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.
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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.
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