Does ‘Star Wars: Visions’ Volume Two Hold Up to Fan-Favorite Season One?
Star Wars: Visions Volume Two carries the torch of the first volume with a team of international animation studios.
On Friday, ‘May the 5th’ Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 appeared on Disney+ for all of our streaming pleasure. And while it was the same general style of animated anthology-style short stories from the galaxy far far away, Volume Two was just a little different from its predecessor. Instead of being anime with all Japanese animation studios behind the project, the second season had a much more international team involved. But how did this collection stack up against the critically-acclaimed and fan-loved Volume One?
The Good
To be very blunt, just about everything about Star Wars: Visions this time around was a triumph. There wasn’t a single episode I wasn’t delighted by or a single story that had me bored. They were all good.
The animation across the board was very different from episode to episode. And while that was also the case in the first season, all of those shorts definitely had the feel of anime. They were just various kinds of anime, and that works because there are hundreds of anime styles depending on the artist, time frame, and studio. But for Volume Two, the art styles were different. Some were classic animation, others were the Wallace and Gromit style claymation, and others looked like stop-motion with dolls. It was all over the place, and they were all gorgeous.
Each studio also had a very different style of storytelling, some of which seemed rooted in the culture of the place the studio is located. They took the opportunity to involve voices from everywhere, and as a result, we got a version of the galaxy that felt almost cathartic or autobiographical at times. For example, I’m sure it’s no coincidence that French Studio La Cachette took on the story of the Spy Dancer when the real-world WW2 spy dancer, Mata Hari did much of her own spy work for the French.
Volume Two could also be more melancholy at times. Many episodes ended on a happy note, but in a way where you knew the other shoe was going to drop at any moment. Others made you wonder if the characters would be okay as they flew off into the sunset. Like many aspects of Star Wars, stories were hopeful but tentative.
The Bad
Honestly, I can’t think of anything negative to say about this show at all. I could say that I want to see some of these stories progress and they won’t. But one of the beautiful things about short stories is the fact that you only get a brief window. That, and they’ve definitely floated the idea of running with some of these characters, so we may very well get more.
I could also say that I wish the season was longer because nine fifteen-minute-long episodes isn’t a lot. But I’m sure that organizing with nine different studios all around the globe was hard enough as is. And, when shows go on too long they risk overstaying their welcome while Visions left me wanting more.
There wasn’t even a studio I wish they had swapped out. I was excited to see the work of those I was familiar with, and the ones that I didn’t recognize honestly blew me away with their quality.
I guess I’m upset that I haven’t had the time to watch it a second time yet.
The Review
I loved Visions. From beginning to end it was thoughtful, sad, uplifting, hilarious, and absolutely beautiful. These stories of the small, unheard voices from the galaxy are some of the most interesting, and projects like this are honestly the pinnacle of what Star Wars can be.
