The first short film in the second volume of Star Wars: Visions on Disney+ is from Spain’s El Guiri Studios, creators of the 2009 animated short Alma and the “light field VR experience” One morning… And having seen it twice, I can definitely understand why the powers that be at Lucasfilm decided to kick off this batch of episodes with this gorgeous piece of animation, appropriately titled “Sith.”
“Sith” is the story of a young woman (voiced by Spanish actress Úrsula Corberó of the crime drama series Money Heist) who wakes up in a gorgeously realized world that starts off as mostly black-and-white with occasional splashes of color. She and her loyal, lovable droid go through their morning routine as the woman attempts to complete a painting she’s been working on in the evidently abandoned base she lives in, commenting that “darkness” seems to want to be a part of it. Eventually her path takes her outside to an evocative landscape, where she races along the desert ground in a memorably designed circular speeder, soon coming face-to-face with a grim, deadly Sith Lord (Luis Tosar from Celda 211) and his minions. This evil being claims that the woman had “made a vow,” though she insists she is not a Sith any longer.
A lightsaber duel follows, as was established to be the pattern in the previous volume of Star Wars: Visions (I understand the impulse to include this tried-and-true staple of storytelling in A Galaxy Far, Far Away, but my only real gripe with Vol. 2 is I just want a tiny bit more variety in the avenues of the Star Wars galaxy that get explored in these shorts), culminating with the woman victorious, but also learning to embrace and incorporate the dark side as part of herself and part of the Force as a whole. The real draw here, however, are the visuals, which may be the most unique and unforgettable of any Visions short so far in either volume. The use of color, in particular, will likely forever stick out in my memory as bringing a style wholly new to the Star Wars franchise into this ambitious animation project.
Star Wars: Visions Vol. 2 is now available to stream in its entirety, exclusively via Disney+.