The atmosphere, and access to the warehouses of the original film props, created a place that the animators and their families considered a second home, fueling some of the best animated story telling available on television.

The bonus features also have four story reels, the last ones reviewed by Lucas when he serves as the executive producer. The complete sub-story arc makes for more than 2 hours of viewing if the audience can get over the rough, unfinished animation that at least has the voice acting of the original series cast to carry the episodes through.

If you are a fan of "Star Wars" or simply just remember the older cartoons from the Cartoon Network, this is a must pick up to extend the story being told between the time that Anakin is growing in the Force as a Jedi, before he fully turns into Darth Vader. If you are a movie fan, that’s the time between Episodes II and III.

"Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Rises" is expected on the big screen in December of 2015. "Star Wars Rebels" is currently airing on Disney XD.

Steve Kabelowsky Contributing Columnist

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