"Star Wars: Visions" Screecher's Reach (TV Episode 2023) Poster

User Reviews

Review this title
12 Reviews
Sort by:
Filter by Rating:
8/10
Saloon Pantaloon
Trey_Trebuchet18 May 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Kind of great!

As I mentioned in my review for the previous episode, I really like the Sith-based stories in this show and I wish Disney episode do that more often in their "canon" Star Wars content. It's solid here, it's solid in Tales of the Jedi, and it's solid in Clone Wars (Asajj Ventress). I was sort of in to it from the get-go, but from the cave and so on it just got better and better.

The ending was actually quite sad and touching at the same time. It's always upsetting to see someone do something their friends don't support to get out of a rut, rather it's right or wrong. A short based solely on friendships and hard choices.

These writers did a great job, but so did the animation team! I like how it sort of plays with the viewers mind a bit with reality, and then ends on an emotional note.

Great episode.
6 out of 6 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
Cartoon Saloon+ Last Jedi vibes
TheFirst016 May 2023
Here comes Cartoon Saloon's offering and by their animation standards, they did not disappoint. It sounds repetitive since I pointed it out in a review for another one of the shorts, but it's obvious that studios will look to showcase their animations when dealing with Star Wars. The fact that since every animation studio is different in their own unique way, you can see how they animate Star Wars lore like lightsabers, villains, heroes etc... But the fact that the running time for this was just 15 minutes makes me think it could have been so much more and I don't think this is the studios' fault since shorts in the show run from 14-24 minutes. This is lowkey the only episode I've watched from the 3 I've seen this season that I would want done in an animated movie and I'm not begging for it, I'm just saying it as a compliment to the thought provoking short that could have been so much more with more running time. All props to Cartoon Saloon, and I hope this incentivizes people to see the movies they make which they put all their time and effort they can make. This episode also gave Last Jedi vibes in a good way. I give this episode a solid 7/10 for being something that could have been a lot more.
5 out of 8 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
9/10
Terrifying, but indicative of a potential problem with Visions
sevskirita5 May 2023
Warning: Spoilers
What a well done episode.

All of the characters are super compelling and relatable, and the design on them works extremely well. The cinematography and animation is stunning, and fortunately for me works well without the best of internet connections because of its simplicity.

And talk about the story! Daal's motivations and story is very easy to immerse yourself in, and you can feel the terror of the unknown powers in Star Wars to the average child in this universe. Seeing all the clues that Daal's "savior" is likely a Sith who got Daal to slaughter her own escaped apprentice is magnificent subtext that really fleshes out that feeling of almost cosmic horror that we've never really seen in this franchise before. Daal's choice brought this terror home for me.

However, when most of the story is in subtle subtext because of a small runtime, it's a little hard to have complete faith that the story was 10/10 fully compelling enough, and that it couldn't have done much more. So much of this show has been mediocre or sub-par and very rarely does an episode hit as good as Akikiri or T0-B1. Compare this to something like What's If's Strange Supreme origin story and you have to wonder if these shorts are crippled by having a less than 15 minute runtime.

Who knows though. With how good Screecher's Reach, T0-B1, and Akikiri are, maybe this is just like any other runtime and can be done to match any other as long as the studio knows what they're doing. I really gotta watch Song of the Sea and Wolfwalkers, don't I?
5 out of 10 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
I'm not sure who okayed this at Disney, but kudos to you!
FloppingSeal4 May 2023
Warning: Spoilers
This is probably the darkest Star Wars related piece of media you can watch. It's creepy. It's not your traditional happy ending. It's unexpected and intriguing. I especially like how they continually sort of tease the audience with whether or not what we are seeing is reality or an illusion/inner battle.

The ending of sort of forsaking their friends to get out or an average situation to pursue bigger things feels very out of place for Disney, but in a good way. Not every story needs to be some selfless, heroic tale. I also like the supporting character and their dialogue prior to the cave. They don't act betrayed. They understand that people want different things and sometimes paths diverge. They are content even if their life isn't glamorous or amazing, but they recognize that their friend isn't content with that. There's a lot of character development packed into a very short amount of time. This is probably the best episode of the season.
74 out of 80 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
Bullseye
petra_ste10 June 2023
Warning: Spoilers
This was EXACTLY what I wanted when I first heard about Visions.

So what did I want? An original take on Star Wars with new stories, widely different in visuals and content, which are not connected to the main saga and feel fresh and unique without being lore-breaking or "generic sci-fi" : in some other episodes I got the impression the creators knew nothing of Star Wars other than "there are lightsabers".

The deceptively simple art style is moody and effective; the dark final twist left me speechless. I was expecting something cozy and safe, the speed-run version of the Hero's Journey, and I got a Star Wars horror short with an unsettling ending. Neat.

Well played Cartoon Saloon, this took some guts... I'm kind of surprised it was greenlit to be honest.
11 out of 11 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
7.7? You gotta be kidding!!!!
suvechhabose7 May 2023
I am so proud.

This felt like an episode of 2003 Star wars clone wars by Gendry Tarkovsky, which i believe is a triumphant in 2d animation cartoon standards.

I introduced this episode to all of my close friends( they don't know what Star wars is) and they adored this tremendous episode. Beautifuly made , fantastic storytelling, not rushed , perfect characters with a hidden moral and of close an enigmatic cliffhanger This episode alons could give run to J. J. abrams & his ideology of Storytelling. Copying old movies story & make it for new public.

