Animation at Star Wars remains an integral part of story telling in the greater SWU. Case in point, we saw this as recently as the trailer for the live action series Ohsaka on the weekend, recreating the final moments of the final episode of Star Wars Rebels. Star Wars animation is not just here to look pretty but contribute to the overall story of the universe.
But when it looks pretty... golly gee whiz!
Cue the trailer for the second season of Star Wars: Visions, the collection of animated shorts that kicked off its first season tapping the animated prowess of Japanese animation studios then branching out to the rest of the World. Now, we have a collection a shorts not only from all over the World but a wider collection of styles too. From 3D and 2D to an amazing looking claymation short from Aardman. You'll find it all in the trailer below.
Star Wars: Visions drops on Disney+ on May the 4th.
To close out Star Wars Celebration’s animation panels, on Monday afternoon there was a “Star Wars: Visions” panel. The panel was filled with an abundance of reveals ahead of the series’ May 4, 2023 release– including first story details for all nine shorts, the full cast list, the trailer and key art.The newest Volume will continue to push the boundaries of "Star Wars" storytelling, with nine new shorts from nine studios from around the globe. Employing the most captivating animation styles from a variety of countries and cultures, the second volume offers a dynamic new perspective on the storied mythos of Star Wars.To kick off the panel, host Amy Ratcliffe introduced executive producers of the Emmy® nominated series, Josh Rimes, James Waugh and Jacqui Lopez, who discussed the success of the show’s first season and its unique concept featuring a collection of animated shorts that stretches beyond any one form of animation and serves as a broader framework for Star Wars storytelling.Amy went on to reveal the trailer for Volume 2 and the voice talents behind the second volume.The cast includes:· “Screecher’s Reach”: Eva Whittaker· “I Am Your Mother”: Maxine Peake, Charithra Chandran· “Journey to the Dark Head” (English Dub): Ashley Park, Eugene Lee Yang· “The Bandits of Golak”: Suraj Sharma· “The Pit”: Daveed Diggs· “Aau’s Song”: Cynthia ErivoAfter revealing the cast, Amy Ratcliffe introduced the series’ filmmakers, who took to the stage in groups of three to reveal the first details about each of their shorts.· Rodrigo Blaas, writer/director of El Guiri’s “Sith” from Spain· Paul Young, director of Cartoon’s Saloon’s “Screecher’s Reach” from Ireland· Gabriel Osorio, writer/director of Punkrobot’s “In the Stars” from Chile.· Magdalena Osinska, director of Aardman’s “I Am Your Mother” from the United Kingdom· Hyeong-Geun Park, director of Studio Mir’s “Journey to the Dark Head” from South Korea· Julien Chheng, director of Studio La Cachette’s “The Spy Dancer” from France· Milind Shinde, founder of India’s 88 Pictures and executive producer of “The Bandits of Golak.”· LeAndre Thomas, writer/director/executive producer of “The Pit”; Arthell Isom, founder of D'ART Shtajio and executive producer of “The Pit”· Nadia Darries and Daniel Clarke, co-directors of Triggerfish’s “Aau’s Song” from South AfricaPanelists shared how they incorporated their country’s history and culture into their stories and created original characters that fit into the Star Wars galaxy and cast local talent to bring these characters to life. At the end of the panel, attendees were also treated to a surprise early screening of Aardman’s short “I Am Your Mother.”