On the 22nd of September, Visions was officially released on Disney+. Featuring nine short films from different prominent anime studios, the series has become an instant hit.
I, for one, am a huge fan.
Ever since the infamous release of The Rise of Skywalker, I have been longing for some originality in the Star Wars franchise. At one time, I thought that The Mandalorian would provide this. However, the last episode of season 2 dashed these hopes. As much as I can appreciate Luke Skywalker as a character, his addition was unnecessary and honestly made me groan.
Then, there was Visions. All in all, it had everything I could ever want. Anime? Check. New characters and planets? Check. A gorgeous score and the expansion of the Star Wars universe as we know it? Double Check.
Every episode in the series is masterfully created and explores Star Wars in a way no other book, show or film has done before. Each of these short films feels as if they could hold their own as a full-length feature if given the chance.
Of all the shorts, I think “The Ninth Jedi” does this best. As many critics have stated, this episode feels like an extremely condensed Star Wars film. While it works as a short, it would do even better as a full film. Similarly, “The Village Bride” also has the potential to become a full film. The ingenuity of both shorts is baffling.
While “Tatooine Rhapsody” is ⏤ in my opinion ⏤ the weakest of the nine, it is still effortlessly charming. Have you ever wondered what it would be like if there was a rock band in the Star Wars universe made up of various creatures (including a Hutt)? Well, now you know.
Ultimately, Visions highlights the best of Disney+ ⏤ providing a platform for short-form content that goes in-depth and highlights different popular franchises. In order for Star Wars to continue to be exciting, we need new content like Visions, not a re-wrapped and slightly altered prequel trilogy or yet another film that exploits characters that were once beloved.
In addition, having anime studios, in particular, take the Star Wars name and create their own content is exciting. As much as I love live-action Star Wars content, animation allows for new perspectives and stories that wouldn’t have been easy or possible to do otherwise. With animation, the possibilities are endless.
If you are a Star Wars fan (or even just an anime fan), I encourage you to take the time to watch Visions. If anything, you will come out with an appreciation for the beauty and scope of animation.