Disney Plus will premiere the standalone anime series Star Wars: Visions — The Ninth Jedi on August 5, 2026.
The series expands the acclaimed short from the anthology into a full eight-episode story arc.
Director Kenji Kamiyama expanded the concept after its initial appearance in the animated anthology.
Kamiyama said his grounded directorial vision came from a desire to recreate the feeling of live-action filmmaking rather than relying on exaggerated action tropes.
“I remember thinking, ‘The Ninth Jedi’ is kind of plain,” Kamiyama said.
The creator sought to capture the atmosphere of the original 1977 film, focusing on realistic environments and a lived-in universe for protagonist Kara.
“When I made the original short, I approached it as if I were directing a live-action movie,” Kamiyama explained.
The narrative picks up after Child of Hope, following Kara’s journey to rescue her sabersmith father while serving as an apprentice to Margrave Juro in an era where the Jedi Order has mostly vanished.
“When I watched Episode IV, even though it was somewhere in space that I had never seen before, there was something nostalgic about it,” Kamiyama said.
To maintain physical realism in battle sequences, he instructed the animation team to avoid floating martial arts movements and keep grounded movement styles.
“I asked the animators to keep their feet firmly on the ground,” Kamiyama said.
Director Shunsuke Tada brought his background as a kendo practitioner to the choreography, treating lightsabers as traditional Japanese swords with tangible weight and lethality.
“I wanted to treat lightsabers as Japanese swords, just as George Lucas originally intended,” Tada said.
He emphasized that every sword strike needed to convey lethal intent rather than exchanging decorative contact frames.
“Because I have experience practicing kendo, I can tell when characters are just hitting swords against each other instead of actually trying to cut their opponent,” Tada said.
Kamiyama noted that the narrative intentionally portrays the protagonist with internal doubt rather than presenting her as an infallible warrior.
“I felt the Jedi Order itself had become restrictive,” Kamiyama said.
The production team framed Kara’s emotional struggles as a core component of her development into a new kind of Force wielder.
“If a Jedi doesn’t contain their own darkness, I don’t think you can portray them as truly strong,” Kamiyama said.
This character framing anchors the narrative conflict as Kara steps into her responsibilities.
“I wanted her to embody what a new generation of Jedi should be,” Kamiyama said. Star Wars: Visions – The Ninth Jedi premieres August 5 on Disney Plus.
