Star Wars: The Clone Wars' theatrical release nearly derailed the first season of the series. Few remember that the animated Star Wars feature made it to the big screen in the first place, and to many that is for the best. The movie release of The Clone Wars was by no means indicative of what the series would contain from that point forward, but the first couple of seasons fought an uphill battle for redemption.
Beginning in 2008, Cartoon Network played host to the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series. Set between Star Wars: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, the program would take viewers on a series of adventures across various Star Wars worlds. Though initially designed as a television series alone, fairly far along in production there was an idea brought about for a theatrical release. While this appeared to be a very good idea in theory in order to boost the buzz around the show, it didn't work in practise as the results of the move were less than favorable.
It was decided late in the game a number of episodes were to be woven together into one, singular film. The arc that was ultimately decided upon was one in which Anakin Skywalker and franchise newcomer Ahsoka Tano have to return Rotta the Huttlet to his father, crime lord Jabba the Hutt. In the context of a kids television series, this arc would seem suitable, however a nationwide release was not ideal for such a narrative. It was incredibly low-stakes and predictable, while offering little new content to the Star Wars continuity. That's not to mention its presentation appeared a bit clunky, as after all it was designed to be a series of episodes, not a feature-length film. However, the issues did not stop there.
By taking out a large section of the first season of The Clone Wars out of context, the episodes that came before it chronologically threw off the timeline of the show. This in turn set a bad tone right out of the gate for the first season, as the first 3 episodes of the series had to act as prologues to the film. On top of that, there was not a very strong reception to the film given the weak story and ultimately confusing timeline. Things were not going well for the inaugural season of The Clone Wars thanks to the theatrical release of what was effectively an arc designed solely for TV consumption via Cartoon Network.
In hindsight, it is a wonder how the show became as popular as it did given how disastrous the start of it was. Between the film being received poorly by both fans and critics, coupled with the drag that was the first season, The Clone Wars persisted and managed to garner a huge following in the Star Wars fandom. With season 7 on the way next month via Disney+, it is interesting to look back on the rough debut it had. It is to be assumed back then, over a decade ago, that no one would expect this show to gain such popularity and reverence after its less than stellar showing at the beginning.