Star Wars: Visions

Star Wars: Visions is an animated anthology television series created for the American streaming service Disney+. Produced by Lucasfilm, the series consists of original animated short films set in, or inspired by, the Star Wars universe, with each episode being a self-contained narrative produced by various studios.

The first volume of nine anime short films were produced by seven Japanese animation studios: Kamikaze Douga, Studio Colorido, Geno Studio, Trigger, Kinema Citrus, Production I.G, and Science Saru, with Trigger and Science Saru producing two shorts each. The second volume expanded the series to animation studios around the world, featuring shorts from 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) along with Lucasfilm (United States), and Triggerfish (South Africa/Ireland). The creators at each studio are given free rein to re-envision the ideas of Star Wars as they see fit, while receiving guidance from Lucasfilm's executive team.

The first volume was released on September 22, 2021, while the second was released on May 4, 2023. Both volumes have received critical acclaim.

Premise
Star Wars: Visions is a collection of animated short films presented "through the lens of the world's best anime creators" in the first volume that offers a new, diverse perspective on Star Wars. Created outside of the constraints of the franchise's traditional canon, the films provide creative freedom to each director and production studio, while maintaining fidelity to the themes and emotional identity of the Star Wars saga. Additional volumes feature animation styles from various companies around the world.

Development
Development of the Star Wars: Visions project began when James Waugh, vice president of franchise content at Lucasfilm, pitched the idea to Kathleen Kennedy at the beginning of 2020. To facilitate the international production, Lucasfilm collaborated with independent producer Justin Leach and his company Qubic Pictures, which helped facilitate the discussions between the US-based executives and Japanese studios; this became particularly important during the COVID-19 pandemic, when planned in-person collaborative meetings had to be canceled. Production of the shorts took place in Japan throughout 2020 and 2021.

On December 10, 2020, it was announced that Star Wars: Visions was an anime anthology series of ten short films by different creators set in the Star Wars universe. It was previewed by producer Kanako Shirasaki and the executive producers at Anime Expo Lite in July 2021. At the event, it was revealed that the number of episodes had decreased from ten to nine, due to "The Ninth Jedi" originally starting development as two episodes, but was eventually combined into one episode. The animation studios creating shorts for the first volume are Kamikaze Douga, Studio Colorido, Geno Studio, Trigger, Kinema Citrus, Production I.G, and Science Saru.

A second season of Visions was announced at Star Wars Celebration in May 2022, to include shorts from studios based in Japan, India, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, Chile, France, South Africa, South Korea and the United States. Waugh described the second volume as "a celebration of the incredible animation happening all around the globe". The animation studios for the second volume are D'Art Shtaijo (along with Lucasfilm), El Guiri, Cartoon Saloon, Punkrobot, Aardman, Studio Mir, Studio La Cachette, 88 Pictures, and Triggerfish. The second volume was released on May 4, 2023.

Writing
Star Wars: Visions's stories were not required to adhere to the established Star Wars timeline. The story of "The Duel" was specifically billed as "an alternate history pulled from Japanese lore". "Lop and Ochō" is set during the reign of the Galactic Empire between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. "The Elder" is set "sometime before" The Phantom Menace while "The Twins" involves "remnants of the Imperial Army" after the events of The Rise of Skywalker. "The Ninth Jedi" explores "what became of the Jedi Knights" after The Rise of Skywalker; director Kenji Kamiyama was particularly focused on wanting to use "the original lightsaber sounds" that are known to children throughout the world. For "T0-B1", director Abel Góngora sought to combine visual and narrative elements of the classic trilogy with those of classic anime by drawing parallels between the anime and manga of the 1960s, and the cinema tradition of the late 1970s. In planning her episode "Akakiri", director Eunyoung Choi noted that "creating visuals that combined both the fairy tale-style lessons of Star Wars with the advanced technology found in this universe... was particularly important."

