‘Star Wars: Visions’ Vol. 2 Review – The Future of Star Wars Storytelling
discussingfilm.net
5 min read
‘Star Wars: Visions’ Vol. 2 Review – The Future of Star Wars Storytelling
83It’s time to strap in, buckle up, and prepare to jump into hyperspace because the second volume of Star Wars: Visions is here in time for May the 4th, 2023. Just like the first edition that dropped in September 2021, Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 brings together an incredible group of international animation studios and creators in a collection of animated short films, each around 15 minutes long.
The nine studios featured in Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 are El Guiri (Spain), Cartoon Saloon (Ireland), Punkrobot (Chile), Aardman (United Kingdom), Studio Mir (South Korea), Studio La Cachette (France), 88 Pictures (India), Triggerfish (South Africa), and D’art Shtajio (Japan). D’art Shtajio, in particular, made their short in collaboration with Lucasfilm Ltd. (United States). Although officially non-canon, these new shorts range in how serious they take Star Wars lore, either doing their best to exist within the world established by Lucasfilm while adding their own spin, or going hog-wild, kicking the rules to the wayside.
As is the nature of anthologies, Star Wars: Visions is inherently hard to evaluate as a collective whole. With nine different, wildly unique stories, there’s a lot of “vision” on full display here with a little bit of something for all Star Wars fans to enjoy, no matter which part of the series you find most appealing. From comedy to horror to drama, this Disney+ original anthology series establishes itself as Star Wars’ variety show and sometimes outshines even its most sacred texts, à la “canon” creations from George Lucas, Dave Filoni, Jon Favreau, and the like. While this newest volume of Star Wars: Visions may not include quite as many hard-hitter episodes as its first, there’s still a lot to love this time around.
This anthology series’ strength continues to be its visual variety. In branching out from the first season’s anime-strict theme, Star Wars: Visions expands its animated horizons in building a collection of shorts that showcases the medium’s brightest, most exciting voices. This volume also departs the world of 2D animation altogether, bringing in 3D CGI and classic stop-motion animation into the mix. These new realms are a welcome addition to the Star Wars galaxy not just for the sake of visual diversity, but also that of tone and theme – there’s something about stop-motion’s tangibility oozing from every plasticine figure and fuzzy imperfection that feels right at home in these smaller scale adventures.
Eagle-eyed viewers and die-hard Wallace and Gromit-heads will clock Aardman’s short from a mile away – a fun and jubilant little joint about a mother-daughter racing duo, cheekily titled “I Am Your Mother.” Starring the vocal talents of Charithra Chandran (Bridgerton), Maxine Peake (The Theory of Everything), and Wedge Antilles himself, Denis Lawson, Aardman’s short is a breezy watch that still holds narrative heft, if coming across a bit formulaic. None of the nine shorts are particularly “mature,” but this is among the series’ most family-oriented installments, feeling like moving play-toys while never quite teetering into “made for babies” territory. There’s also a mini ship-mounted Death Star that shoots like a laser turret, so it is admittedly pretty silly.
On the other end of the spectrum, Cartoon Saloon serves up an all-time classic in “Screecher’s Reach,” a horror-oriented short that sees four young friends escape from work to venture into a legendary haunted cave known for a mysterious presence. In what may be the series’ crowning achievement, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Paul Young directs a short n’ snappy script from writers Will Collins and Jason Tammemägi with charming wit and gripping gravitas. Known for visually stunning films like Wolfwalkers, The Breadwinner, Song of the Sea, and My Father’s Dragon, Cartoon Saloon brings their Star Wars tale to life with their signature painterly look. The style is not only utterly captivating in its own right, but also serves a greater purpose within the story itself.
The harsh pencil lines, unique representations of shape and form, and rustic-feeling colors build a warmly cautious atmosphere that aids an eventual shift chock-full of haunting imagery in “Screecher’s Reach”. For an anthology series full of “coming-of-age with a twist” shorts, Cartoon Saloon doesn’t shy away from the archetypes but instead takes the bull by the horns with their instantly recognizable touch. With a lively voice cast featuring newcomers Eva Whittaker, Alex Connolly, Noah Rafferty, Molly McCann, Niamh Moyles, and the one and only Anjelica Huston, “Screecher’s Reach” is some of the best thirteen minutes in all of Star Wars.
