Obi-Wan Kenobi once said “The Force will be with you, always” and with the plethora of Star Wars-related movies and television shows being released, it seems that he was right. While some of these new programs are a hit, there are a few that miss the mark.
Star Wars Visions is a fantastic anthology that shows us there is a world beyond the Skywalkers. The first series of shorts gave us some ingenious stories shown in unique styles that reinvigorated how we looked at Star Wars. Star Wars Visions 2 breaks the mold that the first series introduced and pushes the limit of animation with the stories they tell us.
The new series gives us 9 incredible shorts created by the following international animation studios: El Guiri (Spain), Cartoon Saloon (Ireland), Punkrobot (Chile), Aardman (United Kingdom), Studio Mir (South Korea) Studio La Cachette (France), 88 Pictures (India), D’art Shtajio (Japan), and Triggerfish (South Africa). D’Art Shtajio’s short was created in collaboration with Lucasfilm Ltd. (United States).
Each of these shorts tells stories of love, bravery, being true to yourself, and the Force. We will not go into detail of each short but we will highlight of few of the ones that stood out and pushed the limits of what can be done with animation and what stories can be told.
The series starts off with a bang with “Sith” by El Guiri studio. Sith looks like a watercolor painting bought to life. The backgrounds come to life whenever the main character interacts with something. This short is worth rewatching multiple times just to watch how the scenery contracts and expands. The character in the short seems to be hiding from a Sith lord and when he shows up the duel they have is a thing of beauty. Watch this one and prepare for the twist.
In the Stars is created by Punkrobot Studio. This short has me doing a double take because I could not tell if it was stop-motion or computer animated. The power of belief is a great one. In this short, we see a young girl whose continued belief in an ancient tale propelled her to think she can take down the factory run by the Empire on their planet. Are the ancient tales true? Does the Force run strong in our two main characters? You’ll have to watch to find out.
If someone says to you in their best Darth Vader voice “Luke…” you will automatically reply “I am your father!”. While we have seen a lot of father issues in the Star Wars universe “I am Your Mother” by Aardman Studios. Being a fan of Wallace & Gromit, this short looks fantastic and has the same subtle humor as those movies. Parents of teens can probably relate to this short in the way the daughter is embarrassed by her mother. The story revolves around a family race and the daughter doesn’t want the mother to know about it. This was a fun short that showed us the importance of family.
Here is a listing of all the shorts along with quick reactions
Screecher’s Reach by Cartoon Saloon is a ghost story told in the Star Wars Universe. The ending of this one is a little heartbreaking.
Journey to the Dark Head by Studio Mir is just brilliant.
The Bandits of Golak by 88 Pictures. The Star Wars Universe is vast and diversity in aliens is shown in all of the different shows that are out there. Bandits shows us how representation matters and this is one of my favorite shorts of this series.
The Pit by D’art Shtajio and Lucasfilm Ltd. I am not sure what to say about this one but it highlights the cruelty that those in power inflict on their workers.
Aau’s Song by Triggerfish. In Aau’s Song we see what happens when a young girl uses her gift to save others after being told to hide it for so long.
The Spy Dancer by Studio La Cachette. This is a great tale of those hiding amongst the Empire to continue fighting the good fight and the lengths they would go to for survival.
Tell us which of the shorts are your favorite in the comments below.
Star Wars: Visions” is an animated anthology series featuring celebratory expressions of Star Wars storytelling. Seven Japanese anime studios brought their unique talents and perspective to “Star Wars: Visions – Volume 1.” Launching in 2023, Volume 2 will feature stories from creative teams from Chile, France, Japan, India, Ireland, Spain, South Africa, South Korea, the U.K. and the U.S. to showcase the incredible animation happening across each country and culture, through the mythos of Star Wars.