At an Anime Expo Lite panel, LucasFilm revealed the very first look at Star Wars: Visions, an upcoming anthology of short anime films set in a galaxy far, far away. The sneak peek featured a huge range of visual styles and ideas, with shorts that featured, among many other things, a rock opera, a chibi Boba Fett, droids in straw hats, a twin Star Destroyer, and much more.
“We really wanted to give these creators a wide creative birth to explore the Star Wars galaxy,” LucasFilm executive producer James Waugh said during the panel. “We wanted this to be as authentic as possible to the studios and the creators. The idea was, this is their vision, riffing off all of the elements of the Star Wars galaxy that inspired them.”
The shorts announced at the event, and the studios working on them, include:
- The Duel by Kamikaze Douga (Batman Ninja)
- Lop & Ocho by Geno Studio (Golden Kamuy)
- Tatooine Rhapsody by Studio Colorido (A Whisker Away)
- The Twins and The Elder by Trigger (Kill La Kill)
- The Village Bride by Kinema Citrus (Tokyo Magnitude 8.0)
- Akakiri and T0-B1 by Science Saru (Japan Sinks)
- The Ninth Jedi by Production IG (Ghost in the Shell)
Visions was first announced last December, and is described as “an original series of animated short films” that “celebrates the Star Wars galaxy through the lens of the world’s best Japanese anime creators.” The anthology will be available on Disney Plus when it premieres on September 22nd.
Anime has become a big focus for streaming services, with both Netflix and Amazon Prime snapping up big-name titles. Visions will mark the first major anime series to debut on Disney Plus. That said, fan projects have clearly demonstrated in the past that Star Wars and anime are a good fit.