Short of the Week
Since that original film, back in 1977, the Star Wars universe has expanded to include 11 (and counting) feature-length films, numerous series’ and an animated short film anthology. The latter of which, Star Wars: Visions, returns today with nine new short films from animation studios around the world.
Where Star Wars: Visions – Volume 1 was created by seven Japanese animation studios, Volume 2 is much more global affair, featuring the work of studios from Chile, India, Ireland, South Africa and more. That original season delivered some exciting storylines and killer art design, but felt a little lacking in contrast from episode to episode, something that’s certainly been addressed in this second season.
With Star Wars: Visions – Volume 2 released on Star Wars Day (May the 4th) 2023, lets take a look at the nine individual shorts and their creators:
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The Films
Aau’s Song
Dir: Nadia Darries and Daniel Clarke (Triggerfish)
Plot: An alien child who longs to sing is raised by her loving, but stern father to stay quiet because of the calamitous effect her voice has on the crystals in the nearby mines.
Creators: South African animation studio Triggerfish have worked on the animated versions of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler books The Snail and the Whale, Zog, Stick Man, and The Highway Rat. Their short film Belly Flop played the closing ceremony of Annecy in 2018.
Review: Battling Aardman for the title of cutest short in the anthology, Triggerfish’s entry into the Visions universe sees computer animated characters that mimic the needle felt style we’ve seen become hugely popular in the world of short film on a journey of discovery through a meticulously detailed land. The world-building here is exquisite and there’s a great backstory revolving around the color of lightsabers. It’s also one of the most child-friendly shorts in the collection
Score: 4/5
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I Am Your Mother
Dir: Magdalena Osinska (Aardman)
Plot: Young pilot Anni, who is embarrassed by her sweet, but clingy mum, must team with her for a madcap family race at the academy. Along the way, their relationship is tested by the elements, their old ship, other racers…and each other.
Creators: An animation studio that probably needs no introduction, UK’s Aardman made its name in the world of short films with Oscar-winners Creature Comforts, The Wrong Trousers and A Close Shave, before diving into the world of features with Chicken Run, Shaun the Sheep and more. Director Osinska has been working at the studio for over 10-years now and before her time at Aardman she was a student of the Lodz Film School and the NFTS – where she made the short film Zbigniev’s Cupboard.
Review: Two filmmaking institutions collide as Aardman tackles the Lucas Film franchise in this characteristically fun short. Brimming with Star Wars wipes, inside jokes and even the return of a beloved side-character, Osinska and her team were only ever going to create something along the lines of a spoof and it doesn’t disappoint.
Score: 4/5
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In the Stars
Dir: Gabriel Osorio (Punkrobot)
Plot: Two sisters, the last of their kind who live in hiding on their ravaged land, squabble about how to survive with the Empire encroaching. On a water run, the sisters must fight back when they are discovered.
Creators: Another Oscar-winning animation company, Punkrobot picked up the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 2015 for Bear Story. Based in Chile, In the Stars director Osorio is a co-founder of the studio, which works across television, advertising and film.
Review: Opting for a tactile, stop-motion look for their Star Wars world, Punkrobot’s In the Stars is a tale of family, survival and environmental carnage. An action-packed short that follows two sisters as they struggle to exist in a barren world made inhospitable by the Empire there’s a real touch of magic in Osorio’s film. The art style’s incredible, the story gripping and the action-sequences breathtaking, this is everything I was hoping for from a Star Wars: Visions film.
Score: 4.5/5
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Journey to the Dark Head
Dir: Hyeong Geun Park (Studio Mir)
Plot: A hopeful mechanic and disillusioned young Jedi team up for a risky and unlikely quest to turn the tide of the galactic war, but dark forces tail them.
Creators: A South Korean animation company based out of Seoul, Studio Mir has worked on series for Dreamworks, Lego, Netflix and Nickelodeon.
Review: Season 1 of Star Wars: Visions brought anime versions of the Lucas franchise to the screen and South Korea’s Studio Mir carries on where that first edition left off. Featuring classic themes from the movies – fear, anger, hate and young Jedi who can’t quite control his emotions – there’s some wonderful character design on show here, especially in the kick-ass Sith villian. The aesthetic is somewhat predictable though and the script is too “wordy” at times, but fans of the style are sure to dig Journey to the Dark Head.
Score: 2.5/5
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Screecher’s Reach
Dir: Paul Young (Cartoon Saloon)
Plot: A young girl, seeking reprieve from her days in a rural workhouse, discovers a legendary haunted cave with her friends. The cave’s dark pull will change the trajectory of her life forever.
