Original ‘Star Wars’ trilogy visualized as maps

For kids, the idea of a worn, x-marked map leading to buried pirate treasure is an alluring one. The concept is one of the reasons why movies like “Treasure Island” and “The Goonies” are so enduringly popular. I can’t count the number of hours I must have spent as an eight-year-old poring over the treasure-styled map that came with my copy of “The Legend of Zelda” for the original Nintendo in search of similar, if virtual, treasures, or how I tracked Bilbo Baggins’ journey in “The Hobbit” by referencing the hand drawn sketch of Middle-earth included with the novel.

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One artist has taken the captivating concept of the treasure map a step further and applied it to classic and modern films in a way that will bring out the kid in you – especially if you’re a fan of the original “Star Wars” trilogy. If you’ve ever wanted to see the respective journeys of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia, the droids, and Darth Vader laid out in map form, then illustrator Andrew DeGraff has a treat for you.

DeGraff has created a nifty illustrated map that tracks Luke’s humble beginnings as a farm boy on Tatooine and his first encounters with Solo and the Princess, all the way through to his victory over Vader and the Death Star at the end of the film. There’s no “X marks the spot,” but you get the idea.

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See DeGraff’s treasure-styled maps for 1977’s “A New Hope” below.

The “Episode IV” piece above, along with illustrated maps of “The Empire Strikes Back,” and “Return of the Jedi,” will be appearing as part of a gallery show in Los Angeles this weekend. You can see equally wonderful maps for “Empire” and “Jedi” over at /Film.

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The “Star Wars” trilogy isn’t the first film franchise to get this movie map treatment either. DeGraff also created similar maps for the Alfred Hitchcock classic “North by Northwest,” '80s kid-venture “The Goonies,” and Edgar Wright’s zombie comedy “Shaun of the Dead.” DeGraff is apparently working on a similar series of illustrations for the “Indiana Jones” series. If anyone can help us make sense of "The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," DeGraff might be the guy.