Cartoon Saloon’s short draws heavily from Irish folklore, and its protagonists’ endearing accents won’t let you forget it. Even in a galaxy far, far away, it’s nice to feel grounded in some connection to something real. Other highlights from Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 include “The Spy Dancer” by La Cachette, “The Pit” by D’art Shtajio/Lucasfilm, “Journey to the Dark Head” by Studio Mir, “Sith” by El Guiri, and more. Each studio from across the globe brings their own fresh perspective to the franchise. Even when certain episodes come up short in visuals or plot, it’s these new, yet familiar takes and traditions that keep Star Wars: Visions totally engaging – and push Star Wars to unforeseen heights altogether.
In the current state of the Star Wars brand, Star Wars: Visions continues to prove itself as the place where Lucasfilm should be focusing its attention and resources. Where many of the franchise’s other ventures continue to cannibalize its established iconography for hollow nostalgia and never-ending “content,” Star Wars: Visions provides the most talented creators with a blank canvas to express themselves in bold new ways within the confines of Lucasfilm’s beloved universe. Additionally, it also introduces these exciting filmmakers to new, loving audiences on a platform as huge as Disney+.
In the pursuit of exciting stories to further expand the mythos of Star Wars, Lucasfilm should look no further than the imaginative minds at work here. As we first saw in the fan reaction to the first volume of Star Wars: Visions, these stories are strong enough to be even bigger than what we see here – and they’re good enough to warrant that expansion.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 premieres on Disney+ May 4, 2023!
Follow writer Chris St. Lawrence on Twitter: @ey2studios
Related News & Content
-
Use wp.media templates to create totally custom modal
Use wp.media templates to create totally custom modal,Following up on this answer I'm trying to determine how to create a modal with completely unique menu items/content than the media modal. If you add a new state you can add a new menu tab and hav... -
Get post by tag
Get post by tag,I want to get several post by tag. So I try to use get_posts() function: <?php $args = array( 'numberposts' => '3', 'post_status' => 'publish', 'tag' => 'travel' ); $ -
Elementor + ACF: How to insert dynamic JSON-LD formatted code into ACF field without sanitizing the script tag?
Elementor + ACF: How to insert dynamic JSON-LD formatted code into ACF field without sanitizing the script tag?,On a normal website, I am able to add JSON-LD structured data, such as below, into a Elementor HTML widget, in a proper way. However, as soon as I insert JSON-LD format into an ACF field (Textarea)... -
Gutenberg InnerBlocks noallowedblocks on parent but allowedblock on Child
Gutenberg InnerBlocks noallowedblocks on parent but allowedblock on Child,This is a continuation of the following post: Custom Gutenberg block with nested InnerBlocks renderAppender not displaying add button I solved one problem but created a different problem. I'm recr... -
Delay Issue: Using Wget with JSON Endpoint – Need Help Understanding Headers
Delay Issue: Using Wget with JSON Endpoint – Need Help Understanding Headers,On a WooCommerce website, I have a REST endpoint created with register_rest_route that returns a JSON response. To perform a routine with a certain frequency and urgency, I have added this instruct... -
How do I change top header background color
How do I change top header background color,Please refer to website: https://virginiafrank.com I cannot get the top header background color (or phone numbers) to change color. I would prefer the background gold and text black. I can't make t... -
How to display the_tags() as plain text
How to display the_tags() as plain text,the_tags by default is displaying as URL. I need to display it as plain text to insert inside HTML attribute. <?php $tag = the_tags(''); ?> <div class="image-portfolio" data-section... -
Give to site admin the option to "skip confirmation email" when adding new user
