Disney+ and Lucasfilm have announced that the second volume of the animated anthology series âStar Wars: Visionsâ will premiere exclusively on Disney+ on May 4, 2023. Following on the Emmy AwardÂź-nominated success of âStar Wars: Visions,â the newest volume will continue to push the boundaries of “Star Wars” storytelling, with nine new shorts from 9 studios from around the globe. Employing the most captivating animation styles from a variety of countries and cultures, the second volume offers a dynamic new perspective on the storied mythos of Star Wars.
The shorts included in âStar Wars:Visionsâ Volume 2 were created by the following international animation studios: El Guiri (Spain), Cartoon Saloon (Ireland), Punkrobot (Chile), Aardman (United Kingdom), Studio Mir (South Korea) Studio La Cachette (France), 88 Pictures (India), D’art Shtajio (Japan), and Triggerfish (South Africa). DâArt Shtajioâs short was created in collaboration with Lucasfilm Ltd. (United States).
âThe reaction to the first volume of âStar Wars: Visionsâ blew us away. We were delighted that this project inspired and resonated with so many people,â says James Waugh, âStar Wars: Visionsâ executive producer and Senior Vice President Franchise Content & Strategy at Lucasfilm. âWe always saw âStar Wars: Visionsâ as a framework for celebratory expressions of the franchise from some of the best creators working today. Animation is in a global renaissance, and weâre constantly staggered by the amount of creativity pushing the medium forward. With Volume 1, the imaginative minds of Japanâs anime industry were on full display. With Volume 2, we expanded our canvas to take audiences on a global tour of some of the most talented creators from around the world. Weâre so proud to be able to reveal the line-up of studios weâve assembled. Every short is incredible, full of heart, scope, imagination, and the values that make stories distinctlyâStar Warsââ all while opening up bold new ways of seeing what a âStar Warsâ story can be.â
Waugh executive produces âStar Wars: Visionsâ Volume 2 along with Jacqui Lopez and Josh Rimes.
Details on each short and filmmaker below:
Title: âSithâÂ
Studio: El Guiri
Writer-director: Rodrigo Blaas
Rodrigo Blaas is an Emmy AwardÂź-winning director who has spent more than 20 years in animation. After co-founding Stromboli Animation in 1997, Blaas joined Blue Sky Studios in 2000, working on the feature film âIce Age,â before transitioning to Pixar Animation Studios. There, he worked on such projects as âFinding Nemoâ (2003), âThe Incrediblesâ (2004), âRatatouilleâ (2007) and âWall-Eâ (2008) and on the OscarÂź-nominated short film âLa Lunaâ (2011). More recently, Blaas partnered with Guillermo del Toro to develop the award-winning series âTrollhunters,â served as creative director for Mikros Animation Paris and, in 2021, created El Guiri Studios in Madrid with his partner, Cecile Hokes. He also wrote and directed 2009âs award-winning short film âAlma.â
Title: âScreecherâs Reachâ
Studio: Cartoon Saloon
Director: Paul Young
Paul Young is a co-founder of Cartoon Saloon, an IFTA winner and OscarÂź, EmmyÂź and BAFTA nominee. He produced the animated features âMy Fatherâs Dragon,â âWolfWalkers,â âThe Secret of Kells,â âSong of the Seaâ and âThe Breadwinnerâas well as award-winning TV series including âPuffin Rock,â âDorg Van Dangoâ and âViking Skool.â
Title: âIn the Starsâ
Studio: Punkrobot
Writer-director: Gabriel Osorio
Gabriel Osorio majored in Fine Arts at Universidad de Chile, later specializing in 3D animation. After working in commercials, movies and television series, he founded Punkrobot Studio. Since 2008, he has directed projects for childrenâs television including âFlipos,â âMuelin y Perlita,â âSoccer Girlsâ and television spots. In 2016, his short film âBear Storyâ became the first Latin American project to win an OscarÂź in the animated short category.
