During Anime Expo Lite on Sunday, Disney+ announced the names of the seven Japanese anime studios bringing their unique talent and perspective to Star Wars: Visions — a collection of animated short films from Lucasfilm that will stream exclusively on Disney+ — and offered fans an exciting special look. Each studio will use their signature animation and storytelling styles to realize their own visions of the galaxy far, far away… :
- Kamikaze Douga (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure) – The Duel
- Geno Studio (Twin Engine) (Golden Kamuy) – Lop and Ochō
- Studio Colorido (Twin Engine) (Penguin Highway) – Tatooine Rhapsody
- Trigger (Promare) – The Twins and The Elder
- Kinema Citrus (Made in Abyss) – The Village Bride
- Science Saru (Ride Your Wave) – Akakiri and T0-B1
- Production I.G (Ghost in the Shell) – The Ninth Jedi
Lucasfilm’s Jacqui Lopez (executive producer), James Waugh (executive producer), Josh Rimes (executive producer), and Qubic Pictures’ Justin Leach (co-executive producer) and Kanako Shirasaki (producer) were on hand at the event to reveal each studio and give fans a special look at the environment and concept art as they debuted the title and first details of each short.
As a first formal venture into anime, each Star Wars: Visions short bears a unique Japanese sensibility, which in many ways aligns with the tone and spirit of Star Wars storytelling. From the beginning, stories told in the Star Wars galaxy have counted Japanese mythology and the films of Akira Kurosawa among their many influences, and these new visions will further explore that cultural heritage through the unique animation style and perspective of each anime studio.
All episodes of Star Wars: Visions will be released exclusively on Disney+ on September 22. Learn more at StarWars.com.
Presentations, panels and more Anime Expo Lite programs are available on VOD for pass holders through July 16. https://lite.anime-expo.org.