Since the surprise hit from September 2021, Star Wars fans have been eagerly waiting for the new entry to the unconventional and freeform animated series Visions.
Excitingly, there is not long to wait. Every episode of Volume 2 will air on Star Wars Day, May 4 of this year exclusively on Disney +.
Unlike the previous series, which was made by an ensemble of renowned Japanese animation studios, the new volume will be handled by an international group of artists from five continents, including the nations of Japan, India, the UK, Ireland, Spain, Chile, France, South Africa and the US.
Like Volume 1, there will be nine episodes, each handled by different studios and with an almost unlimited amount of creative freedom. Unlike other animated series, Visions does not take place in the traditional Star Wars canon and so is not subject to the rules and norms of the franchise. This enables studios to create some truly unique takes on the galaxy of George Lucas and explore themes and ideas that would otherwise be impossible in a more standard format.
With a now global range of talents, this means the new volume will see some truly never before seen concepts introduced to the Star Wars universe. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the studios who will be taking on the galaxy far, far away…
Studio: El Guiri will be responsible for the first episode “Sith,” under lead creative Rodrigo Blaas, who has previously worked on features such as Ice Age, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Ratatouille and Wall-E to name a few.
Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon for the episode “Screecher’s Reach” have made the likes of Skunk Fu, Puffin Rock and the Academy Award nominated film Wolfwalkers.
“In the Stars” is by Chilean studio Punkrobot under writer-director Gabriel Osorio. His 2016 short Bear Story was the first Latin American work to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.
Now this is an interesting one. Probably the most familiar studio to discerning viewers, the renowned British animation studio Aardman, known for their stop-motion animation, have produced a range of classics in that uncommon style for decades. They are most well known for Wallace & Gromit and Chicken Run. The studio will lead on the episode “I am your mother” with director Magdalena Osinska.
Studio Mir will be in charge of episode “Journey to the Dark Head” with director Hyeong Geun Park who has previously worked on many video game cinematic trailers and more recently, animated serials. This episode of Visions is reportedly the first work that Park has been executive on from start to finish.
Emmy Award winning French animation studio La Cachette is the creator of episode “The Spy Dancer.” CEO Julien Chheng previously worked as animation supervisor to the Genndy Tartakovsky series Primal. Tartakovsky previously made the 2D animated Star Wars series Clone Wars which has been a fan favourite for two decades.
Indian studio 88 Pictures for the episode “The Bandits of Golak” will be led by Ishan Shukla known for his 2016 short animation, “Schirkoa.” It was shown at 120 international festivals and was named Best in Show at SIGGRAPH Asia. The short is also being made into a feature-length animation which will premier later this year.
“The Pit” will be the only American entry to the series and is being handled by a few Star Wars veterans. Writer, director, and executive producer LeAndre Thomas has worked on the likes of The Mandalorian, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Tales of the Jedi to name just a few. Its co-director Justin Ridge has likewise worked on Resistance, Rebels and The Clone Wars.
And finally, episode nine of the series is in the hands of Triggerfish Studios based in South Africa. They have made a variety of productions for Netflix, Nickelodeon and even for Disney +. This final episode “Aau’s Song” will be written and directed by Nadia Darries and Daniel Clarke.
All nine episodes of Visions Volume 2 will release on Disney + on May 4.
Which episode are you most looking forward to? Let us know in the comments below! For all things Star Wars, go to Dork Side of the Force!