By Jim Frye
A brand-new Star Wars adventure blasts its way onto TV screens when Lego Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures premieres on Disney XD on June 20. This latest entry into the Star Wars universe—which infuses heavy doses of Lego’s signature humor—is set between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi and stars the Freemakers, a family of sibling scavengers who operate a salvage and repair shop in space, scouring the galaxy for useful debris to build new vehicles to sell.
The series was dreamed up by creators Bill Motz and Bob Roth, who met while at a summer production workshop at USC. They bonded over their mutual love of Star Wars and have been writing and producing together ever since. They quickly sold their first script to Darkwing Duck and have since worked together on a variety of projects including Disney’s Kim Possible, Nickelodeon’s Rufus, and The Penguins of Madagascar—for which they won an Emmy in 2011.
But even though the series is full of action, droids, spaceships, and all the galactic-sized adventure we’ve come to expect in a Star Wars film, the one thing that permeates the entire series is a sense of family—the Freemakers love each other and take care of each other. That’s the true heart and soul of this series. Through the Force, the youngest sibling, Rowan, discovers the existence of the Kyber Saber, an ancient artifact with enormous power. The quest to find the missing pieces of the Kyber Saber throws Rowan and the Freemakers into an epic struggle against the Empire to restore peace and freedom to the galaxy.
So let’s meet the Freemakers:
ROWAN FREEMAKER (voiced by Nicolas Cantu) is a spunky, Force-sensitive 12-year-old with a thirst for adventure and a clear sense of right and wrong. When the Freemakers need a moral beacon, Rowan is the one to light the way.
Nicolas Cantu, the 12-year-old actor who voices Rowan, has already lent his voice for recurring roles on numerous television shows including the hit Disney Junior animated series Sofia the First, The Amazing World of Gumball, Dora and Friends, and the upcoming Hey Arnold. In addition to voicework, Cantu has appeared in numerous commercials and on Disney XD’s Walk the Prank. His feature film credits include Vikes and The Impossible Joy.
KORDI FREEMAKER (voiced by Vanessa Lengies) is the brain behind Freemaker Salvage and Repair. She picks their targets and charts their courses. Sixteen-year-old Kordi is smart, capable, and quick-witted and can talk her way out of just about any jam that the Freemakers get into.
Vanessa Lengies, who provides the voice of Kordi, currently can be seen on the FOX television show Second Chance. Other television credits include starring roles in Glee and Mixology. Her feature film credits include Waiting alongside Ryan Reynolds, Stick It, and We Are Your Friend with Zac Efron. She recently wrapped the lead in the upcoming film Happy Birthday.
ZANDER FREEMAKER (voiced by Eugene Byrd) is the oldest brother that every kid wants. He’s an 18-year-old ace pilot and charming rogue, and he brings the Freemakers to all the galaxy’s hot spots. His encyclopedic knowledge of starships allows him to identify just about any craft he sees. He’s a self-taught starship builder who rarely follows instructions but comes up with some ingenious creations. He tends to leap without looking, which often gets him and his siblings into trouble.
Eugene Byrd, who voices Zander, currently can be seen on television on the FOX hit show Bones and CW’s Arrow. He has guest-starred on many series including The Mentalist, Numbers, Crossing Jordan, Heroes, and Law and Order: SVU, among others. His feature film credits include Julia, Sleepers, 8 Mile, and Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid. Other highlights include the Sundance favorite Lift with Kerry Washington and a pivotal role in the 2009 feature Easier with Practice.
RO-GR a.k.a. Roger (voiced by Matthew Wood) is a rusty battle droid and veteran of the Clone Wars that the Freemaker family found sitting on top of a garbage heap. With a little re-programming, they turned him into a butler droid, which would be ideal if Roger were a better butler. He’s well-meaning but a self-contained chaos generator. Still, he’s genuinely useful and his firsthand experience dealing with the Jedi comes in handy as Rowan learns the ways the Force.
RO-GR is voiced by Matthew Wood, himself no stranger to the Star Wars universe. Having appeared in the Star Wars films (including The Force Awakens) and animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels, his love for Star Wars shines! In addition to his voicework, Wood has been a Supervising Sound Editor and Sound Designer at Skywalker Sound and has worked on numerous projects including Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, Star Trek: Into Darkness and WALL•E. He is currently working on Rogue One.