Music
In July 2021, the Vol.1 composers were revealed: Kevin Penkin would be composing the score for "The Village Bride", Michiru Ōshima for "The Twins" and "The Elder", while Yoshiaka Dewa would compose the score for "Lop and Ochō" and "Tatooine Rhapsody", Keiji Inai to compose the score for "The Duel", A-bee and Keiichiro Shibuya to compose the score for "T0-B1", U-zhaan to compose the score for "Akakiri", and Nobuko Toda and Kazuma Jinnouchi would be composing the score for "The Ninth Jedi". Soundtracks for Volume 1 were each released digitally on October 15, 2021. In May 2023, the Vol.2 composers were revealed. They included Dan Levy for "Sith", Leo Pearson for "Screecher's Reach", Andrés Walker & Patricio Portius for "In the Stars", Jean-Marc Petsas for "I Am Your Mother", Jang Young Gyu & Lee Byung-Hoon for "Journey to the Dark Head", Olivier Derivière for "The Spy Dancer", Sneha Khanwalkar for "The Bandits of Golak", Daniel Lopatin for "The Pit", and Markus Wormstorm for "Aau's Song". Soundtracks for Volume 2 were each released digitally on May 4, 2023 where the volume was also released.

Release
Star Wars: Visions was released on September 22, 2021, on Disney+. From September 21 to 27, Disney screened "The Village Bride" along with movies playing at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles. By November, the studio had submitted the film for consideration for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. The second volume of shorts was released on May 4, 2023. The first volume of the series began streaming on Hulu on May 4, 2024.

Audience viewership
According to Whip Media's viewership tracking app TV Time, Star Wars: Visions was the third most anticipated new television series of September 2021. According to Whip Media, Star Wars: Visions was the fifth most streamed original television series in the United States during the week of September 26, 2021.

Season one
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports a 96% approval rating with an average rating of 8.2/10, based on 52 reviews for the first season. The site's critical consensus reads, "Gorgeously animated and wildly creative, Visions is an eclectic, but wholly enjoyable collection of Star Wars stories that breathe new life into the galaxy." Metacritic gave the first season a weighted average score of 79 out of 100 based on reviews from 15 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Angie Han of The Hollywood Reporter praised the anthology for "a love of Star Wars that runs so deep it's bound to make new fans of the young and uninitiated, and remind old fans why they fell so hard for this universe in the first place," and highlighted "The Duel" and "T0-B1" as particularly strong installments. Tyler Hersko of IndieWire hailed the anthology as "one of, if not the best, titles - television, film, or otherwise - to come out of the franchise's era under Disney ownership," calling it "beautifully animated and smartly written" with "phenomenal" action scenes. Mike Hale of The New York Times wrote that the individual films "play like auditions for continuing series rather than organic wholes," while calling "The Duel", "T0-B1", "Lop and Ochō", and "Akakiri" the most interesting and exciting films, and noting the "handcrafted beauty" and "visual variety" of an anthology which achieves "both cross-cultural collaboration and mutual homage." Writing for CNN, Brian Lowry called the shorts "striking" and noted that "Star Wars: Visions does indeed present unique and intriguing visions, indicating there's plenty of room to experiment."

Jake Kleinman of Inverse called Star Wars: Visions "a revelation" and "Lucasfilm's best new story since the original trilogy," and highlighted "The Twins" as the project's best film. Writing for The A.V. Club, Juan Barquin praised the anthology for sparking "a kind of endless wonder" and rekindling "a child-like fascination with Star Wars", while highlighting "T0-B1", "The Twins", "The Village Bride", "Lop and Ochō", and "Akakiri" as standouts. Jordan Woods of The Harvard Crimson identified "The Ninth Jedi", "Tatooine Rhapsody", and "The Twins" as the highlight segments, and called the project as a whole "Star Wars at its best: bold, ambitious, creative, and, most importantly, innovative." Amon Warmann of Empire spotlighted "Akakiri", "T0-B1", "The Duel", and "The Ninth Jedi" as the best installments, rating the overall anthology with 4 out of 5 stars, and concluding that "the galaxy far, far away has never looked more stunning in animation, and at its best Visions folds core Star Wars tenets into compelling stories with characters you instantly want to see more of. Here's hoping this isn't the only season we get."

