Review: Star Wars: Visions - Volume 2' Is a Towering Achievement for Lucasfilm and Animation

When Star Wars: Visions - Volume 1 was released in 2021, it was a breath of fresh air. The goal of the series was simple: give some of the best anime studios from Japan an opportunity to tell whatever story within the Star Wars universe they desired. It was also a chance for the series to return back to its original Japanese inspirations.



For Star Wars: Visions - Volume 2, Lucasfilm Animation has expanded the scope of the series to studios across the globe. To some fans' disappointment, this meant the series was going beyond anime. However, for others, it was an opportunity to see the series through other forms of animation, including stop-motion.







I'm happy to announce that Volume 2 continues to inject new life into the Star Wars franchise. Volume 2 succeeds in two key areas. First, it allows multiple cultures that are rarely heard in Star Wars to mix their voices into the franchise's melody. And second, it allows a broadening of different animation styles to be shown. Volume 2 is everything an anthology series should be, highlighting one theme through it all: diversity.



Episode 1: 'Sith' by El Guiri Studios from Spain







Volume 2 smartly opens up with 'Sith,' an Into the Spider-Verse-like animation by El Guiri Studios from Spain. It's one of the more visually striking episodes as the art plays with multiple contrasting colors. The story centers around a painter living a secluded life who comes under attack by a Sith Lord. As the episode progresses, the painter must come to terms with her past.



Episode 2: 'Screecher's Reach' by Cartoon Saloon from Ireland







Despite its Cartoon Network-like art style, 'Screecher's Reach' is probably one of the darkest Star Wars stories I've ever seen. The short follows four children seeking to escape their labor camp only to encounter a 'ghost' in a cave. The animation reminds me of artwork by Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends creator Craig McCracken. But it's the story's surprisingly oblique and shocking ending that left my mouth wide open.



Episode 3: 'In the Stars' by Punkrobot from Chile







If I had to pick one, 'In the Stars' would be my personal favorite of the nine episodes. Centered around two sisters living on a desolate planet drained of its resources by the Empire, the two scavenge for water to survive. It's an emotional, heartwrenching story of sisterly love that combines both beautiful and very sad moments. It is also a great example of how the series benefits from going multinational. The episode gives the creators' culture a moment to shine and blend in with the Star Wars universe in a way that's simply breathtaking. Lastly, the stop-motion animation is phenomenal, as it captures movement and speed of action very well, akin to the works of Laika Studios.



Episode 4: 'I Am Your Mother' by Aardman from the United Kingdom







Aardman's episode is strategically placed in the compilation as it's the perfect comedy-relief episode. Focusing on a mother and daughter duo, the daughter must learn to accept her mother for what she is -- warts and all -- if she wants to win a race. Aardman is probably the most recognizable studio on the list, as their claymation work shines through in this heartwarming episode.



Episode 5: 'Journey to the Dark Head' by Studio Mir from South Korea







Studio Mir is no stranger when it comes to action-orientated anime. The studio has previously worked on shows like The Legend of Korra, Black Dynamite, and The Boondocks. Their experience comes through clearly in 'Journey to the Dark Head' as the action is frenetic but also conveys character and story. The episode is about a Padawan that must face his fears as he confronts a Sith whom he had a run-in with in the past. It is a very 'shonen'-like episode that I can see will be many people's favorite episode.



Episode 6: 'The Spy Dancer' by Studio La Cachette from France







Episode 6, 'The Spy Dancer' is perhaps the most surprising of the anthology. It's an unorthodox episode in that the art and the story aren't what you'd expect from a Star Wars show. An aerial silk dancer puts on a performance for a battalion of Stormtroopers, but while doing so, she also steals information from her unsuspecting patrons. If that wasn't surprising enough, the art style is also very different from any of the others, looking more like an impressionist painting at times than anything else.



Episode 7: 'The Bandits of Golak' by 88 Pictures from India







The most striking part of 'The Bandits of Golak' is its cultural aesthetic. Taking heavily from Indian culture, 'The Bandits of Golak' is the episode that most reflects the real world, doing little to change its cultural look and inspirations. As a brother and sister seek refuge from Imperial Stormtroopers, doing so gets harder when a secret about the young girl is revealed. This is also the episode that I realized, to Volume 2's detriment, that so many of the stories rely upon an older and younger family relationship, and for the younger family member to disobey orders in order for the plot to progress. If there was one negative aspect that I was to point out about the series, it would be that. Episode 7 is also unique in its animation as the style is similar to Unreal animations, or to video games that use Unreal like Life is Strange.



Episode 8: 'The Pit' by D'art Shtajio from Japan







While each episode of Volume 2 is great for its own reasons, my least favorite was episode 8, 'The Pit.' Evoking a mid-to-late 90's animation, 'The Pit' is about a group of slave workers who become abandoned in the middle of, you guessed it, a pit. The story features themes of economic disparity, community, and of hope enduring amidst bleak situations. There's nothing exactly bad about the episode. It's just that there's nothing about it that makes it stand out against all the other surprisingly great episodes.



Episode 9: 'Aau's Song' by Triggerfish from South Africa







Utilizing cloth stop-motion animation, 'Aau's Song' tells the story of a young girl discovering a talent with her voice while her father works to protect her from the dangerous consequences of using it. While three of the nine episodes feature stop-motion animation, 'Aau's Song' was my favorite in terms of stop-motion animation. There's something about its color, smoothness, and overall fuzzy-textured feel that I enjoyed more than the others.



Each episode of Volume 2 is spectacular. I could easily see each one becoming someone else's favorite. Unlike Volume 1 which arguably had clear, standout favorites, Volume 2's collection features all standout favorites that it was hard for me to pick one. At times, the episodes do rely on the same story tropes. Many episodes feature recurring themes about family and 'coming-of-age' that can be a bit tiring by the end. However, Volume 2 is an achievement for Lucasfilm in that it gives the art form of animation and the people behind them a chance in the spotlight unlike ever before. It's an achievement that every single one who worked on this series should be very proud of.



Click HERE to check out and comment on this topic on our main site