\n<\/p>\n
Of the various roundtable interviews Anime Trending attended at Anime NYC 2025, the one for<\/span> Star Wars: Visions <\/span>was definitely one of the lengthiest. The session allowed us to get a great sense of executive producer <\/span>James Waugh\u2019s passion for the anthology series and slip in a question about his thoughts on legendary animator <\/span>Shinya Ohira\u2019s \u201cBLACK\u201d short for the upcoming third season, which is due to premiere on Disney+ on October 29.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Below is a collection of the replies from the roundtable (lightly edited for clarity) that caught our interest the most.<\/span><\/p>\n Star Wars: Visions\u2019 Canonicity and Vision<\/span><\/p>\n James Waugh: It is definitely not canon. But there haven\u2019t been any restrictions, aside from the fact that when we\u2019re approaching stories and looking for creators, we want them to actually have something to say and then pitch us their vision. We\u2019re not really looking for stories about known Star Wars characters. Not to say that\u2019s impossible. Obviously, we\u2019ve had Jabba the Hutt and Boba Fett in <\/span>Visions<\/span> shorts, but it\u2019s not about them. Usually, we\u2019re looking for original, fresh perspectives so that <\/span>Visions<\/span> doesn\u2019t become a sort of \u201cWhat If\u201d of Star Wars, but a unique expression and celebration of Star Wars elements people love.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Each Volume is like a mixtape (and that\u2019s why they\u2019re not called \u201cseasons\u201d)<\/span><\/p>\n James Waugh: Oh God, this is a super nerdy answer, but we ultimately wanted it to connote the idea that these are sort of like mixtapes. These are anthological expressions, not evergoing seasons that are serialized and have a continuing storyline. Volume 2 is the mixtape that\u2019s sort of like a global tour with different sounds and notes from around the world. Volume 1 and Volume 3 are anime-focused. Whatever else <\/span>Visions <\/span>could evolve into, we want to make it clear that we can still have different, unique voices, and you don\u2019t feel like you have to be bound to what you\u2019ve seen before.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Image source: StarWars.com<\/p>\n On the Shinya Ohira-directed \u201cBLACK\u201d Short<\/span><\/p>\n James Waugh:<\/span> He\u2019s such a master craftsman, an incredible artist, and just a unique auteur in general. I don\u2019t know if I would say that this is his definitive statement on Star Wars. It\u2019s a story he felt compelled to tell. I think he wanted to say something about humanity and war, and it\u2019s really more of a piece of modern art in a way.<\/span><\/p>\n For me, what\u2019s special about <\/span>Visions<\/span> is that you\u2019re not confined to traditional storytelling. You really can have someone who\u2019s just an incredible animator express the medium and do their unique experience of what Star Wars could be. When you see it later today, you\u2019ll notice there are jazz elements in it. So I don\u2019t know if I would say this is his definitive take on Star Wars. What I would say is he loves Star Wars, and [by] using all these elements, you get a distinctly Ohira-san story.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Culture in Star Wars: Visions<\/span><\/p>\n James Waugh: Seeing Star Wars expressed through a specific Japanese creator\u2019s lens [in Volume 1] suddenly made us realize how interesting this could be through different cultures. That\u2019s really what drove it. I think what\u2019s foundational about Star Wars is these universal mythic elements \u2014 very Campbellian. The hero\u2019s journey does manifest differently across cultures in truth, but there are certain archetypes that matter. There are certain universal human themes that Star Wars articulates in a mythic way really well.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n You look at something like \u201cScreecher\u2019s Reach,\u201d and it is very much a Star Wars story, but the banshee elements, which are so inherent to Irish culture, are what made that unique take. And I think that you see the same thing with <\/span>Punkrobot. Each one of those stories can only come from their culture. At the end of the day, the beauty of Star Wars is that, I think, at its best, the themes are universal. The themes are culturally agnostic.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Image source: StarWars.com<\/p>\n Exploring the non-Jedi parts of Star Wars in Volume 3<\/span><\/p>\n James Waugh:\u00a0 What is a little different, I think, about this volume than Volume 1, because Volume 1 was very Jedi-heavy \u2014 steeped in kyber crystals and lightsabers, and clearly that\u2019s like the most iconic aspect of the Star Wars franchise \u2014 but it\u2019s a galaxy that\u2019s so much richer than that. What I found with this volume is that a lot of the stories that sort of bubbled up to the top ended up being more sort of Resistance stories or Rebel stories, or bounty hunter stories. Not to say that there are no lightsabers throughout it. There most certainly are. But in comparison to the first volume, I think we get a broader picture of what the galaxy can be.