Star Wars fans are tentatively excited about a new film in the franchise canon and eagerly awaiting more Mandalorian on Disney+, but there’s a lot of other projects in the works in the universe. That includes an anime, which fans got a first look at thanks to Disney+ revealing some concept art and scenes from Star Wars: Visions.
The big reveal came Saturday at Anime Expo Lite and came with news of which Japanese studios were tasked with creating the stories and animation to expand the modern Star Wars canon. The video of that reveal was then posted on YouTube for the rest of us to check out for ourselves. As Deadline detailed, the show will feature seven studios producing work for the anthology series, which will hit the Disney+ streaming service on September 22.
The seven anime studios bringing their signature visuals and storytelling styles to Visions include Kamikaze Douga, Geno Studio (Twin Engine), Studio Colorido (Twin Engine), Trigger, Kinema Citrus, Science Saru and Production IG.
Trigger and Science Saru are overseeing two episodes apiece, while the others are spearheading just one. Episode titles include “The Duel” (Kamikaze Douga), “Lop and Ochō” (Geno Studios), “Tattoine Rhapsody” (Studio Colorido), “The Twins” and “The Elder” (Trigger), “The Village Bride” (Kinema Citrus), “Akakiri” and “T0-B1” (Science Saru) and “The Ninth Jedi” (Production IG).
The first look showed some scenes from that series, as well as interviews with LucasFilm executives and some of the creators of the projects, who seem thrilled to get to work on Star Wars in their own unique way. There were even some glimpses of very familiar faces in new styles.
The sheer variety on display in the brief video is impressive, as some projects appear more traditional while others are billed as comedies or “a rock opera style film.” Some will be heavily influenced by more traditional Japanese cult
The tease was brief, relatively speaking, but certainly enough to get fans of some legendary anime studios and the Star Wars franchise itself exited about a new way to explore the universe. You can watch the full video and see all the glorious concept art in the video above.
[via Deadline]