As Star Wars TV shows grow in complexity, merging multiple animated series and films with their lore and characters, the animated anthology series Star Wars: Visions remains a breath of fresh air. The nine short films in its second volume embrace the themes and spirit of Star Wars without the baggage of canon, while providing a nice showcase of the diverse styles of animation studios around the world.
Even at short running times of between 11 and 18 minutes, each episode of Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 manages to feel like a complete and powerful story – and many of them also seem to easily become pilots for a new series. Some of the individual characters are so inspired that the creators of future Star Wars shows and stories might be tempted to bring them back.
The first episode of the tape, “Sith,” is the most spectacularly beautiful. Spanish studio El Guiri brings to life the story of a penitent Sith who seeks to confront the darkness within through art featuring lush imagery in purple, red and orange. It is immediately captivating, with the backgrounds of her ship appearing thinly sketched compared to her vivid works with colors animated by the Force. Its thematic aesthetic is reminiscent of the artwork of Sabine Wren in Star Wars Rebels, but goes further, with the former Sith’s bright vision serving as a psychic battleground that offers a powerful alternative to standard lightsaber-vs-lightsaber combat.
The first episode of the tape, “Sith,” is the most spectacularly beautiful.
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Journey to the Dark Head also brings something new to the traditional duel between Sith and Jedi. The team at Studio Mir, the Korean studio behind The Legend of Korra and The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf, are masters of anime-style action, and that skill shines through in a dramatic story set at the height of the Wars between Jedi plays and Sith. The episode has both a spectacular setting – a planet housing two giant sculptures representing the two sides of the Force – and an ominous villain who wields a chain whip as often as his red lightsaber. It’s one of those shorts that feels more like the start of a new adventure than just a standalone story.
What we said about Star Wars: Visions Volume 1
Star Wars: Visions is an action-packed excursion into the Star Wars universe that puts a new spin on the venerable franchise. Featuring stunning animation in a variety of visual styles, Visions should please both avid anime viewers and casual fans alike. The plots might meld if watched all at once, but they’re still very entertaining. Maybe just split up the episodes and watch one on your lunch break or as a pre-show to your Friday night show of Empire Strikes Back. — Julia Rago, September 21, 2021
Result: 8
Read the full Star Wars: Visions Volume 1 review
Volume 2 suffers from the same problem as Volume 1 in that there doesn’t appear to have been enough coordination between the studios to avoid overlaps in their independent stories. For example, a full third of the episodes focus on young girls finding mentors to teach them how to use the Force. Indian studio 88 Pictures has created a beautiful setting in The Bandit of Golak, which positions the Empire as a parallel to Britain’s Raj, but the ending story about a boy trying to find a safe haven for his little sister, who is too Attracts much attention The playful use of the Force leans too heavily into the questionable Jedi ethos of forsaking all attachments. Aau’s Song is a more traditional magical girl story enhanced by beautiful animation of South Africa’s triggerfish, giving the characters a sense of felt and thread.
A full third of the episodes focus on young girls finding mentors to teach them how to use the Force.
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The strongest of the three is Screecher’s Reach from Cartoon Saloon, the Oscar-nominated Irish studio behind The Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea. Drawing on her extensive experience with coming-of-age stories about adventurous children encountering the supernatural, the episode then turns it and the very concept of Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey on its head to devastating effect. The fact that this is the second episode of the volume makes the later ones, which follow the same theme, seem far too safe in comparison.
This volume also delves significantly more into the political aspects of Star Wars than Volume 1. “In the Stars” uses the same theme of Imperial-led genocide and oppression of indigenous cultures that is showcased in Andor for a touching tale of love and loss . Even darker is The Pit, a collaboration between Lucasfilm and Japanese D’ART Shtajio, about forced labour, a brutal murder and a population desperate to bring the people of a city to the attention of the atrocities being committed to be committed in their own backyard. It’s intense stuff going back to the opposition to the wars in Vietnam and Iraq that inspired George Lucas’ films.
The title diva’s acrobatic moves are beautifully rendered in swirls of silk and fabric.
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The theme of resistance is beautifully embodied in French studio La Cachette’s The Spy Dancer, which follows a rebel cell operating in a theater frequented by stormtroopers. The title diva’s acrobatic moves are beautifully rendered in swirls of silk and fabric. While the episode achieves a strong emotional resolution, the storyline the rebels are working on never actually takes place, making it feel like these characters deserve a second appearance in a future volume.
Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 trailer images
Fans of Book 1’s most original story, Tatooine Rhapsody, will likely enjoy the similarly light-hearted I Am Your Mother from Wallace and Gromit animators Aardman. The dumbest story of the bunch involves a young pilot embarrassed to bring her mother to family race day, where the team to beat is a posh mother-daughter duo with their own miniature Death Star is armed. It’s a particularly nice break from the higher-stakes drama in the rest of the series.