In 2021, "Star Wars: Visions" launched as a groundbreaking project where creators from around the world brought their unique visions to the Star Wars universe. The highly anticipated third installment, "Star Wars: Visions" Volume 3, began streaming exclusively on Disney+ on Wednesday, October 29, 2025 (Japan Time).
Production I.G brings us "The Ninth Jedi: Child of Hope" as a sequel to the beloved "The Ninth Jedi" from Volume 1, which captivated fans worldwide with its epic storytelling. Furthermore, 2026 will see the release of "Star Wars Visions Presents - The Ninth Jedi", the first full-length animation series to emerge from the Visions project.
This new short film serves as a crucial chapter connecting to that grander narrative, depicting protagonist Kara facing new trials and growing as she continues her journey to find the Jedi and save her father.
animate Times sat down with Director Naoyoshi Shiotani, who took the directorial reins from Director Kenji Kamiyama, to discuss how he inherited this magnificent story and brought his own "vision" to depicting the protagonist's coming of age. We delved deep into the creative process behind the scenes.
A Challenge Born from the Chairman's Words
──How did you come to direct this project, taking over "The Ninth Jedi" from Director Kenji Kamiyama?
Shiotani: After finishing work on "PSYCHO-PASS: PROVIDENCE", the theatrical film for the "PSYCHO-PASS" series I'd been involved with for many years, I was called in by our chairman at Production I.G, Mitsuhisa Ishikawa, who said he wanted to talk.
He started off pretty casually with, "Shiotani, you've never once listened to what I've told you, have you?" (laughs). I protested, "That's not true!" but then he followed up with, "I really want you to take on this project."
I also heard through Ishikawa that Director Kamiyama himself had said, "It would be great if Shiotani-kun could make this." Up until then, I'd only worked on original productions, and I'd never had the experience of inheriting and working within a world someone else had created, so this was a new challenge. But of course, I personally loved "Star Wars" series and had tremendous respect for it, so I was curious about what kind of expression I could bring to this grand universe. That's why I accepted the offer.
Shiotani: In a sense, the previous story worked extremely well as a "prologue." With its suspense elements and various developments that draw the protagonist in, it concluded as a departure story. That structure was exactly what I'd expect from Director Kenji Kamiyama.
Personally, I think short films are a difficult genre with many constraints. As I watched, I was thinking about the compelling characters introduced in the previous work and wondering, "What should this sequel aim for, how should it be wrapped up, and how should it connect to what comes next?"
Kara's Growth and the Feelings Entrusted to Her Partner Tett
──If the previous work was the "starting point" of the story, this one seems to focus particularly on Kara's "growth."
Shiotani: Yes. This work is entirely focused on that one point: Kara's "growth." As I mentioned earlier, I think the previous work had a storyline like a 'prologue' to a grand story. It depicted how the "Star Wars" universe would be born and expand within "The Ninth Jedi" through two perspectives: the protagonist Kara and the gathering Jedi.
And fans know in advance about "what comes next"—that this story is scheduled to become a series. Given that, I felt my role in this short film connecting to that series was to clearly depict Kara's "motivation" for continuing her journey and the "drive" and "growth" that propel her to act of her own will.
I also created scenes from the perspective of Master Juro and their companions, having them speak about Kara and showing how important she is to them. You can feel the relationship and passage of time from the previous work to the present. Most importantly, I wanted to make this short film depict 'an event she would never forget.'
──In depicting Kara's growth, the droid "Tett" seems to play a huge role.
Shiotani: Yes. In the previous work, Kara was the one "getting caught up in events" and still seemed to lack agency. In this work, I thought we needed to show her transformation through meeting Tett and traveling together—showing her "taking action herself." How would Kara react when meeting an unfamiliar droid? I wanted those reactions to express her emotions more clearly. I was particularly conscious of making the character's gestures and reactions easy to understand for younger viewers, so they could grasp what the character was thinking.
──Tett's design is also impressive, with eyebrow-like features that make his expressions very rich.
Shiotani: I talked extensively with designer Shinagawa-san about creating a design that makes emotions easy to read. What I was most conscious of was the slightly analog worldview found in the sequels (Episodes 4, 5, and 6). I think that's the foundation of "Star Wars", so I didn't want Tett's design to be simply cool, but rather composed of simple combined parts as a droid. Something that looks somewhat childlike but also immediately conveys visually that Tett is a butler droid and what his duties are.
Production I.G's Vision of the Star Wars Universe
──The spaceship Kara and the others travel in at the beginning has a very unique design.
