Visions Volume 2 Creators Discuss Cultural Influences Behind Animated Shorts

Following the success of Star Wars: Visions - Volume 2 the creators behind the many shorts have talked with various media outlets to discuss what it was like working on the anthology series and about some of their influences for their short films. Most of the discussion centered around the creative freedom allowed by Lucasfilm and the cultural influences that went into the stories of Visions - Volume 2.



For Star Wars: Visions - Volume 2, Lucasfilm decided to open up the series to creators and animated studios from all across the globe. This gave nations that don't normally get a chance to create stories for Star Wars a chance to show what they can do. Nations like France, India, Spain, and Chile were represented in Volume 2, offering great diversity to the franchise. In our review of Volume 2, we called it a 'towering achievement for Lucasfilm and animation.'



Artwork from the episode titled 'The Spy Dancer.'



Most -- if not all -- of the creators shared how Lucasfilm allowed them to create and design whatever story they wanted. When speaking with Cartoon Brew, Julien Chheng from Studio La Cachette (the studio behind the episode 'The Spy Dancer') talked about the creative freedom that was allowed and how the studio from France wanted their aesthetic to still come through within the episode.

Character art for the episode titled 'Screecher's Reach.'



The individuals interviewed also discussed how they used their cultural backgrounds and national history as inspiration for their stories. In his interview with Indie Wire, Paul Young of Cartoon Saloon from Ireland explained how the studio's story, 'Screecher's Reach' was inspired partly by The Empire Strikes Back and partly by Irish folklore.

An image from the Visions episode titled 'In the Stars' by Punkrobot from Chile.



The episode, 'In the Stars,' created by Punkrobot from Chile was inspired by the history of Patagonia. When speaking with Cartoon Brew, Gabriel Osorio of Punkrobot noted the connection of Star Wars' themes of colonialism to the real-world history of Argentina and Chile.

Rodrigo Blaas of El Guiri Studios explained how the episode 'Sith' drew inspiration from the art museums in Madrid.



Finally, Rodrigo Blaas also expressed in an interview published on StarWars.com how he and his team, El Guiri Studios from Spain, were inspired by the museums of Madrid for the episode 'Sith.'

The animation studio Aardman has also previously talked about their collaboration with Lucasfilm, which can be read about here. It has also been reported that multiple sources believe a third volume of Star Wars: Visions is already in development. Both Volumes 1 and 2 are streaming now on Disney Plus.



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