In addition to its reviews upon release, Star Wars: Visions was subsequently named one of the best animated projects of 2021 by Paste Magazine, TheWrap, Polygon, Collider, Gizmodo, Anime News Network, /Film, Comic Book Resources, and Rotten Tomatoes. The project was heralded as one of the best Star Wars titles in a decade or more, as well as what the future of the Star Wars franchise should be.

Season two
Rotten Tomatoes gave the second season a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 8.9/10 based on 21 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, "Animated with all the vibrancy of a crackling lightsaber, Star Wars: Visions' second volume is the work of Jedi Masters." Metacritic gave the second season a weighted average score of 88 out of 100 based on five reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".

Maggie Lovitt of Collider gave Volume 2 an "A" rating, stating that it "delivers some of the most inspiring Star Wars stories of this decade, simply by blending together the beauty of a story-rich globe and setting it free among the stars." She also praised the second season for exploring stories in "corners of the galaxy" that did not involve familiar elements and characters such as lightsabers and the Skywalkers. Lovitt also praised three Volume 2 stories for emphasizing motherhood: "I Am Your Mother", "The Spy Dancer", and "In the Stars". She also gave a favorable review of "Sith"'s animation for capturing the mood and conflicts of the story. Lovitt also praised LeAndre Thomas's "The Pit" for blending art with storytelling and messaging.

Brett White of Decider gave a positive review, describing the series as "the most straightforward proof of Star Wars' legacy and enduring relevance. It is repeatedly remarkable to watch animation studios tell Star Wars stories that are freed from the usual Star Wars trappings." White also described each Visions installment as a "self-contained story that still feels wholly part of the franchise and in tune with George Lucas' original, well, vision." White compared Visions Volume 2 favorably to canonical recent Lucasfilm productions The Book of Boba Fett and The Mandalorian Season 3.

Kambole Campbell of Empire gave Volume 2 four out of five stars, stating that "this kaleidoscopic anthology for the most part makes Star Wars feel new again. She praised the second season for building on the success of the first season by drawing upon several "international animation houses working across a variety of mediums." Campbell observed that the anthology format of the series allowed for a mixture of stories that blended various genres, historical and contemporary political references such as the Nazi occupation of France in "The Spy Dancer" and indigenous rights in "In the Stars", and cultural references such as Irish folklore in "Screecher's Reach" and Ndebele dress in "Aau's Song".

Samantha Nelson of IGN gave Volume 2 nine stars, stating that "alternately goofy, political, sweet, and thrilling, the show celebrates the broad reach of Star Wars and provides plenty of characters and plots compelling enough to anchor their own spinoffs." While Nelson noted that the season's themes were repetitive, she praised the diversity of the stories' characters and animation style. Nelson expressed concern about insufficient coordination among the studios to avoid overlapping themes in their stories, observing that a third of Volume 2's stories revolved around young girls finding mentors to teach them how to use the Force. Nelson praised Volume 2 for exploring the political aspects of Star Wars more than Volume 1, citing the theme of indigenous resistance in "In the Stars", forced labor in "The Pit", and resistance in "The Spy Dancer". Nelson also described Screecher's Reach as an inverse of Joseph Campbell's "hero's journey" and "I Am Your Mother" as a lighthearted "mother and daughter" story that differed from the higher-stakes drama of the other stories.

Tie-in media
In March 2021, it was announced that Del Rey Books will publish Ronin: A Visions Novel, an original novel written by Emma Mieko Candon which builds on the story of "The Duel". It was released on October 12, 2021.

In May 2022, it was announced that Marvel Comics will publish a Visions comic about the Ronin. The one-shot prequel comic was written and illustrated by Takashi Okazaki, the writer of "The Duel". The issue was published on October 12, 2022. An art book with creator interviews and selected production materials from all nine shorts was published by Dark Horse Comics on that same month.