Note: This is a spoiler-free review of Star Wars: Visions Volume 3, which is available to stream now on Disney+.<\/p>\n
With this franchise being so beholden to its tropes and so fixated on the Skywalker clan, Star Wars: Visions has always been a much-needed breath of fresh air. What if you invite an international team of animators to play in this sandbox, exploring brand new characters and storylines, and bringing their own outside perspectives to the table? It\u2019s a format that served Visions well in its first two seasons; sadly, the novelty has started to wear off, and Volume 3 proves to be the series\u2019 most uneven outing. <\/p>\n
After Volume 2 opened the gates to a truly multinational team of animation studios, Volume 3 returns to the anime-centric approach of the first season. That\u2019s where the new season really stumbles right out of the gate. As fun as \u201canime Star Wars\u201d sounds on paper, the various episodes in Volume 1 did tend to retread a lot of the same ground and eventually started to blur together. Volume 2 was much more diverse in terms of tone and style; that was where we got the brilliantly goofy \u201cI Am Your Mother\u201d from the inimitable claymation giant, Aardman, and the downright stunning \u201cSith\u201d from El Guiri. <\/p>\n
Star Wars: Visions Volume 3 Image Gallery<\/p>\n
By comparison, Volume 3 suffers from much the same flaw as Volume 1. Even if each animation studio brings its own sensibility and animation style to the table, the overall variety simply can\u2019t compare to that of Volume 2. Most tend to focus on dramatic clashes between good and evil, leaving little room for the purely comedic approach taken by the aforementioned \u201cI Am Your Mother.\u201d A lot of elements tend to repeat themselves from episode to episode: Expect plenty of emphasis on clashes between Jedi and Sith; expect a lot of orphaned heroes making their way in the galaxy with only a plucky droid and\/or alien companion for company; expect mostly stories set during the Imperial era, albeit with zero focus on Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, and the rest of the Original Trilogy icons we know so well. It would be nice if the series cast a wider net there, given how massive the Star Wars timeline truly is, but the same could be said for Star Wars in every medium. Lucasfilm still seems loath to venture too far outside the Skywalker saga.<\/p>\n
One thing remains true for Visions: This is not a series that particularly rewards binge viewing. That might seem strange given that we\u2019re once again talking about a batch of nine episodes of only 15-20 minutes each, but binging the show only highlights those more repetitive elements. It\u2019s really best to consume each episode slowly and savor its own particular take on the franchise before moving on to the next. That approach doesn\u2019t change the fact that the various studios hit many of the same beats, but it helps.<\/p>\n
One benefit of returning the focus to Japanese animation studios is that it gives the series a chance to revisit some of the characters and stories from Volume 1. Three Volume 3 episodes serve as direct sequels; easily the best of these is Kamikaze Douga and ANIMA\u2019s \u201cThe Duel: Payback,\u201d which returns to the gritty, black-and-white world of the Ronin (Brian Tee). Once again, this episode ranks among the most visually stunning of the group thanks to its use of texture and limited color. And as one of many episodes to depict a duel between Jedi and Sith, at least this one shakes up the formula by blurring the lines between the two groups and showing us a Jedi poisoned by revenge. <\/p>\n
What We Said About Star Wars: Visions Volume 2<\/p>\n
“While the themes of Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 can be a bit repetitive, the diversity of characters and animation styles presented in tight episodes makes it well worth watching. Alternately goofy, political, sweet, and thrilling, the show celebrates the broad reach of Star Wars and provides plenty of characters and plots compelling enough to anchor their own spinoffs.” -Samantha Nelson, May 3, 2023<\/p>\n