Star Wars: Visions Producers on Going International In Season 2 and the Risk of Increasing the Tales
On: May 2, 2023
Star Wars: Visions was a singular delight when it was launched on Disney+ in 2021, and this Star Wars Day, its producers are hoping to do it once more, on a extra worldwide scale. The primary quantity of Star Wars: Visions options animated Star Wars shorts from among the high animation studios in Japan, fusing Star Wars mythology with anime fashion. However as producer James Waugh defined to us throughout our interview forward of the brand new season’s launch, these animators additionally introduced their cultural historical past and point-of-view to their shorts. He and fellow producers Jacqui Lopez and Josh Rimes determined to hunt out further cultural views for the second quantity of Star Wars: Visions, tapping among the most fun animation studios from completely different international locations throughout the globe to place their distinct spins on the Star Wars universe.
ComicBook.com spoke to all three producers about Star Wars: Visions Quantity 2. This is what they needed to inform us:
(Photograph: Lucasfilm Ltd.)
Was it at all times the plan for Star Wars: Visions to be a number of volumes? Or is that this second season and its enlargement to have a world attain the results of reactions you bought from followers and critics and everybody who noticed the primary season?
James Waugh: I believe we at all times believed that the potential of Star Wars Visions may very well be an unimaginable canvas for brand new forms of storytelling throughout media, and we even noticed a bit of that with the publishing element of quantity one. I believe we actually noticed it as a spot that would simply be a spot for celebratory Star Wars storytelling that was actually from one of the best writers round of their craft however wasn’t actually attempting to suit on that long-term economical timeline.
So we at all times believed within the potential of it, nevertheless it was an experiment. It was actually from a spot of affection, of loving anime, of loving the animation neighborhood and desirous to showcase it and desirous to see what Star Wars may appear to be and really feel like expressed by these voices. So when it really began getting the traction that it bought and the fandom and love, we have been in fact extremely delighted and over the moon, nevertheless it gave us license for it. In a means, it kind of validated this concept that Star Wars may, inside this framework, develop and discover various things.
And so finally with Quantity 2, one of many issues we observed with Quantity 1 was that not solely was it superb as a result of it was actually simply good anime storytelling, anime spectacle, and anime Star Wars, however there have been decisions that have been made all through that would solely come from creators that have been from Japan, that had particular Japanese reference factors traditionally, culturally, religiously, and simply cinematic fashion, and that stayed with us. It lingered, and we immediately began questioning what that would appear to be by all completely different different cultural lenses. What else may we see discovered by completely different international locations, by completely different cultures?
And we’re such massive animation followers that there have been so many studios globally, so many new kinds, so many distinctive methodologies which are occurring now that we thought that this might be an ideal alternative to modify it up and showcase all of that and go on that sort of international tour. We love anime and I believe we positively need to return to anime in some unspecified time in the future with Star Wars, however we felt there was a lot extra, so many different cultural views that we showcased by this platform.
A part of what makes this sequence distinctive is that it isn’t a part of the broader increasing Star Wars universe, which is just about all of Star Wars at this level. Was the truth that it’s outdoors of continuity seen as a problem or a doubtlessly arduous promote with audiences? Or was it seen as a power, one thing that will will let you do issues that possibly you could not do in any other case?
JW: I believe all of that, right? I believe it was an experiment. I believe one of many nice powers of Star Wars is it is this franchise that each one this stuff join in so many highly effective methods and you’ll enter it from all completely different locations, and there may be this timeline that’s this ongoing historical past, however what you could not get with which are surprising decisions like “The Duel,” issues that have been stylistically actually a celebration concerning the medium and the influences of Star Wars, the influences of Akira Kurosawa and George Lucas, and that was actually a celebration of the medium and cinema usually, or “T0-B1” is a love letter, actually, to early manga and Astro Boy. So yeah, I believe it was an experiment, nevertheless it was additionally a part of the facility of it as effectively, which you can actually lean into the shape.
You additionally talked about the publishing elements. We bought a few spinoffs from Quantity 1, largely specializing in “The Ronin.” Do you foresee future tasks like that? Is there any explicit episode on this quantity that you simply assume may lend itself to enlargement the way in which “The Ronin” did?
JW: Effectively, there’s nothing instantly popping out for the time being, however all of those tales are tremendous expandable. All of those tales have the potential of traversing platform, traversing medium. There are in all probability different tales to inform what every one in all these characters, and I believe all of us imagine that Visions is a framework that immediately tells the viewers what the expectations are for this and to sort of lean into it from a celebratory perspective and simply take within the good storytelling with out the opposite contingencies is one thing that I believe simply may occur once more with this initiative. There’s nothing actually popping out for the time being, however I do not know, I sort of need to see so many of those tales proceed.
I did not imply to single out James! Jacqui and Josh, is there something both of you needed so as to add to what he stated?
Josh Rimes: I’d simply say on the finish of the day, these tales are such a celebration of the cultures of those studios. And James touched on it, however I believe you see it from the tales made by 88 Footage in India to a banshee story in Eire. I believe that is what actually drew us to those creators and so they simply jumped at it instantly. They sort of understood, and I believe that simply exhibits the facility of Star Wars, right? That it transcends, and these tales are so mythic, and you can inform, once more, mythic tales with completely different cultures by the lens of Star Wars very simply, and in numerous kinds too.
Jacqui Lopez: The kinds is one factor I’d say, is simply with the ability to see the galaxy in Aardman, in stop-motion. As quickly as their designs began coming in, we might simply freak out each week, identical to, “Oh my God, that is superb.” And with the ability to go to there and see the puppets, after which seeing the Cartoon Saloon fashion. That is the opposite factor, is simply celebrating this world in so many various visible mediums was actually fulfilling too, and what Visions permits us to do.
Star Wars: Visions Quantity 2 debuts on Disney+ on Might 4th.