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI Am Your Mother,\u201d and Finding the Personal in Star Wars<\/span><\/p>\n James Waugh: With <\/span>Aardman, they brought in a bunch of their top directors to just pitch us different stories. And some of them, I mean they\u2019re all great \u2014 it\u2019s Aardman, you\u2019re gonna get good stuff \u2014 but a lot of them felt like big scope Star Wars stories with those elements that feel like that\u2019s what you want to see for Star Wars.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The reason we loved Magdalena\u2019s story was not that we knew we would find the Star Wars in it, but she pitched a story that was personal. She is a Polish immigrant to the UK and always felt slightly different growing up within that context. She had this sort of love-hate teen embarrassment of her mom and her mom\u2019s culture, only to find later in life that that\u2019s the thing that made her special and a unique creator. So she wanted to find a Star Wars story to reflect that personal journey.<\/span><\/p>\n To me, that\u2019s what I\u2019m looking for. I want something that is deeply personal. We\u2019re really good at helping people find the Star Wars in [them]. I always look for the personal story. The scope of it all \u2014 the Star Wars stuff \u2014 will come. So that\u2019s always the way we approach things, and I think you\u2019ll see the same thing in Volume 3.<\/span><\/p>\n On Remaking the Original and Prequel Films in Animation<\/span><\/p>\n James Waugh: What I love about George Lucas\u2019s filmmaking is that it is pure filmmaking for the big screen. If you watch Star Wars on the big screen as opposed to \u2014 I was the VHS generation. I caught <\/span>Return of the Jedi <\/span>in theaters, but most of my experience as a kid was watching on VHS with the 90s re-release. It blew my mind seeing how much the construction was about the broader scope and actually using what cinema can do on a big screen. So it\u2019s kind of hard for me to think, \u201cOh, animation would do better.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n I think what I would personally like to see is animation continuing the stories of those characters or exploring nooks and crannies. But I don\u2019t know if I\u2019d ever want to redo the original trilogy in animation. I mean, I\u2019m sure it would look amazing and be a unique experience on its own. Those films are sort of my Bible \u2014 I don\u2019t know if I\u2019d want to redo them personally. [That] doesn\u2019t mean that shouldn\u2019t happen.<\/span><\/p>\n How Animation Studios Are Considered for Selection<\/span><\/p>\n James Waugh: We have a list. I mean, we\u2019re fans too, right? Some of it has come from [us going], \u201cWow, we really loved that work. We should meet with these people.\u201d I remember seeing <\/span>Promare<\/span>, and I went, \u201cMan, we need a meeting with <\/span>TRIGGER.\u201d That was unlike anything I had seen before. <\/span>Production I.G obviously is just legendary, so some came from [us as fans saying], \u201cLet\u2019s meet with them.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n We also work very closely with <\/span>Qubic Pictures<\/span>, which has been a good partner within our Japanese production. They have great relationships and have made recommendations as well. So, between our own fandom and our own interests, and with good partners, we had brokering conversations with the studios.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The Importance of Story<\/span><\/p>\n James Waugh: The things that probably were rejected are things that are just more spectacle, like we just want to have a crazy action sequence, which, by the way, no medium does better than anime, right? But I hope to find ways to have the Venn diagram of that crazy action sequence mixed in with some deep character revelation that makes it mean more.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n On Whether Volume 2 Episodes Will Get Follow-Ups Like Some of Volume 1\u2019s<\/span><\/p>\n James Waugh: I want to know more about what happens with the <\/span>Cartoon Saloon stuff. I want to know what happens with the Punkrobot stuff, and Aardman. I want to see Star Wars in that style all day long. There\u2019s so much cool stuff in that volume that I would love to keep going, and we\u2019d be very excited to go back to that well.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Why \u201cThe Ninth Jedi\u201d is getting a spin-off series<\/span><\/p>\n James Waugh: Really, it was <\/span>[Kenji] Kamiyama-san\u2019s vision of what he wanted to do with carrying that story forward. It was a tough decision. It\u2019s like picking your favorite child \u2014 it\u2019s very challenging. But I think that one had the inherent structure: we need to go put together the Jedi Order, [and] we need to find these nine Jedi to help rebuild the Jedi Order to fight the darkness in the galaxy. That just felt like the perfect kickoff for a series. And Kamiyama-san had a very clear idea.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Image source: StarWars.com<\/p>\n Cosplay<\/span><\/p>\n James Waugh: That is hands down my favorite thing. We just did Celebration in Japan. Seeing those characters that were once pencil sketches that came through, we were like, \u201cOh, that looks cool, here are some thoughts [on] how to adjust,\u201d Just seeing original ideas coming in. And then you get to that place years down the line where their stories took shape, and they resonated and it mattered. That\u2019s the greatest gift [for] anybody who\u2019s a producer or creator \u2014 seeing that hard work finding purchase in the place of people\u2019s hearts and people really being inspired by that, so much so that they want to do their own cosplay as those characters. It\u2019s incredibly rewarding and gratifying.