Title: âI Am Your Motherâ
Studio: Aardman
Director: Magdalena Osinska
Magdalena Osinska is an award-winning director who has been with Aardman for eight years. She has directed stop-motion, CGI, 2D and live-action commercials including Wallace & Gromitâs âThe Great Sofa Caperâ and âShare the Orange.â Osinska directed development of the childrenâs series âJoyetsâ and has also directed films including âSpirits of the Pianoâ and âZbignievâs Cupboard.â A graduate of the National Film and Television School in Beaconsfield, UK, as well as the Polish Film School in Lodz and Art College in Warsaw, Osinska is currently developing the feature film âJasia,â based on her grandmotherâs memories of WWII Poland.
Title: âJourney to the Dark Headâ
Studio: Studio Mir
Director: Hyeong Geun Park
Rising star Hyeong Geun Park had already made a name for himself when he entered the Korean animation industry in 2017, thanks to his strong drawing and animation sensibilities. He has directed animation for dozens of cinematic game trailers and has since expanded into animated series, working on projects including âDota: Dragonâs Blood: Book 3â (2022) and âLookismâ (2022). âJourney to the Dark Headâ is the first title he has executive produced from start to finish.
Title: âThe Spy Dancerâ
Studio: Studio La Cachette
Writer-Director: Julien Chheng
Julien Chheng is CEO of Studio La Cachette, an Emmy AwardÂź-winning French animation studio he co-founded in 2014 with fellow Gobelins schoolâs alumni Oussama Bouacheria and Ulysse Malassagne. Chheng was trained in visual development at Disney and has worked as a character animator on acclaimed 2D animated features âThe Rabbiâs Cat,â âMuneâ and the Academy AwardÂź-nominated âErnest and Celestine.â In 2021, he won an Emmy AwardÂź as animation executive producer of âGenndy Tartakovskyâs Primal,âfor which he also served as animation supervisor. In 2022, Chheng directed with Jean-Christophe Roger the Cesar-nominated feature âErnest and Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia.â
Title: âThe Bandits of Golakâ
Studio: 88 Pictures
Director: Ishan Shukla
Ishan Shukla started his career as a CG artist in Singapore. For more than a decade, he spearheaded projects ranging from TV commercials to series and music videos. His 2016 animated short, “Schirkoa,” was long listed for the Academy AwardsÂź after receiving dozens of awards and playing at 120 international festivals, including SIGGRAPH Asia where it was named Best in Show. He then set up his own animation studio to work on adult-oriented animated feature films including a feature-length version of “Schirkoa,” set to hit festivals in summer 2023.
Title: âThe Pitâ
Studios: Dâart Shtajio and Lucasfilm Ltd.
Writer-director-executive producer: LeAndre Thomas
Co-Director: Justin Ridge
LeAndre Thomas is an award-winning writer and director from Oakland, Calif., whose most recent film won Best Director at the Pasadena International Film Festival. In addition to his independent films, Thomas is a part of the franchise studio team at Lucasfilm Ltd. where he has worked for more than 11 years being credited on recent titles such as âLight & Magic,â âThe Mandalorian,â âObi-Wan Kenobi,â âStar Wars: Tales of the Jedi,â and many more.
Justin Ridge executive produced the EmmyÂź-nominated series âStar Wars Resistance.â His credits also include âStar Wars Rebels,â âStorks,â âThe Cleveland Show,â âStar Wars: The Clone Warsâ and âAvatar: The Last Airbender.â
Title: âAauâs Songâ
Studio: Triggerfish
Writer-Directors: Nadia Darries and Daniel Clarke
Nadia Darries is a director, animator and co-founder of Goon Valley Animation, with an avocation for songwriting. Born in the Cape Flats in South Africa, Darries has worked on high-end animated film and motion design as an animator, project manager, creative director and director since 2015. Her experience includes animating at Triggerfish Animation Studios on the award-winning BBC films âStick Man,â âRevolting Rhymesâ and âHighway Rat.â
Daniel Clarke is a Cape Town-based director and artist working in animation, film and illustration. He started his career in animation in 2008 at Triggerfish Animation Studios, where he has served as production designer, art director and director on projects such as the feature film âKhumba,â BBCâs âStick Manâ and âThe Snail and the Whale.â In 2018, along with James Clarke and Daniel Snaddon, he completed the graphic novel âKariba.â
âStar Wars: VisionsâVolume 2â streams exclusively on Disney+ beginning May 4, 2023.  Â
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