At Anime Expo, Disney+ unveiled a first-look trailer for upcoming anime anthology Star Wars: Visions. Along with release date of September 22 , Disney also provided the list of the seven Japanese studios involved in the series According to Deadline, Kamikaze Douga, Geno Studio (Twin Engine), Studio Colorido (Twin Engine), Trigger, Kinema Citrus, Science Saru, and Production IG are the studios venturing to a galaxy far, far away this fall.
Though seven Japanese studios are contributing stories to Star Wars: Visions, the series will contain nine anime “short films,” with Trigger and Science Saru each tackling two installments, via Deadline. “Each one of these studios that we approached, we found hardcore Star Wars fans,” Lucasfilm executive producer Jacqui Lopez (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Resistance) explained in the Anime Expo video, via Polygon. “They all had a story they wanted to tell.”
As for the stories in Star Wars: Visions, nothing is off-limits to the studios involved in the series. “Lucasfilm made the decision to allow these creators to tell stories that didn’t have to fit in the official Star Wars timeline,” IGN describes of the free-for-all anime experiment. “Even if they wanted to use established characters.” This means that Star Wars fans can expect a mix of new stories inspired by the vast galaxy of Star Wars, but also non-canonical jaunts with beloved characters.
At Anime Expo, Disney+ also provided a brief glimpse into some of the episodes themes, styles and stories, with the full episode list as follows: “The Duel” (Kamikaze Douga), “Lop and Ochō” (Geno Studio), “Tatooine Rhapsody” (Studio Colorido), “The Twins” (Trigger), “The Elder” (Trigger), “The Village Bride” (Kinema Citrus), “Akakiri” (Science Saru), “T0-B1” (Science Saru), and “The Ninth Jedi” (Production IG). “The sneak peek featured a huge range of visual styles and ideas,” The Verge describes. “A rock opera, a chibi Boba Fett, droids in straw hats, a twin Star Destroyer, and much more.”
Star Wars: Visions was originally teased during Disney+’s mammoth Investor’s Day event as part of slate of ten new series in the Star Wars universe. Fans noted how full-circle an anime series was for Star Wars, as many key elements of George Lucas’ (Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope) original films were inspired by Japanese cinema, particularly director Akira Kurosawa (The Hidden Fortress, Seven Samurai).
On September 22, anime and Star Wars fans alike will get to experience these seven studios’ interpretation of Lucas’ galaxy for themselves. Unlike other big-ticket Marvel and Star Wars series featured on Disney+, Star Wars: Visions will drop all nine-episodes at once for bingeing.