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n So at Celebration, it was incredible just seeing all the fans in cosplay. So I hope this begets more cosplay. I\u2019ll be at the cons looking for it.<\/span><\/p>\n Anime Trending\u2019s questions by Melvyn Tan. Press junket attended by Isabelle Lee.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Of the various roundtable interviews Anime Trending attended at Anime NYC 2025, the one for Star Wars: Visions was definitely one of the lengthiest. The session allowed us to get a great sense of executive producer James Waugh\u2019s passion for the anthology series and slip in a question about his thoughts on legendary animator Shinya […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28650,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Star-Wars-Visions-Volume-3-visual-cropped.jpg?fit=1182%2C665&ssl=1","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11622],"tags":[3202,1011,2483,12396,18888],"class_list":["post-28649","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-animeplug","tag-executive","tag-james","tag-producer","tag-visions","tag-waugh"],"rttpg_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Star-Wars-Visions-Volume-3-visual-cropped.jpg?fit=1182%2C665&ssl=1",0,0,false],"landscape":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Star-Wars-Visions-Volume-3-visual-cropped.jpg?fit=1182%2C665&ssl=1",0,0,false],"portraits":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Star-Wars-Visions-Volume-3-visual-cropped.jpg?fit=1182%2C665&ssl=1",0,0,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Star-Wars-Visions-Volume-3-visual-cropped.jpg?fit=1182%2C665&ssl=1",150,150,false],"medium":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Star-Wars-Visions-Volume-3-visual-cropped.jpg?fit=1182%2C665&ssl=1",300,300,false],"large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Star-Wars-Visions-Volume-3-visual-cropped.jpg?fit=1182%2C665&ssl=1",1024,1024,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Star-Wars-Visions-Volume-3-visual-cropped.jpg?fit=1182%2C665&ssl=1",1536,1536,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Star-Wars-Visions-Volume-3-visual-cropped.jpg?fit=1182%2C665&ssl=1",2048,2048,false],"post-thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Star-Wars-Visions-Volume-3-visual-cropped.jpg?fit=1182%2C665&ssl=1",370,265,false],"kava-thumb-s":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Star-Wars-Visions-Volume-3-visual-cropped.jpg?fit=1182%2C665&ssl=1",150,85,false],"kava-thumb-s-2":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Star-Wars-Visions-Volume-3-visual-cropped.jpg?fit=1182%2C665&ssl=1",230,230,false],"kava-thumb-m":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Star-Wars-Visions-Volume-3-visual-cropped.jpg?fit=1182%2C665&ssl=1",400,400,false],"kava-thumb-m-vertical":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Star-Wars-Visions-Volume-3-visual-cropped.jpg?fit=1182%2C665&ssl=1",370,500,false],"kava-thumb-m-2":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Star-Wars-Visions-Volume-3-visual-cropped.jpg?fit=1182%2C665&ssl=1",570,450,false],"kava-thumb-l":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Star-Wars-Visions-Volume-3-visual-cropped.jpg?fit=1182%2C665&ssl=1",1170,650,false],"kava-thumb-xl":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Star-Wars-Visions-Volume-3-visual-cropped.jpg?fit=1182%2C665&ssl=1",1920,1080,false],"kava-thumb-masonry":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Star-Wars-Visions-Volume-3-visual-cropped.jpg?fit=1182%2C665&ssl=1",600,999,false],"kava-thumb-justify":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Star-Wars-Visions-Volume-3-visual-cropped.jpg?fit=1182%2C665&ssl=1",640,640,false],"kava-thumb-justify-2":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Star-Wars-Visions-Volume-3-visual-cropped.jpg?fit=1182%2C665&ssl=1",1280,640,false]},"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"#RiseCelestialStudios","author_link":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/author\/ralph-c\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"ANIME PLUG<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"Of the various roundtable interviews Anime Trending attended at Anime NYC 2025, the one for Star Wars: Visions was definitely one of the lengthiest. The session allowed us to get a great sense of executive producer James Waugh\u2019s passion for the anthology series and slip in a question about his thoughts on legendary animator Shinya…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28649","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28649"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28649\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28651,"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28649\/revisions\/28651"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28650"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28649"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28649"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28649"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}