Star Wars: The Clone Wars is a 2008 American animated space opera film directed by Dave Filoni, produced by Lucasfilm Ltd. and Lucasfilm Animation, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, becoming the first Star Wars film to not be distributed by 20th Century Fox. It is the first fully animated film in the Star Wars franchise and takes place shortly after Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002), at the start of the titular Clone Wars. In the film, Count Dooku and Jabba the Hutt's uncle Ziro orchestrate a plan to turn Jabba against the Galactic Republic by framing the Jedi for the kidnapping of his son. While Anakin Skywalker and his newly assigned apprentice Ahsoka Tano attempt to deliver the child back to his father, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Padmé Amidala lead separate investigations to uncover Dooku and Ziro's plot.

The Clone Wars premiered on August 10, 2008, at Grauman's Egyptian Theatre, followed by a wide release five days later. It received generally negative reviews from critics, who criticized the screenplay and animation. Despite grossing $68.3 million worldwide against a $8.5 million budget, it grossed considerably less than previous Star Wars films and is the lowest grossing to date. The film serves as a pilot episode to the television series of the same name, which premiered on Cartoon Network two months after the film's release.