TV Review: A Princes Goes On Reconnaissance In "Star Wars: Visions" Volume 3, Episode 2 - "The Song of Four Wings"
Today saw the release of Volume 3 of Lucasfilm’s animated anthology series Star Wars: Visions, and below are my thoughts on the second installment from this third batch of short films, entitled “The Song of Four Wings” from Project Studio Q.
“The Song of Four Wings” is a very simple story using the iconography and themes of the Star Wars saga, but its simplicity is a big part of what makes it work. Its narrative focuses on a young human princess named Crane (voiced by Stephanie Hsu in the English dub) who does not like being referred to as “princess” anymore now that her kingdom has been destroyed by an Empire. She reports to a hologram of the Mon Calamari Admiral Basil Kiucee (Trevor Devall) as she speeds through a snowy landscape with only her astromech droid by her side. Crane is on a reconnaissance mission to investigate the ruins of another village ravaged by the Empire, and after she arrives there she discovers an orphaned infant Gigoran named Woopas (Aki Toyosaki) who we soon learn has a connection to the Force. Yes, this animated short shares some DNA with The Mandalorian, but as we’re well aware that live-action series borrowed from the Japanese Lone Wolf and Cub manga and films, it all washes out in the end.
Right off the bat, one of my favorite things about “The Song of Four Wings” is that it doesn’t feature any lightsaber duels– if you read my reviews of Volume 1 or listen to my Star Wars podcast “Who’s the Bossk?” you’ll know that I thought early episodes of Visions focused too heavily on the Jedi weapons. Here we just have a hero, her companions, and a battle against the Empire– which shows up in the form of snowtroopers, AT-AT walkers (those are becoming a recurring image in Volume 3 already), and a very cool Imperial snow-crawler inspired by the Jawa sandcrawler from the original 1977 Star Wars film. There are some gorgeous visuals here, including the frozen scenery and multicolored auroras above it, and the action is exciting and well-choreographed, throwing in some unexpected turns during the climactic combat sequence. Overall I would say this is a charming and energetic short that, again, uses the basic building blocks of Star Wars to construct something fun and entertaining with memorable characters.
Star Wars: Visions Volume 3 is now streaming in its entirety, exclusively via Disney+.