(Press Release) To close out Star Wars Celebration’s animation panels, on Monday afternoon there was a “Star Wars: Visions” panel. The panel was filled with an abundance of reveals ahead of the series’ May 4, 2023 release– including first story details for all nine shorts, the full cast list, the trailer and key art.
The newest Volume will continue to push the boundaries of “Star Wars” storytelling, with nine new shorts from nine 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.
To kick off the panel, host Amy Ratcliffe introduced executive producers of the Emmy® nominated series, Josh Rimes, James Waugh and Jacqui Lopez, who discussed the success of the show’s first season and its unique concept featuring a collection of animated shorts that stretches beyond any one form of animation and serves as a broader framework for Star Wars storytelling.
Amy went on to reveal the trailer for Volume 2 and the voice talents behind the second volume.
The cast includes:
– “Screecher’s Reach”: Eva Whittaker
– “I Am Your Mother”: Maxine Peake, Charithra Chandran
– “Journey to the Dark Head” (English Dub): Ashley Park, Eugene Lee Yang
– “The Bandits of Golak”: Suraj Sharma
– “The Pit”: Daveed Diggs
– “Aau’s Song”: Cynthia Erivo
After revealing the cast, Amy Ratcliffe introduced the series’ filmmakers, who took to the stage in groups of three to reveal the first details about each of their shorts.
– Paul Young, director of Cartoon’s Saloon’s “Screecher’s Reach” from Ireland
– Gabriel Osorio, writer/director of Punkrobot’s “In the Stars” from Chile.
– Magdalena Osinska, director of Aardman’s “I Am Your Mother” from the United Kingdom
– Hyeong-Geun Park, director of Studio Mir’s “Journey to the Dark Head” from South Korea
– Julien Chheng, director of Studio La Cachette’s “The Spy Dancer” from France
– Milind Shinde, founder of India’s 88 Pictures and executive producer of “The Bandits of Golak.”
– LeAndre Thomas, writer/director/executive producer of “The Pit”; Arthell Isom, founder of D’ART Shtajio and executive producer of “The Pit”
– Nadia Darries and Daniel Clarke, co-directors of Triggerfish’s “Aau’s Song” from South AfricaPanelists shared how they incorporated their country’s history and culture into their stories and created original characters that fit into the Star Wars galaxy and cast local talent to bring these characters to life. At the end of the panel, attendees were also treated to a surprise early screening of Aardman’s short “I Am Your Mother.”
2023 Courtesy of Disney & Lucasfilm