Creators: If you’re unfamiliar with the work of Cartoon Saloon, then you’re in for a treat. The Irish studio has been producing some of the best animated features – Wolfwalkers, The Breadwinner, etc – over the last decade or so. Like a lot of the production houses on this list they have a strong foundation in short films, including SotW picks Old Fangs and Late Afternoon. Screecher’s Reach is directed by co-founder & creative director Paul Young.
Review: Seeing Cartoon Saloon tackle a Star Wars story is like a dream come true. It almost feels like one of those ideal combinations you’d ask AI to cook up and the Irish animation studio stay true to their roots with their addition to the universe. Their distinct animation style combines with a rites-of-passage narrative, featuring some truly haunting moments, to create a dizzying combination of science-fiction and folk horror. At the end of watching all these shorts I might have had enough from the Star Wars franchise for now, but I was still hungry for more Cartoon Saloon films.
Score: 4.5/5
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Sith
Dir: Rodrigo Blaas (El Guiri)
Plot: A former Sith apprentice, leading a peaceful, but isolated life, is confronted by the past when her old master tracks her down.
Creators: Founded by director Rodrigo Blaas and his frequent collaborator, producer Cecile Hokes, El Guiri is an animation studio operating out of Madrid, recognisable to SotW fans for their cute but slightly sinister 2009 short Alma.
Review: Sporting an arty 3D aesthetic, Sith begins quite breezily, like you’re wrapped in the warmth of some kind of hallucinatory Star Wars dream world, until the titular bad guy arrives. While the narrative gets darker, the bright artistic flourishes continue, making this traditional tale of good v evil a real standout. Fans of Netflix’s Love, Death + Robots who are coming to Visions in the hope of finding similar shorts are bound to love Blaas’ stylish take.
Score: 4/5
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THE BANDITS OF GOLAK
Dir: Ishan Shukla (88 Pictures)
Plot: Fleeing from their village by train and pursued by ferocious Imperial forces, a boy and his force-sensitive younger sister seek refuge in a vibrant and dangerous dhaba.
Creators: Co-founded by Milind D Shinde, who worked at DreamWorks Animation for over six years, 88 pictures is based out of Mumbai. The Bandits of Golak is directed by Ishan Shukla, a name that might be familiar to ardent short fans from his 2016 film Schirkoa
Review: 88 Studios inject a distinctly Indian feel into their Star Wars: Visions entry as we follow a young girl with special powers looking for refuge. The animation here feels a little generic and lacks the flair apparent in most of the other episodes, while some of the dialogue comes across a little too corny. There’s real potential in the story and world here, but the execution seems a bit too clunky and amateurish compared to the other shorts.
Score: 2/5
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THE PIT
Dir: LeAndre Thomas and Justin Ridge (D’Art Shtajio and Lucasfilm)
Plot: A former Sith apprentice, leading a peaceful, but isolated life, is confronted by the past when her old master tracks her down.
Creators: Produced by Japan’s D’Art Shtajio and the original home of Star Wars, Lucasfilm, The Pit was co-directed by two names familiar with the ever increasing branches of the sci-fi franchise LeAndre Thomas and Justin Ridge, with both having worked various roles on the films and series’ in the universe.
Review: A story of slavery at the hands of the Empire, this is another short where the aesthetic lacks a little of the elegance seen in its fellow films. Although the message is strong here, the execution means it comes across a bit too cheesy. It feels like another storyline full of potential, but its creators just didn’t know how to make the most of it with such a short run-time.
Score: 2.5/5
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The Spy Dancer
Dir: Julien Chheng (Studio La Cachette)
Plot: The premier dancer at a famous, Imperial-frequented cabaret uses her unique skill-set to spy for the Rebellion, but the presence of a mysterious officer threatens to derail her mission.
Creators: Parisian Studio La Cachette are no stranger to animated short film anthologies, having already created an episode (Sucker of Souls) for the first series of Love, Death + Robots on Netflix. For their entry into the Star Wars: Vision world co-founder Julien Chheng takes charge, having first cut his directorial teeth on Gobelins short Le Royaume before going on to produce Genndy Tartakovsky’s TV series Primal and co-direct the latest Ernest et Célestine feature.
Review: Ever wondered what Storm Troopers get up to in their time-off? 2D animation The Spy Dancer opens by following a couple of the Empire’s henchmen on a night on the town. Attending a famous cabaret, the story quickly transitions to the establishment’s lead dancer, a rebel spy. Distinctly French in both its story and style (the aesthetic has a real Gobelins feel to it), it’s exciting to see another 2D animation in a collection like this, where 3D CGI seems the obvious choice
Score: 3.5/5