by Jake Bourgeois, Contributing Writer
I’ve always had a soft spot for animation. More years than not, at least a couple of animated features find their way onto my top 10 list. So, I’m setting out to shine a light on some films that may have passed you by. The idea is to take a look at some underseen gems—so no Toy Story or Frozen here.
Let’s get started.
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May, perhaps fittingly, is a very Star Wars month this year. Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lordruled, and I’m desperately hoping that the first theatrical Star Wars film in seven years is good (despite my thoughts on the latest season of The Mandalorian.
So, I thought I’d dip my toes into a type of animation we’ve never explored in this series: fan films. What essentially amounts to fanfiction has always played an outsized role in the franchise, with the now alternate universe “Legends” canon being a booming industry. Heck, even within Star Wars proper, the cinematic trailers for the Knights of the Old Republic game got me to actually purchase an MMORPG game.
So, let’s take a look at what some of the more popular animated shorts have to offer.
From Hoplite Studio, this looks like a breathtaking cinematic straight out of a video game we never got. At under 3 minutes long, it shows a brief skirmish between a clone squadron and their droid counterparts, and it absolutely rules. Who needs much of a story when a firefight is this exhilarating and the visual effects (albeit on display for just a short time) are as good as anything Lucasfilm has produced? It’s worth a couple minutes of your time.
From Cinematic Captures, this short follows squad of Republic Commandos dispatched to rescue a senator. This gave me big Republic Commandosvibes, and I was completely engrossed in the mission. The story executes on its dark, noir vibe that made for a fun watch. The lighting really makes this one. Taking place at night, the lit-up visors and other atmospheric lighting helps the colors really pop. They even do a pretty great job replicating a clone’s voice.
From OtaKing Animation, this short from nearly a decade ago feels like a spiritual precursor to Star Wars: Visions. The anime style short follows a dogfight between Imperial and Rebellion forces. Due to the fact that this short isn’t computer generated like the other two films, there’s an ageless quality to this short that allows it not to show its age. According to the description, it was four years in the making, and it shows. Without the use of dialogue, it really allows the action to speak for itself. Despite its less dialogue and plot-driven nature, the fun visual flair more than made up for it.
For all the ills which it is responsible, the internet’s ability to democratize creativity can result in some absolutely amazing passion projects. Sometimes, we just need to be reminded of that.
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I’m excited to continue to geek out on some great animated work you may not have had a chance to catch. Next month, we’ve got a new Pixar film, so I’ll look for something around that.
You can read more from Jake Bourgeois, and follow him on Bluesky and Letterboxd