LucasFilm Reveal Star Wars Visions Trailer, English Cast
Back when they were filming The Matrix sequels, The Wachowskis reached out to some of the biggest names in anime and asked them to create new stories taking place in the world of the films. The resulting anthology The Animatrix (2003) featured animation legends such as Shinichiro Watanabe (Cowboy Bebop), Yoshiaki Kawajiri (Ninja Scroll). Takeshi Koike (Redline) and Peter Chung (Aeon Flux) and contributions from studios such as Madhouse, Studio 4C and Square Pictures (Final Fantasy). Some would say it was the best thing to come out of the sequels. The Animatrix inspired several other similar projects, allowing anime creators the chance to play in other sandboxes: the world of Batman in Gotham Knight, the Halo universe in Halo Legends.
Star Wars Visions has to be the biggest one yet. LucasFilm has assembled a line-up of anime creators consisting of both established names and rising stars to create brand new stories set in the Star Wars universe. Not restricted to a single time frame and free to use existing characters or create new ones, LucasFilm gave the animators complete creative freedom.
Following on from the First Look back at the Anime Expo Lite event, LucasFilm have now released the full trailer. We get to see the full range of styles employed by the seven anime studios involved. Some segments are instantly recognisable, such as Trigger short The Twins from Hiroyuki Imaishi, which shares its style with Promare, or Science Saru's Osamu Tezuka inspired T0-B1. There's a thrilling mix of lightsaber duels and blaster action, high-speed chases and space battles. We see familiar landscapes and iconography run through an anime lens.
The trailer is available in both original Japanese language and English dubbed versions. LucasFilm has revealed a starry voice cast for the dub that will include Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lucy Liu, Kimiko Glenn, Henry Golding, Simu Liu, George Takei (Oh My!), Stephanie Sheh, Alison Brie and Neil Patrick Harris.
Star Wars Visions will stream on Disney Plus from September 22, 2021. Check out the trailer below.
ENGLISH VERSION
JAPANESE LANGUAGE VERSION
