Fresh from the success of The Mandalorian and its many upcoming spin-offs, Disney Plus is extending the Star Wars universe even more with the addition of a new collection of short films by some of Japan’s best anime artists.
Here’s all we know so far about Star Wars: Visions, including the release date, trailer and cast and crew.
What is the release date for Star Wars: Visions?
Star Wars: Visions has been confirmed to drop on Disney Plus on 22 September 2021. We assume that new episodes will release weekly, and there are nine short films in total.
Star Wars: Visions, an Original Series of animated short films, celebrates the @StarWars galaxy through the lens of the world’s best Japanese anime creators. Coming in 2021 to @DisneyPlus.
— Star Wars (@starwars)
December 10, 2020
Watch the trailer for Star Wars: Visions
We now have first look at Star Wars: Visions, which includes concept art of some familiar faces, as well as interviews with the crew. Take a look below:
What is the plot of Star Wars: Visions?
Star Wars: Visions will be an anthology series, and each instalment will have its own individual arc and characters. This allowed the anime creators to explore the Star Wars universe without the shackles of a continuing storyline.
Each short will also have a completely unique art style, with one episode almost entirely in black and white.
Here’s the names of each film, and which studio produced them:
- Kamikaze Douga – The Duel
- Geno Studio (Twin Engine) – Lop and Ochō
- Studio Colorido (Twin Engine) – Tatooine Rhapsody
- Trigger – The Twins and The Elder
- Kinema Citrus – The Village Bride
- Science Saru – Akakiri and T0-B1
- Production IG – The Ninth Jedi
Some of the most exciting on that list include a chibi-style rock opera take on the franchise, an episode about twins born on the dark side (parallels of Luke and Leia) and an Astro Boy–inspired short. One of the episodes will also tie in with an upcoming official Star Wars novel, Ronin.
It’s safe to say that this is Star Wars like you’ve never seen it before.
Who are the cast and crew of Star Wars: Visions?
There are seven studios confirmed to be working on the shorts: Kamikaze Douga, Geno Studio (Twin Engine), Studio Colorido (Twin Engine), Trigger, Kinema Citrus, Science Saru and Production IG. All the scores are original, and the music for The Ninth Jedi is recorded at the Muza Kawasaki Symphony Hall.
The series will be executively produced by Justin Leach, Jacqui Lopez, Josh Rimes, Kanako Shirasaki and James Waugh. As these are anime shorts, voice acting will be order of the day when it comes to the cast – though no names have been confirmed yet.
We’ve seen other anime compendiums appear in recent years, with the Netflix’s 2019 series gathering a wide variety of stories and settings into an excellent 18-episode run that could be a template for Star Wars: Visions.
Of course, the new series joins other animated offerings as well as live-action ones on Disney Plus. These include the aforementioned Star Wars: The Bad Batch, which follows a group of super-soldiers that made their debut in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, who now make their living as mercenaries that take on the assignments too dangerous or difficult for anyone else.
There’s also more upcoming shows and films, including A Droid Story that will feature R2D2, C3PO and their new protégé, Rangers of the New Republic, plus the return of Mando (and hopefully baby Yoda) in season 3 of The Mandalorian.
Where can I watch Star Wars: Visions?
When Star Wars: Visions arrives, it will be exclusive to , just as with the other entries in the new Star Wars canon. We outline all of the current offerings in our guide to Star Wars on Disney Plus UK: All the films and shows.
