Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 has brought us more Star Wars stories from around the world. I love that Lucasfilm decided to reach out to more studios for season 2. I hope they continue to include more for next season. It’s beautiful to watch different countries include their cultures in Star Wars. It makes you realize the galaxy, and our own world is a beautiful and rich place.
With there being so many animation styles and stories this season we have split up reviews into three parts. Be sure to check out Vin’s reviews for “The Spy Dancer”, “The Bandits of Golak”, and “Aau’s Song”, and Wiktor Reinfuss’ reviews for “Sith”, “I Am Your Mother”, and “Journey to Dark Head”. Here are my thoughts on “Screecher’s Reach”, “In the Stars”, and “The Pit” from Volume 2.
[Warning: Spoilers from these Vol. 2 episodes below!]
“Screecher’s Reach” – Cartoon Saloon from Ireland
“Screecher’s Reech” is about a young girl, Daal, and her friends who work in a factory venturing out to a legendary cave with a dark pull.
The animation in “Screecher’s Reach” is a 2D style with beautiful watercolor-like scenery. The themes of the dark side and the light side are beautifully drawn in this episode and add to Daal’s struggle with wanting more in her life.
I thought this episode was going to just be about found family like many Star Wars stories. I thought Daal and her friends would find something in the cave and end up running away together. I was not expecting this 15-minute short to have a Sith plot twist, but I loved it!
Daal’s necklace was a focal point throughout this episode, something I found myself very curious about. After she defeated the Screecher and the Sith showed up to take her away, it started glowing red indicating that it was a beacon the Sith used. Usually, the shorts are enough for me but I would love to see a part two to this one.
I love that this story was based on Irish folklore with the Screecher being a Banshee. In Irish and Celtic folklore, a Banshee is a supernatural being whose wailing scream at night was believed to foretell the death of a family member of the person who heard it. I loved the horror aspect that Cartoon Saloon has brought to Star Wars with this short and would love to see more projects like this.
“In the Stars” – Punkrobot Studios from Chile
“In the Stars” is about two sisters, Koten and Tichina, who are the last of their kind since the Empire took over their homeworld. They continue to fight for their survival until they are discovered by Imperial forces.
The animation in this one was my favorite out of the three episodes. I love the claymation style, the characters, and scenery were beautifully detailed.
This episode felt very focused on one of my favorite Star Wars lines, “No one’s ever really gone.” Koten and Tichina’s people believed that after you die you become a star that watches over you. The stars also kept the paintings alive, keeping the memory alive of those who have passed.
Koten and Tichina are both force-wielders like their mother, and I liked that the force had nothing to do with their mother still being with them in their eyes. Usually, when we see characters looking to the dead for help in Star Wars it’s through the force. This time we see our main characters looking to the memory of their mother’s strength and with that, they can beat the Empire together.
“The Pit” – Lucasfilm LTD. and D’art Shtajio from USA
“The Pit” focuses on a young prisoner, Crux, who is forced to dig for kyber by the Empire and plans an escape for his people when they are abandoned.
This was all about hope and finding the light in the dark. Even though Crux didn’t make it, he passed on the hope of a better world to another prisoner, a little girl named Livy. While other prisoners were losing hope that no one in the city that they helped the Empire build would come for them Livy took charge and gave the prisoners hope. Livy reminded me of Leia, she never gave up and believed that others would do the right thing.
I loved that this story felt like classic Star Wars and we are seeing this season be more connected with the timeline. This short and “In the Stars” show how far the Empire’s reach was, that even the most faraway worlds and people in the outer rim were not immune to their rule.
Final thoughts on these great Star Wars Visions Volume 2 episodes
Overall Volume 2 was full of incredible stories. The shorts were full of hope and found family which is the foundation of Star Wars. These three episodes were fantastic and I can’t wait to see what Star Wars: Visions Volume 3 brings us in the future.
What were your favorite episodes from this season? Would you want to see a continuation of any of these shorts? Let us know on Twitter @mycosmiccircus or The Cosmic Circus Discord.
Don’t forget to check out Vin and Wiktor’s reviews linked below!
Review: Star Wars: Visions Vol. 2 (Studios from Spain, England, So. Korea)
Review: Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 (Studios from France, India, South Africa)
