With the release of Maul - Shadow Lord on Disney+, Lucasfilm has carved a new path for Star Wars media and has opened new doors that the franchise has never stepped through. Maul - Shadow Lord just released its two-part finale on Disney+ on Monday, May 4 (Star Wars Day), and it was met with an incredible reception from fans and critics. Maul actor Sam Witwer revealed that Lucasfilm president Dave Filoni demanded that the creative team behind Shadow Lord raise the bar for Star Wars animation and storytelling, and the final product absolutely succeeded in doing that.Star Wars animation has been a major part of the franchise since The Clone Wars began airing in 2008. However, it has become an even larger part of the galaxy far, far away since Disney acquired Lucasfilm from George Lucas in 2012. For the most part, the animated Star Wars stories have been largely the same in terms of tone, art style, acting, etc., and they seemingly have all been primarily geared towards children.However, Maul - Shadow Lord flipped the script in every aspect. It took risks that no other animated series has ever taken and made home run level swings that could have easily missed the mark. Luckily for Lucasfilm, Disney, and Star Wars fans, Shadow Lord made pure contact and hit that home run. In more ways than one, though, it actually knocked the ball out of the park and rewrote the rules for Star Wars. Read full article on The Direct.