
Anime Trending shares the questions/answers from a roundtable interview from Anime NYC 2025 with James Waugh, the executive producer of Star Wars: Visions, sharing his passion for the anthology series, with volume 3 scheduled to premiere October 29th on Disney+.
Star Wars: Visions’ Canonicity and Vision
James Waugh: It is definitely not canon. But there haven’t been any restrictions, aside from the fact that when we’re approaching stories and looking for creators, we want them to actually have something to say and then pitch us their vision. We’re not really looking for stories about known Star Wars characters. Not to say that’s impossible. Obviously, we’ve had Jabba the Hutt and Boba Fett in Visions shorts, but it’s not about them. Usually, we’re looking for original, fresh perspectives so that Visions doesn’t become a sort of “What If” of Star Wars, but a unique expression and celebration of Star Wars elements people love.
Each Volume is like a mixtape (and that’s why they’re not called “seasons”)
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’s 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 Visions could evolve into, we want to make it clear that we can still have different, unique voices, and you don’t feel like you have to be bound to what you’ve seen before.
Culture in Star Wars: Visions
James Waugh: Seeing Star Wars expressed through a specific Japanese creator’s lens [in Volume 1] suddenly made us realize how interesting this could be through different cultures. That’s really what drove it. I think what’s foundational about Star Wars is these universal mythic elements — very Campbellian. The hero’s 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.
You look at something like “Screecher’s Reach,” 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 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.
Exploring the non-Jedi parts of Star Wars in Volume 3
James Waugh: What is a little different, I think, about this volume than Volume 1, because Volume 1 was very Jedi-heavy — steeped in kyber crystals and lightsabers, and clearly that’s like the most iconic aspect of the Star Wars franchise — but it’s a galaxy that’s 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.
How Animation Studios Are Considered for Selection
James Waugh: We have a list. I mean, we’re fans too, right? Some of it has come from [us going], “Wow, we really loved that work. We should meet with these people.” I remember seeing Promare, and I went, “Man, we need a meeting with TRIGGER.” That was unlike anything I had seen before. Production I.G obviously is just legendary, so some came from [us as fans saying], “Let’s meet with them.”
We also work very closely with Qubic Pictures, 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.
On Whether Volume 2 Episodes Will Get Follow-Ups Like Some of Volume 1’s
James Waugh: I want to know more about what happens with the Cartoon Saloonstuff. 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’s so much cool stuff in that volume that I would love to keep going, and we’d be very excited to go back to that well.
Read the interview in full here. Star Wars: Visions Volume 3 arrives on Disney+ on October 29th, 2025, and you can catch up on the first two volumes exclusively on Disney+ now.
The post Unearthing the Vision of Star Wars: Visions with Executive Producer James Waugh appeared first on Jedi News.
