Star Wars Visions is arguably the coolest thing Disney does with the Lucasfilm property these days. It allows the Galaxy Far Far Away to stretch its creative legs far beyond the self-imposed boundaries of Kathleen Kennedy and try new, creative spins on classic ideas.
While the first season of Star Wars Visions was entirely anime-based with shorts from Japanese studios only, Season 2 expanded that reach to include animation studios from all over the world. Season 3’s lineup is…exclusively Japanese again. Weird. But this time we have Wit Studio, Project No. 9, Polygon Pictures, and David Production, who have never contributed to the anthology before.
They will be joined by returning studios Kamikaze Douga, Production I.G., Studio Trigger, Project Studio Q, and Kinema Citrus, who have new shorts of their own. The show will be presented in both Japanese and English, with the English dub boasting the voices of Anna Sawai, Freddie Highmore, George Takei, Harvey Guillén, Jodie Turner-Smith, Judith Light, Simu Liu, Stephanie Hsu and Steve Buscemi, among many others.
Kamikaze Douga + ANIMA – “The Duel: Payback”
With the help of some unexpected allies, Ronin faces off against his greatest foe – a twisted Jedi known as the Grand Master who is bent on revenge.
Directed by: Takanobu Mizuno
Project Studio Q – “The Song of Four Wings”
A princess-turned-rebel protects a child from the might of the Empire on a snowbound planet.
Directed by: Hiroyasu Kobayashi
Production I.G – “The Ninth Jedi: Child of Hope”
Pursued by Jedi Hunters, and blasted adrift into space, Kara encounters a seemingly abandoned ship tended to by a mysterious droid.
Directed by: Naoyoshi Shiotani
WIT Studio – “The Bounty Hunters”
A rogue bounty hunter takes on a job for a shady industrialist that has unexpected consequences for her and her droid.
Directed by: Junichi Yamamoto
Kinema citrus Co. – “Yuko’s Treasure”
A sheltered orphan teams with a street rat kid to rescue his droid caregiver and find a long-lost treasure.
Directed by: Masaki Tachibana
Kinema citrus Co. – “The Lost Ones”
After assisting refugees escape a natural disaster, an incognito F is forced to confront the ghosts of her past when their refugee ship is intercepted by the Empire.
Directed by: Hitoshi Haga
TRIGGER – “The Smuggler”
Desperate for a quick payday, a smuggler takes a job to rescue a fugitive from the Empire.
Directed by: Masahiko Otsuka
Polygon Pictures – “The Bird of Paradise”
After she is blinded in battle, a hot-headed Jedi Padawan must undergo a series of spiritual trials in order to overcome the temptation of the Dark Side.
Directed by: Tadahiro “Tady” Yoshihira
david production – “BLACK”
A psychedelic battle between past and present, light and dark, and life and death plays out in the haunted psyche of an Imperial trooper who is on the cusp of defeat.
Directed by: Shinya Ohira
Star Wars Visions Volume 3 will launch with all nine episodes October 29.