But in this i found no flaws Absolutely no flaws .

The episode had thrill , tediousness, joy , horror, hope , friendship, freedom everything which Star wars is based on. Plus the European artwork of stars & planets , the mural in front of the cave , the factory areas in background & the score ; Such a melancholic tone!

Makes you feel bad about the antagonist.

All within some minutes .

Wow Absolutely wow. I am awestruck, i have got zero comments & zero demands. Thank you. Thank you studio saloon . What a joy!
26 out of 32 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
Another Saloon Triumph!
cc-981824 May 2023
I have been looking forward to Screecher's Reach since the announcement of which studios would be participating in this season of Star Wars: Visions.

As expected of Cartoon Saloon, it is visually stunning. I absolutely loved the background design, and immediately found myself wondering whether the watercolour textures were hand painted and scanned, or digitally painted. An incredible achievement from Art Director, Almu Redondo.

The quality of the FX design and animation was somehow seemless and standout. The animation in the cave sequence was technically impressive and genuinely quite frightening at points.

This piece is further elevated by it's incredible and haunting score.

Without giving away spoilers, the story itself is well paced and gripping.

Another lovely project from the studio.
13 out of 18 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
"I don't wanna see a ghost. GASPS! I saw the ghost."
alex-oceallaigh4 May 2023
In complete awe that Cartoon Saloon is part of the Star Wars universe. Screecher's Reach was incredible. A deep story with a touch of pure horror. The world looks great and unique to the style Cartoon Saloon offers. Daal is a character who you'll get invested in quite easily in this short story. A lot more is going on in her life than what initially seems to be the case. It seems like such an innocent thing when this group of friends do when leave work to check if a ghost is real or not. Lovely surprise to hear Anjelica Houston do some voice work. Such a great idea to let animation studios worldwide tell stories in this galaxy. #MayThe4thBeWithYou.
11 out of 15 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
4/10
Not satisfying!
moritzherz4 May 2023
Warning: Spoilers
After a solid premiere of the second season of Star Wars Visions, the second episode lacks on a great story and a unique art style and therefore is NOT satisfying!

Again we get a story of a girl being confronted with the evil and again the story ends with her defeating it. This is getting boring! Then the art style was very normal nothing compared to the unique style of episode one. This show's quality only depends on ehich studio is behind the episode! Unfortunately the differences are enormous!

I can only hope that this episode will stay the only one that is not satisfying at all! I do not expect masterpieces, but it should at least be worth my time!
4 out of 124 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
wow.
blakehk-593714 May 2023
I absolutely love Cartoon Saloon so this was easily my most anticipated episode, and even then I was completely caught off guard. This was incredible. I knew at least the animation would be stellar, Cartoon Saloon makes the most beautiful 2D animation in my opinion- but the characters were lively, real, and immediately drew me in, the setting and antagonist were very unsettling and well done, a few brilliant moments in particular really surprised me and gave me chills, and when it ended all I could think about was I need more!! Lucasfilm needs to greenlight full feature films like this! 10/10. Turns out Cartoon Saloon makes excellent Star Wars as well!
8 out of 13 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
beautiful star wars / 5x20 clone wars vibes
hugojordan15 May 2023
This reminds me a bit of the clone wars episode 5x20. I admit that the end had me and I even found this end emotional. The music is absolutely simple but sublime. The graphics are also very well done. At first I wondered if it was indeed the star wars universe as it did not look like star wars at all. But I very quickly understood that this episode represented the star wars as I like it. I felt that frustration at the end like I got at the 5x20 or 7x12 end of the clone wars. People will probably find it too superficial or "it's not star wars" but I felt a lot of emotions watching this magnificent episode. I would have liked a whole series on this style of episode!
4 out of 6 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
8/10
Banshee Fodder
southdavid16 July 2023
Now this one I enjoyed quite a bit. From Irish studio Cartoon Saloon this epsiode takes a particular aspect of the series, one which isn't often revisited, and gives it a spin (and a twist).

Daal (Eva Whittaker) a young girl living a life of toil, convinces three of her friends to join her on a trip to Screechers Reach, a cave that is rumoured to be haunted. When they arrive, they discover than within the cave is indeed a malevolent screaming entity. Whilst her friends escape, Daal, driven by a talisman around her neck and an associated mantra stays. Alone with the creature she finally gets a good look, then it draws a red flaming sword.

So it is, I thought, a play on the scene when Luke Skywalker heads into the cave of Dagobah and sees the spectral Darth Vadar and I'd assumed that Daal would see something like that. But (spoilers) it turned out that that spirt was actually a Sith apprentice and a challenge, set before Daal, before she could join up with a Sith Master, who had been guiding her with the talisman. The Sith Mother is voice by Angelica Houston, who is presumably evoking the rule of two to both find a new apprentice and eliminate her old one.

Cartoon Saloon made the film "Wolfwalkers" which I watched on Apple TV when it was released and enjoyed very much. This has a similar art style, that of imitation pencil and ink (I assume imitation anyway) and Eva Whittaker also had a key role in that film. There's an Irish mythology bent to this story too, with the screeching and wailing Sith in the cave reflecting a banshee.

A fun, mildly scary and well-made version of the villains descent. Good Stuff.
1 out of 1 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

See also

Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews


Recently Viewed