Somewhere in the 30 years that have followed, the magic has been replaced by juvenilia and what was once eye-poppingly innovative is now merely ordinary.

There is no introduction to the characters and events of the Star Wars universe. Instead, we are pitched into an episode that appears to fit somewhere between the events of The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones.

The separatist forces of the treacherous Count Dooku are on the offensive, causing much concern for the Jedi Council led by Yoda and Mace Windu. To complicate matters, the son of interstellar gangster Jabba the Hutt has been kidnapped. Thus Jedi duo Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker are sent to rescue the infant and negotiate a deal with a criminal who might yet be an ally.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars is a blatant rehash of so much that has gone before. It relies heavily on lightsabre duels and skirmishes between rival troops and droids, but constantly fails to engage and grip in the manner of its predecessors.

It pains me to say it, but what was once a saga for all the family has been reduced to a banal cartoon. For that's what this latest spin-off represents: a 90-minute pilot for a new animated television series designed to keep the flame burning for a third generation.