Give to site admin the option to "skip confirmation email" when adding new user,in wordpress multisite when we give to site admin the option to add new users, site admin dont have the "checkbox" to add the new user without sending the user email with link activation (see the -
Facing Hamas and Tehran, Israel is left with only vengeful madness | Opinion
Facing Hamas and Tehran, Israel is left with only vengeful madness | Opinion,Despite the Terrible Disaster on October 7, and the Failures It Exposed, Israel Is Still Convinced That the Image of the Mad Man Will Ensure Its Security -
Carol Kirkwood stuns in figure-hugging dress amid BBC Breakfast technical chaos
Carol Kirkwood stuns in figure-hugging dress amid BBC Breakfast technical chaos,CAROL Kirkwood stunned in a figure-hugging dress amid a technical blunder. BBC Breakfast was flung into chaos this morning after a string of sound issues. However Carol, 61, was all smiles as she p… -
Families ‘to sue prison’ where loud inmates ‘terrorise kids’ with screaming
Families 'to sue prison' where loud inmates 'terrorise kids' with screaming,Residents living next door to a new prison who say their kids have to sleep wearing headphones and some leave during weekends due to the racket are threatening to sue the prison service -
Doctor Strange’s Secret Wars Role May Be More Important Than You Thought – Looper
Doctor Strange's Secret Wars Role May Be More Important Than You Thought - Looper,According to entertainment leaker Alex Perez, Doctor Strange will find himself confronting his inner struggles as he headlines "Avengers: Secret Wars." -
Here’s Your Homework Before Falling in Love with Mike Faist in Challengers
Here's Your Homework Before Falling in Love with Mike Faist in Challengers,Ahead of Challengers arriving in theaters this week, here are some of the actor's other essential credits. -
Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready on Mad Season and Almost Starting a Band with Kurt Cobain: Podcast Rewind
Pearl Jam's Mike McCready on Mad Season and Almost Starting a Band with Kurt Cobain: Podcast Rewind,In two podcast interviews from the vault, Pearl Jam's Mike McCready talks about Mad Season and almost starting a band with Kurt Cobain. Listen. -
‘What Jennifer Did’: Netflix doc explores shocking Ont. murder-for-hire case
'What Jennifer Did': Netflix doc explores shocking Ont. murder-for-hire case,Most of Jennifer Pan's entire life was made up of lies. When her parents began to catch on, she decided to bring in hired hitmen. -
What’s behind the lack of enthusiasm for this year’s music festivals?
What's behind the lack of enthusiasm for this year's music festivals?,The public sentiment about this year's crop of music festivals is an overwhelming "meh." There are good reasons for this. -
JERA backs AboitizPower’s plan to build offshore wind projects
JERA backs AboitizPower’s plan to build offshore wind projects,JERA Co. Inc., Japan’s largest power generation company, is willing to back Aboitiz Power Corp. should it decide to pursue offshore wind projects. -
Insurance penetration declines to 1.75% of GDP
Insurance penetration declines to 1.75% of GDP,The insurance industry saw its net income slightly decline to almost P10 billion in the first quarter amid a drop in the life segment.
Warning: file_get_contents(https://www.scienceradars.com/wp-output-content.php?pg=1&cat=&kw=&lvl=): Failed to open stream: HTTP request failed! HTTP/1.1 526 in /home/wwwroot/xuenou.com/wp-content/themes/chromenews/template-parts/content.php on line 169
Warning: file_get_contents(https://www.bayuexiang.com/wp-output-content.php?pg=1&cat=&kw=&lvl=): Failed to open stream: HTTP request failed! HTTP/1.1 526 in /home/wwwroot/xuenou.com/wp-content/themes/chromenews/template-parts/content.php on line 173
![iFi's GO Bar Kensei Dongle DAC Supports K2HD Technology With Some Samurai Swagger [Updated]](https://i0.wp.com/cdn.ecoustics.com/db0/wblob/17BA35E873D594/33FF/45A11/QTXOLJR4xDKSNMMk2WlTgjaIlvSgcYpeU1xJzUwIoYs/ifi-go-bar-kensei.jpg?w=768&ssl=1 "iFi's GO Bar Kensei Dongle DAC Supports K2HD Technology With Some Samurai Swagger [Updated]")
