Star Wars: Visions remembered: The Village Bride
With season two of Star Wars: Visions coming in 2023, I wanted to look back at each short from season one and celebrate why they’re great. This is Visions Remembered.
Out of all of the Star Wars: Visions shorts, The Village Bride was the one submitted to the Academy Awards for consideration. While it didn’t get an Oscar nod, this short from the studio Kinema Citrus is worth looking at why out of all of them they decided it was the best choice. It’s also a decision that I agree with. While I think that The Duel, The Elder, or The Ninth Jedi could have been in the running too, I think The Village Bride does have that Oscars edge to it.
It is the total package for an anime Star Wars episode. While I will praise the heck out of The Ninth Jedi’s character designs in the next entry, The Village Bride has just enough of the familiar in it so it doesn’t ostracize more casual Academy voters. There’s a Twi’lek, B1 battle droids, and a ship that looks like the Millennium Falcon. If an Oscar voter has seen a Star Wars movie, there are recognizable visuals unlike The Ninth Jedi which pushes the boundaries of design and location.
Outside of that though, The Village Bride still thrives as a new story. It’s not as hyper-stylized as The Duel, but that doesn’t mean it’s not gorgeous in its own way. It has a more complex story than The Elder as it explores how different people view the Force. F’s trauma over Order 66 is palpable. If you read between the lines too, it becomes clear that F was in the room as Anakin Skywalker stormed the Jedi Temple. F’s moment of rising to the village’s aid and reconnecting to the Force is a thing of beauty. Also, I highly suggest watching the behind-the-scenes featurette on Disney+ for this episode. They really break down how unique the instruments and musical choices were for The Village Bride. It’s a fantastic watch.
The love story between Haru and Asu is simple as it is beautiful. They convey so much through the visual storytelling of how long these two have been in each other’s lives. Sometimes it’s a quick flash of an image of them as children. The opening act of him carrying her up the mountain as part of their ceremony is a powerful representation of their love. It also says so much about their culture without any dialogue to over-explain. This entire episode strikes a beautiful balance between what to say versus letting the visual storytelling do the work.
On a more personal note, it makes me ridiculously excited to hear Christopher Sean back in Star Wars. As a fan of Star Wars Resistance who desperately wants a third season, I got so emotional hearing his voice once again. He brings just as much care and passion to Asu as he did with Kaz. I’ve missed hearing his talents in this franchise. Between Christopher and Bobby Moynihan in Tatooine Rhapsody, my Resistance-loving heart soared with this entry.
Like how the people of the world in this episode found balance with nature, The Village Bride succeeds in striking balance in its presentation of pushing forward the ideas of Star Wars with the more familiar notes a casual fan would recognize. It’s a powerful episode from start to finish. I do agree out of all of the Visions shorts, this one was the most worthy of an Oscars consideration.
Next time on Visions Remembered, I’ll dive into what’s considered universally among fans as the best of the shorts. We’ll talk about The Ninth Jedi and what makes it great.
Star Wars: Visions is exclusively on Disney Plus. Season two will air in spring 2023.