Actually, the Clone Wars shorts are not an animated version of Episode II. They are complete stories in themselves, taking place after the end of Ep II and telling several tales of the Clone Wars which will tie in to Episode III. Of particular interest is one character, an "aide" of sorts to Count Dooku...weilding two curved scimitar-style lightsabers. The interesting twist is that this female character was original intended to be the character that Dooku wound up becoming in the film.
I have it on relatively stable authority that this character will show up in Episode III as a nemesis to Obi-Wan and Anakin.
These shorts are done by Paul Rudish of "Samauri Jack" fame, so they should be quite interesting.
I'm planning on a thread to post some of the cool shit I've found out about Ep III recently, stay tuned. 😎