Any Star Wars fan worth their salt knows of the influence that Japanese popular and traditional culture has had on the films and the franchise. One thing that has eluded me all this time is Star Wars' influence back. In the context of this announcement made yesterday by Disney+ about Star Wars: Visions I do not recall their being any kind of official Star Wars anime.
The closest thing we have is the animated short film TIE Fighter by Paul "OtaKing" Johnson. Six years and twelve million views later Johnson proved that the combination of the Star Wars universe and Japanese animation was a mix that fans around the World wanted.
So here we are, Star Wars: Visions. It is a series of seven short films curated by Lucasfilm and made by some of Japan's top animation studios. These are studios that have worked on such series as JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Kill la Kill, Dororo, Full Metal Panic and Ghost in the Shell movies, and DEVILMAN Crybaby. The granddaddy of them all is of course Production IG. Lucasfilm did not mess around when they went looking for studios to handle their universe.
A special look was shown at Anime Expo Lite yesterday. Have a look for yourself down below the announcement of the project, including the titles of all seven films. It all looks very cool; distinctly Japanese and definitively Star Wars.
All seven short films will drop on Disney+ on September 22nd.
Today at Anime Expo Lite, Disney+ announced the names of the seven Japanese anime studios bringing their unique talent and perspective to “Star Wars: Visions”—a collection of animated short films from Lucasfilm that will stream exclusively on Disney+—and offered fans an exciting special look.The anime studios revealed were Kamikaze Douga, Geno Studio (Twin Engine), Studio Colorido (Twin Engine), Trigger, Kinema Citrus, Science Saru, and Production IG. Each studio will use their signature animation and storytelling styles to realize their own visions of the galaxy far, far away.Lucasfilm’s Jacqui Lopez (Executive Producer), James Waugh (Executive Producer), Josh Rimes (Executive Producer), and Qubic Pictures’ Justin Leach (Co-Executive Producer) and Kanako Shirasaki (Producer) were on hand at the event to reveal each studio and give fans a special look at the environment and concept art as they debuted the title and first details of each short.Kamikaze Douga - The DuelGeno Studio (Twin Engine) - Lop and OchÅStudio Colorido (Twin Engine) - Tatooine RhapsodyTrigger - The TwinsTrigger - The ElderKinema Citrus - The Village BrideScience Saru - AkakiriScience Saru - T0-B1Production IG - The Ninth JediAs a first formal venture into anime, each “Star Wars: Visions” short bears a unique Japanese sensibility, which in many ways aligns with the tone and spirit of Star Wars storytelling. From the beginning, stories told in the Star Wars galaxy have counted Japanese mythology and the films of Akira Kurosawa among their many influences, and these new visions will further explore that cultural heritage through the unique animation style and perspective of each anime studio.All episodes of “Star Wars: Visions” will be released on Disney+ September 22, 2021.For more on “Star Wars: Visions,” visit StarWars.com.