Shiotani: The fundamental basis for that was definitely the Millennium Falcon. On top of that, I discussed with Shinagawa-san about how to incorporate the <Japan> aesthetic that Director Kamiyama created. From many ideas, what we ultimately adopted was adding a kofun (ancient Japanese burial mound) motif, which resulted in that distinctive shape.
For the Jedi Hunter ship design, we also started by buying a "Star Wars" encyclopedia and thoroughly researching everything. From the vast materials, we based it on one of the transport fleet ships from the frontier planets. It's a form that combines three or four parts that already exist in the "Star Wars" universe.
──Speaking of ships, the interior of the derelict ship Kara boards is also impressive.
Shiotani: For the ship's interior, we designed it by imagining the homeworld of the Master who owned the ship. We differentiated the design for each area, envisioning "memorable places" for Tett's Master, who was the ship's owner. Since this is a culture Kara has never encountered in her life, we intentionally designed it as an alien space that would feel somewhat "scary" to her.
(C)2025 Lucasfilm Ltd.
──In creating this work, what aspects gave you the most 'creative struggle'?
Shiotani: The very beginning was crucial. I agonized especially over 'how to express space.' My gut instinct, having worked on many productions conscious of realism, was to approach space with that same sensibility.
──So initially, you were aiming for a realistic space depiction.
Shiotani: That's right. But through close discussions with Lucasfilm, they told me, "This is space fantasy." They continued with a joking example: "Imagine that even if you're thrown out into space, you'd be okay for about five minutes" (laughs).
Those words made everything click. I realized anew that shifting toward realism doesn't necessarily mean expressing the appeal of "Star Wars".
──What about the lightsaber action, which is a hallmark of Star Wars?
Shiotani: What I was most conscious of in the action this time was "losing." Considering the long series ahead, if the protagonist is too strong from the start, you can see the limit of the story. So in this work, I needed to create a situation where she can't win yet. She fights desperately, but ultimately loses. What matters is what she gains from that experience.
──The music was also fantastic, full of "Star Wars" spirit. It's handled by Yūgo Kanno, who you've collaborated with on "PSYCHO-PASS".
Shiotani: I invited the same sound team and composer from "PSYCHO-PASS". At our first meeting, Kanno-san proposed, "I'd like to see what 'Star Wars' music looks like to you, Shiotani-san. I want to interpret that in my own way." So what I did was create an edited version with the actual "Star Wars" soundtrack applied to the footage as temporary music.
For example, I played Darth Vader's theme ("The Imperial March") during action scenes to convey the atmosphere I wanted: "I want music like this." We were also very conscious of how to make the sound effects blend into this universe.
"Child of Hope" — Connecting to the Future
──This work will continue into the planned original series. What role will this short episode play?
Shiotani: Precisely, it's a story that "connects" to the series.
It's the story of Kara, who started on her journey in the previous installment, gaining the "resolve" to carve out her own future through her experiences in this work. I believe depicting her transformation and growth is the greatest role given to this short film. Through this episode, I hope the audience understands what kind of girl Kara is, gets a glimpse of what she's aiming for and what she's trying to accomplish, and looks forward even more to the upcoming series.
──Finally, please share a message for fans who are excited about Kara's growth depicted in this work and the grand series about to begin.
Shiotani: Kara's story goes on, starting with the previous work, continuing with this one, and extending into the future series. What will become of "The Ninth Jedi" as one work within "Star Wars"? I hope you'll enjoy watching Kara as our protagonist work hard and persevere.
[Interview by Shitsuno]
"Star Wars: Visions" Volume 3
Streaming on Disney+
"Star Wars: Visions" is a major project passionately pursued by Lucasfilm, where leading animation studios with worldwide acclaim depict new "Star Wars" stories from their unique creative perspectives and ideas. "Star Wars", created by George Lucas, drew much inspiration from Akira Kurosawa's films, Japanese mythology and culture, and this influence extends to all works that continue to this day.
Japan is said to be the "root of creation," with Zen Buddhist concepts that influenced the idea of "the Force," and samurai who were one of the inspirations for the Jedi—grand destinies and tales of good versus evil that pulse through all of "Star Wars". In Volume 1, seven Japanese animation studios and world-leading anime creators depicted "Star Wars" with their own visions, earning praise as "the perfect fusion of 'Star Wars' and animation" and "creating new appeal while showing deep love for 'Star Wars'," winning popularity from both SW fans and anime fans worldwide. Now, with Volume 3, "Visions" returns to the "sacred land" of Japan! Nine animation studios that continue to produce hit works are participating.
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*Some parts of this text have been translated using machine translation
