REVIEW: ‘Star Wars Visions’ Volume 2 Showcases The Power Of Animation

Star Wars: Visions was one of Star Wars’ most ambitious projects when it debuted in 2021. Bringing together seven different Japanese animation studios to tell stories unrestricted by Star Wars canon, the anthology series of short films delivered a stunning experience. Now, Star Wars: Visions returns for Volume 2 and have expanded the animation studios to include talented storytellers from across the world. Featuring Sith, Jedi, the Hearts of Kyber, and more, Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 captures the complexity and diversity of animation across the globe.

Star Wars: Visions is an animated anthology series featuring celebratory expressions of Star Wars storytelling from across the world. Volume 2 features stories from creative teams from Chile, France, Japan, India, Ireland, Spain, South Africa, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The diversity of culture in this Volume of the series is matched by the diversity of animation style and storytelling, ranging from stop-motion animation to 3D and illustrative styles.

Star Wars is about stories. It’s about a universe that we all call home and the ways in which we can find ourselves in the farthest reaches of the galaxy. From iconic studios that have shaped the animation landscape and those who deserve more attention Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 is a stunning achievement.

The first short film in the anthology series is “Sith” from the animation studio El Guiri out of Spain. Using an illustrative style, the short manages to capture balancing the light and darkness inside a person. In the second short by Cartoon Saloon, the studio behind 2022’s Academy Award-nominated Wolfwalkers, entitled “Screecher’s Reach,” a Sith version of an Irish banshee makes its way into the story of a child trying to escape their bad life. Next is “In the Stars,” from the Chilean studio Punkrobot, which offers a look into the destructive power of a colonizing force on a native people.

Read Our Review Of Star Wars Visions Volume 1 Here.

Out of the United Kingdom comes “I Am Your Mother,” a story from the acclaimed and Oscar-winning studio Aardman that showcases a bond between mother and daughter. Bringing the action, South Korean Studio Mir has created “Journey to the Dark Head,” which puts a Jedi in direct conflict with a Sith whilst also exploring the hope that can be found in despair.

French animation Studio La Cachette tells the story of a spy fighting for something she lost in “The Spy Dancer.” “The Bandits of Golak” by 88 Pictures from India tells a sibling story and tuning into the Force in unexpected places. Japan’s D’art Shtajio and the United States’ Lucasfilm Ltd look for class solidarity and hope at the bottom of “The Pit.” And, to close out the anthology, South African animation studio Triggerfish tells an emotional coming-of-age story in “Aau’s Song.”

While I would love to jump into every single short in this review, the reality is that I can’t, but instead, I can capture the connective tissue between each of them – balance. And no, I don’t mean balance in the Prequel sense. I mean the different parts of us existing in a complex milieu that makes us, well, us. Each short film has a unique take on the Star Wars universe and doesn’t need to be seen in any order or even together when you watch them in the anthology format. You can find the core that they each revolve around.

In each one, the audience is asked to look past what each character presents on the outside. We’re asked to look inside their hearts, to explore them, and to find the light and darkness that we all balance against. Some short films capture the dichotomy of the Jedi and Sith explicitly, while others ask the audience to find hope against their hopelessness without the Force.

In that way, Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 offers a more intimate view of Star Wars storytelling. While the first volume of this anthology series created a grand spectacle of visual beauty, it focused on wider concepts in the galaxy with a few more intimate moments between connected characters.

This doesn’t downplay the striking beauty of Volume 2 but instead showcases that the studios and their writers for this group of stories have attempted to go directly for emotions like grief and love. Instead of looking to the broader stories of the Jedi and mentorship, this Volume looks at children and their relations to those around them, as well as how their worlds impact the paths they choose in life.

This choice makes this iteration of the anthology more focused on younger audiences, however, never once would I say any animation style or story in Star Wars: Visions Volume 2  is “just for kids.” Instead, this second volume of the series manages to highlight how animation is a medium made to tell stories across genre, across age, and across communities.

Like the first installment of the anthology series, each episode in Volume 2 embodies elements of the culture that they come from beautifully. From accents to traditional music as a score and reimagining of myths or cultural dress into a Star Wars story, each and every episode sings of the places they came from beautifully.

I have notably been overwhelmed by the wealth of Star Wars content out right now. Too many shows, books, and comics and a dearth of available time to watch or read for fun have made me cautious about starting new seasons or series. But with Star Wars: Visions Volume 2, I’m reminded of the beauty of so many stories converging to build out a galaxy I’ve called home since I was a child. The fact that they all exist independently allows me the grace of falling behind, but the strength of each story reminds us of why more Star Wars stories aren’t a bad thing.

Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 is a stunning feat of animation in every episode. It highlights the power and wonder of animation and shows that the medium is well beyond just one form of accepted animation that Americans see nominated for the Oscars every year. Gorgeous and intimate, this anthology series is necessary and wonderous in equal measure.

Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 is streaming now, exclusively on Disney+.